Material Matters: Unveiling the Dynamics of Reuse in Pre-Modern Texts, Images, and Carriers

Abstract

Sustainability appears to be a contemporary concept, developed in response to challenges such as the climate crisis. However, a look into the past reveals a different story. Sustainability and its associated practices, “reusing”, “repairing”, “recycling”, and “reframing”, are not modern innovations, but rather have been living cultural phenomena for millennia. The conference will focus on the reuse and recycling of texts and images from the Middle Ages and early modern period, concentrating chiefly on three specific carrier materials: parchment, paper and glass. The exploration of these practices will be conducted on two distinct yet interconnected levels: the content level (encompassing text and imagery) and the material level (focusing on the mediums of parchment, paper, and glass).

Our ambition is to catalyse research into the pre-modern practices of utilization and reutilization, fostering a cross-disciplinary and international collaborative environment. To this purpose, the conference combines both conventional lectures and dynamic lightning sessions at FRIAS with practical, hands-on experiences. These interactive sessions are planned at prominent institutions including the University Library, the specialized stained-glass research hub Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi (CVMA), the Augustinermuseum in Freiburg, and the Paper mill in Basel.

Organisation

How to get to Freiburg?

• By train: Long-distance train connections to Freiburg are available at bahn.de.
• By bus: Long-distance bus connections to Freiburg are available at Flixbus.
• By car: Motorway A5 brings you to Freiburg, either from the direction of Basel or Karlsruhe.
• By plane: Frankfurt Airport is an airport where a lot of international flights arrive. Upon arrival in Frankfurt Airport, Freiburg can be reached by booking a long-distance train connection (takes approx. 2,5 h). Airport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (EuroAirport) is located in the South of Freiburg. An Airport Shuttle Bus can be booked here.