Conference: Activating Stilled Lives
ACTIVATING STILLED LIVES The Aesthetics and Politics of Specimens on Display AHRC Research Network “The Culture of Preservation” Petra Lange-Berndt and Mechthild Fend Department of History of Art, University College of London 17-18 May 2012 The past twenty years saw an explosion of exhibitions fathoming the relations between art and science as well as numerous refurbishments of natural history or former colonial museums. Many of these displays and gallery transformations mobilised specimens, be it taxidermied animals or preserved human body parts. Objects were put into new contexts opening up their meanings, others disappeared in storage or travelled back to the countries where they were once collected. The conference will address the challenges institutions face when dealing with formerly living entities and consider the aesthetics and politics of their display. The idea is to discuss the use of specimens in temporary exhibitions, museums or university collections and the role c