Heavenly Discourses: Myth, Astronomy and Culture
http://heavenlydiscourses.org/
An Interdisciplinary Conference organised jointly by
Nicholas Campion (School of Archaeology, History and Anthropology, Sophia
Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture, University of Wales Trinity
Saint David)
and
Darrelyn Gunzburg (Department of History of Art, University of Bristol)
Wills Memorial Building
University of Bristol
14-16 October 2011
Conference Theme
On 12 April 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first human in outer space and the
first to orbit the Earth. 2011 sees the fiftieth anniversary of that event.
In almost every human culture the sky functions as a backdrop for mythical
encounters, employing the celestial environment as a stage set for
narratives of human and divine experience. That moment when human beings
first left the planet gave us a different perspective on the sky.
THE EVENT: This conference will bring together scholars to examine the
relationship between the heavens and culture through the arts, literature,
religion and philosophy, both in history and the present. We invite
proposals from academics in the arts, humanities, social sciences and
sciences. Topics may include astronomy and music, literature, painting and
the visual arts, architecture, religion, history and society.
CO-CHAIRS:This interdisciplinary conference is organised jointly by
Nicholas Campion (School of Archaeology, History and Anthropology, Sophia
Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture, University of Wales Trinity
Saint David) and Darrelyn Gunzburg (Department of History of Art,
University of Bristol).
CALL FOR PAPERS – OPEN NOW: We invite proposals for 20-minute
presentations, We invite both panel and paper proposals from academics in
the arts, humanities, social sciences and sciences, to be given at the
conference.
Topics may include but are not limited to the following:
• The representation of the sky in art and its impact on cultures
• Astronomy through music and lyric
• How the sky has been engaged in literature and myth
• How the heavens have been interpreted and exploited by artists
• The influence of the sky on architecture
• The ways in which myths of the heavens have shaped religion
• The role of history in engaging the heavens
• The space programme and culture
• Space and society
• How the sky has been harnessed for educational purposes in museums and
galleries
• Constructing and transmitting identities through the heavens
Each paper will be 20 minutes long including questions and discussion.
Panel sessions will be one hour in length and consist of a Chair and 3
speakers.
‘Due by’ date for submission is 31st March 2011.
A selection of papers from the Conference proceedings will be published by
the Sophia Centre Press in 2012.
Keynote speakers to date:
* Professor Ronald Hutton, Department of History, University of Bristol.
* Professor Roger Beck, Emeritus Professor, Department of Classics,
University of Toronto.
* Professor Gerry Gilmour, Professor of Experimental Philosophy, Institute
of Astronomy, Cambridge University
* Dr Ed Krupp Director, Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, USA
* Adjunct Professor David Malin, British-Australian astronomer and
photographer, former Anglo-Australian Observatory
* Professor Michael Rowan-Robinson, Department of Physics, Imperial College,
* London.
Professor Elliot Wolfson, Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic
Studies, New York University
The Conference Exhibition
The conference is proud and delighted to welcome David Malin as one of its
keynote speakers, and is joining with The Bristol Gallery to present an
exhibition of his pioneering space photography. The exhibition will be
curated by Darrelyn Gunzburg. Born in 1941 in Summerseat, Lancashire, UK,
Malin explored photography from an early age, trained as a chemist and
worked as microscopist. When he moved to Sydney, Australia, and joined the
Anglo-Australian Observatory as its photographic scientist in 1975, he
shifted from exploring the infinitely small to the infinitely far away.
Malin was a pioneer in making true-color astronomical photographs from
black and white plates taken in three separate colors. The novel image
enhancement techniques were all incorporated into creating unique
three-color photographs of previously unseen deep space objects. These new
ways of extracting information from astronomical photographs, known as
‘Malinisation’, revolutionized our cultural relationship with the sky.
Registration:
Early payment up to 30th June 2011: £195
Late payment from 1st July: £225
Student rate (undergraduate or postgraduate): £90
Questions or further information:
Darrelyn Gunzburg – hadrg@bristol.ac.uk
Tel: 0117 9288897
