Sponsored by the University of Aberdeen's Principal's Interdisciplinary Fund and organised by Dr Sally Foster and Neil Curtis, researchers and museum curators met in Aberdeen from 28-30 October for an international research workshop on replication of archaeological material.
Understanding the significance of replicas of archaeological material, mostly dating from the long nineteenth-century, and how authenticity and value of such material is negotiated, is a burgeoning area of academic interest. Such replicas (plaster casts of sculpture, electrotypes of metalwork, etc) were created in large numbers for museums, and more robust versions are now a feature of the wider landscape too. Sponsored by the University of Aberdeen’s Principal’s Interdisciplinary Fund and organised by Dr Sally Foster and Neil Curtis, Head of Museums, eleven researchers and museum curators met from 28-30 October for a research workshop. The emphasis was on replication of early medieval material culture because of the crucial role this played in nineteenth-century formation of European national identities. Further, the dual identity of sculpture, as both monument and artefact, has particularly interesting consequences for how this material, one of the key resources of the period, has been valued and treated, whether the authentic originals or reproductions.
While they continue to evoke mixed curatorial and public responses, with practical consequences for how they are interpreted, and their fate (whether museums accession, conserve or indeed retain them), such replicas are now historical and merit empirical study in their own right. But they also lend themselves readily to new ways of theorising and approaching material culture, particularly in regard to understanding authenticity and value, understanding memory, identity and place, and reflecting on the value and future impact of current visualisation technologies.
The next step is the establishment of a research network and development of related projects. Please email sally.foster@abdn.ac.uk with some background to your interest if you would like to hear more about this project in the future.
Front: Dr Marjorie Trusted (Victoria and Albert Museum), Dr Sally Foster and Neil Curtis (University of Aberdeen), Dr Stuart Jeffrey (Glasgow School of Art)