Can a copy of an archaeological artefact be as exciting as the original? Is there "Replica Knowledge"? By investigating replicas as a specific category of objects, a change of perspective is achieved from mediating antiquity to researching the history of archaeological knowledge and its representation in collections and other contexts. Shaping awareness about the agency, materiality, mobility and difference of replicas means gathering new knowledge.
This interdisciplinary conference connects international participants from museums, universities, companies and research initiatives to discuss replicas of archaeological objects, mainly from the Aegean Bronze Age. The talks address processes of manufacture, transformation of form and material, shifts in meaning and reinterpretation and the role of replicas for institutional and political identity.
The 'Thronfolger' project, funded by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes' 'International Museum Fellowship' programme, aims to trace international networks of manufacture, distribution and scientific as well as literary knowledge production along the history of several Greek Bronze Age replicas. It therefore includes research, this conference, the publication of the resulting papers and an experimental, research-in-display exhibition at the Humboldt-Universität's Tieranatomisches Theater exhibition space in Berlin from September 2017 to March 2018, plus an exhibition catalogue.
Participation is open to anyone, registration is not mandatory, admission is free. Papers will be presented primarily in English, with some also in German.
Organised by Dr. Anna Simandiraki-Grimshaw and Felix Sattler.
Detailed information: www.tieranatomisches-theater.de