Circulation as a factor of cultural aggregation:
relics, ideas and cities in the Middle Ages

The conference will be held on May 7 – 11, 2014 in Telč, Southern
Bohemia, in international cooperation of the Department of Medieval Art
of the Institute of Art History at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech
Republic, the Centre of Early Medieval Studies, Department of Art
History of Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, and the
Department of Art History at University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

CALL FOR PAPERS
The central topic of the international and interdisciplinary conference
is the study of motion (the transfer of persons as well as objects such
as reliquaries, books, altars, ivory diptychs) as a cultural factor.
Attention will be paid to the objects produced and/or used in relation
to the cult of relics and/or deads, as well as to the models of ideal or
holy cities perceived as a realization of the kingdom of heaven.

The conference aims to raise and assess a variety of questions related
to:
1) how does the object change its function in connection with its
relocation; 2) how do the important objects and ideas change the
identity of the place that accepts them; 3) the impact that the ideas
and sacred objects may have on the social and the spiritual topology of
a city.

The conference will be held in English, French, Italian. Conference
proceedings will also be published in these languages.


Candidates may submit proposals that should include an abstract (max
2500 characters) and a brief biography. To offer a paper, please contact
the secretary of the conference (Alzbeta.Filipovagmail.com or
Laina.Berclazunil.ch). The final date for receipt of proposals is
November 1, 2013. Participants will be notified of the acceptance of
their proposals by December 20, 2013.

Organization: Klára Benešovská, Ivan Foletti, Serena Romano
Secretary: Laïna Berclaz, Alžběta Filipová