Re-enactment in Research: Dr Julie Wertz “Minding the gap: Practical re-creations as a technique to collect unwritten information" | Presentation & Response

Thursday 24th of June

11am - 12pm

Dr Julie Wertz, Harvard University | @science_of_art  

Dr Robyne Calvert, University of Glasgow | @robyneerica

Dr Fiona Jardine, The Glasgow School of Art | @PhD_GSA

About the Presenters

Dr Julie Wertz is currently Beal Family Postgraduate Fellow in Conservation Science, Harvard University where she uses analytical chemistry to study objects in the collections of Harvard Art Museums. Defended in 2017, her PhD research at the University of Glasgow was concerned with the history and chemistry of Turkey Red textiles and involved recreating an esoteric, ‘lost’ dye process, a full account of which escaped extant documents.

Dr Robyne Calvert an expert in ‘Glasgow Style’ architecture and dress, has fostered a range of innovative research and teaching projects for which remaking material culture as a means to understand the past, and to deepen academic encounters, was a central focus. She has a particular interest in the questions that arise from the use of recreation as a method of research in dress and textile histories. Hosting the session

Dr Fiona Jardine is co-lead of the SGSAH Creative Arts & Design Catalyst. She is based in the School of Design, Glasgow School of Art.

About this Session

Dr Julie Wertz will reflect on some of the methods used in her PhD research ' Turkey red dyeing in late-19th century Glasgow: Interpreting the historical process through re-creation and chemical analysis for heritage research and conservation'. In discussion with Dr Robyne Calvert, the limits of written texts, recipes and instructions will be considered parallel to the value of the somatic, olfactory, haptic and temporal knowledge that can be generated through the application of re-enactment and re-creation in diverse fields of enquiry. They will also discuss the value of re-enactment and re-creation as a means of public engagement with research.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the session, participants will be able to reflect on the potential for re-enactment as a method of research or tool for public engagement within their own research.

Who might be interested?

• Any researcher already using re-enactment / re-creation within research and/or for public engagement
• Practice-based researchers
• Researchers encountering limits in historical and other texts
• Researchers excited by the potential for re-enactment / re-creation within research and/or for public engagement

Event contact: F.Jardine@gsa.ac.uk 

Click Here to Register (Please note that places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis) 

First published: 28 May 2021