VIII. Forum Kunst des Mittelalters
Work | Arbeit
Spuren, Konstellationen, Wertungen
Traces, Constellations, Valuations
23.-26. September 2026
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Rehm, Ruhr-Universität Bochum
in Kooperation mit / in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Kirsten Lee Bierbaum, Technische Universität Dortmund
Idea
From a region with a significant medieval character and a post-industrial present we want to address the question whether the term ‚work‘ could be of any benefit when applied to the practices of medieval art production and their social and economic context. At the latest with the development of urban culture in the 12th/13th century, the concept of a society based on the division of work began to replace traditional forms of social differentiation – a process that was theologically founded in the 12th century and accompanied by a revaluation of art, craft and creativity.
From an art historical perspective, we are interested in the following:
Firstly, what information can be gained from the medieval artefacts. What traces of work have been preserved on the artistic products themselves and what can we learn from them? What about the survival of contemporary materials and working tools?
Secondly, we ask about the specific working routines and processes. What was the relationship between the different actors involved in art production, what can be said, for example, about corporate commissioning and collaborative or collective production processes? And how were these processes embedded in social constellations (for example in a monastic or courtly context)? What role did gender relations or the origin of migrant artists or workshops play?
Thirdly, it is crucial to analyse the social position of the producers and the esteem in which they were held. What claims were formulated by the artists themselves, be it through signatures or inscriptions, be it in the self-produced representations of artistic work and their producers?
In the light of the corresponding results, the question can be asked once again as to whether the persistently asserted epochal difference between the Middle Ages and the early modern period, ‘craftsmanship there, art here’, can be maintained.
Suggestions that go beyond this brief outline are of course welcome, and we would also like to see the breadth of our professional fields represented. We would like to encourage younger researchers in their qualification phase to apply for a session chair position.
Submission
Proposals for sessions of max. 350 words (plus contact details) can be submitted until 20 May 2025. Please use the form below.
The sessions will be selected in July 2025 and the calls for papers for all sessions will be sent out in August. Each session will have one chairperson and a maximum of three speakers. Further information will follow at https://www.dvfk-berlin.de/forum/
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