Migrants: Art, Artists, Materials and Ideas Crossing Borders, Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, November 15–16, 2018

The Hamilton Kerr Institute is organising a conference entitled Migrants: art, artists, materials and ideas crossing borders which will be held on 15-16 November 2018, at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge. This two-day conference, will reflect on the role of migration as embodied in works of art and material culture as documented in visual and written sources.

Artistic production and the preservation of cultural property have always been subject to the ebb and flow of international influences. Major factors have included the supply of materials, the migration of artists, designers and craftspeople, as well as evolving conservation theory and practice, within the spheres of the fine and applied arts. This two-day conference is intended to bring together cross-discipline papers centring on the physical and conceptual manifestations of the effects of migration and migrants on cultural material. These investigations might include, but are not limited to, the transnational journey of materials and methods of production as well as the introduction of preservation measures and practices. This theme also invites a focus on diasporas of practitioners and their reception by new audiences or consumers.

The conference is deliberately broad in its scope both materially and chronologically. The aim is to create a forum for the discussion of ongoing research interpreting art and material culture from all disciplines and periods. We especially welcome papers from students and from early career researchers. Archetype Publications Ltd. will publish the papers as proceedings.