Last chance to register!

Sensing the past: A workshop in applied sensory archaeology and heritage assessment

October 7-9, 2021: Online and in Amsterdam, NL

Join us for this international workshop bringing together a wide range of sense-based research methodologies applied to the ancient and historic built environment.

An increasing number of interdisciplinary approaches to sensory research in humanities has proven productive in decentralizing ocular-centric models of experience towards holistic comprehension of built remains. These innovative perspectives have led to a growing field of inquiry and dispersed collection of investigatory methods to approach senses individually or through their interrelationships (e.g. synesthesia). In so doing, more avenues are widening for identifying undervalued forms of historic communication, quotidian forms of place-making, and carriers of meaning in ancient and historical places that are not visibly accessible in the physical remains.

Part 1, held online on 7 and 8 October, will introduce participants to the state-of-the-field debates in experiential archaeology and heritage work. A series of 18 presentations will be anchored by a keynote address by Dr. Sue Hamilton (Director, UCL Institute of Archaeology) on 8 October. Presentations will take place between 10am and 6pm CEST.

Part 2 of the workshop, held in person on 9 October, will give a limited number of local participants experiential fieldwork practice by taking part in a sensory walk at the Fort bij Uithoorn, a site built as part of the Amsterdam defense line system and inscribed in the Stelling van Amsterdam UNESCO world heritage designation. Research will be contextualized with a lecture by a local military history expert.

Many of the forts in the Stelling have come under recent revitalization efforts, which preserve the material composition of the fort but often significantly change the experiential layer. Fieldwork will equip participants to analyze historic sensory contributions to such historic spaces and to contribute to redevelopment dialogues beyond mere material evidence. Safety measures in place due to Covid-19 will be applied.

Advance registration by October 5th is required for this workshop and site visit. For more information on speakers, discussion themes, and registration, please visit: www.uva.nl/sensingthepast

This workshop is a collaboration between the Universiteit van Amsterdam School of Heritage, Memory, and Material Culture and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Institute CLUE+.