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London Early Medieval England Symposium

When:
Venue: Birkbeck Main Building, Malet Street

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The London Early Medieval England Symposium returns after a two-year hiatus with a programme devoted to ‘making and curating early medieval England’. This year’s theme draws on various aspects of the textual and material cultures of early medieval England, considering acts of creation and curation in the past and present from a range of different disciplinary perspectives, and drawing on the expertise of museum specialists, practitioners, and academics. Central to these discussions are questions about how early medieval people understood acts of making in their own world - in treasure, poetry, manuscripts, and music - and how people in the present have sought to revoice and enliven our understanding of these experiences. Join us for an afternoon of discussion and exploration open to all with an interest in this period and its cultures.

Programme

12.30 Doors

12.50 Welcome

1.00-2.30: Session 1: Treasures, Poetry, and Song

Chair: Dr Carl Kears

Dr Sue Brunning: 'Curating Sutton Hoo Beyond the Glass'
Dr Amy Faulkner: 'Grand designs: Construction, Decoration and Demolition in the Old English Phoenix'
Dr Steven Breeze: 'The Early Medieval Round Lyre and Old English Poetry'

2.30-2.45: Break

2.45-4.15: Session 2: Voices of the Past and Present

Chair: Dr Jennifer Neville

Dr Fran Allfrey and Dr Carl Kears: 'Revoicing Medieval Poetry: Reflections'
Dr James Aitcheson: 'Writing the Early Middle Ages: Rethinking the Role of Historical Fiction'
Dr Mike Bintley: 'Inventing Eanswythe: Public Histories of an Early Kentish Saint, c. 900-2020'

4.15-4.30: Break

4.30-5.00: Dr Sara Charles: 'Manuscript-Making in the Middle Ages: A Practice-Based Approach'

Chair: Professor Catherine Clarke

5.00 Thanks and closing

5.15 End

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