CALL FOR PAPERS vol 41.
fragmentiert – fragmented
We would like to dedicate Volume 41 to a topic that is omnipresent in the preservation of art and cultural heritage: we almost always encounter objects in a fragmented state - as a relic that has survived as one of many puzzle pieces resulting from its individual object history and whose preservation is now our responsibility.
After all, our knowledge of the objects we encounter, detached from their own time, is always fragmentary. Historic records, the knowledge from which provenance research, conservation and restoration studies and conclusions about the history of origin draw, ultimately only represent a further fragment of past times. Cultural studies, Conservation and material/natural sciences usually have to work in synergy if they are to tell the history of an object as comprehensively as possible and understand its current state of preservation. Museum exhibitions themselves can almost all be regarded as fragments of collections. They generally present variants/versions and leave room for interpretation.
Furthermore, the format in which we encounter these fragments, whether as an inherent part of a larger collection, as memorabilia, fractured pieces, photographs (themselves again pure excerpts/snapshots?), in the "classical" fragmented form of archaeological or more contemporary finds, influences many other processes of actions and decision-making:
- What is the basis of decisions made in cases of a fragmented state of objects?
- How/where do people's interests lie?
- How to deal with lacunae/missing parts?
- How are fragments reassembled? Are they put back together at all?
- Is a fragmented presentation desired?
- Which role do reconstructions play (digital or directly on the object)?
We ask for the submission of abstracts describing the background, research question, main content, methods and (expected) results (200-300 words) in English or German by July 30, 2024, by e-mail to redaktion@iic-austria.org.
You will receive feedback by Mid-August and then have time until October 30, 2024 to submit the final manuscript.
We also welcome short articles (max. 500 words, 1 figure) on current projects, research and exhibitions. Please send the entire contribution by October 30, 2024, also by e-mail to redaktion@iic-austria.org.