Creativity and Craft Production
in Middle and Late Bronze Age
Europe
(CinBA)
www.cinba.net
Project Partners Academic Partners
• Dr Joanna Sofaer, University of Southampton, UK (PL/PI 01)
• Dr Marie Louise Sørensen, University of Cambridge, UK (PI 02)
• Prof. Lise Bender Jørgensen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway (PI 03)
• Dr Ivan Mirnik, Zagreb Archaeological Museum, Croatia (PI 04)
• Dr Flemming Kaul, National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen (PI 05)
• Dr Anton Kern, Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria (PI 06)
Non-Academic Partners
• Rachel Brockhurst, Crafts Council, UK
• Dr Lars Holten, Land of Legends (Sagnlandet) Archaeological Park Lejre, Denmark
ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM IN ZAGREB
Pottery, Textiles, Metal and Contemporary
Attitudes
1) Urnfield bowl. Zagreb Archaeological Museum
2) Textiles from Hallstatt. Natural History Museum Vienna
3) Bronze razors. National Museum of Denmark.
4) Neckpiece. Miriam Jones 2011
1)
2)
3) 4)
Pottery
1) Anthropomorphic urn. National Museum of Denmark
2) Vatin vessel. Archaeological Museum in Zagreb
3) Encrusted vessel. Osijek Museum
1) 2) 3)
Textiles
1) Egtved burial
2) Skrydstrup embroidery
3) Trindhøj hat
National Museum of Denmark.
1)
2)
3)
Metal (Bronze)
1) Fibula. Archaeological Museum in Zagreb
2) Arm ring. Natural History Museum, Vienna
3) Razor (detail). National Museum of Denmark
1) 2) 3)
1) The Qualities of Materials
• What are the characteristics and
potentials of each material?
• How did the innate qualities of
each material inspire, guide and
restrict the production of
objects?
• What specific decisions were
required to work with them?
Motif on razor from Neder Hvolris, Denmark. National
Museum of Denmark. Kaul 1998, cat. No.243
2) Motifs and Skills
• What motifs are employed?
• How is skill developed and
expressed in the creation of
motifs?
• How do motifs and skills cross
between the materials, both in
terms of technical relationships
and influences through the
transfer of knowledge and
ideas?
Bird motifs 1) Central European Fibula. Metropolitan Museum of Art 2) Chariot pole
terminal from Zsujta. British Museum 3) Wagon fittings. Landesmuseum Stuttgart 4) Bird
vessels. Aquincum Museum 5) Bird vessel. Hungarian National Museum
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
3) Spatial and Temporal Trends
• How did the practice of each
craft develop locally?
• How did changes in one region
inspire imitations and
developments elsewhere?
?
?
?
4) The Perception of Prehistoric Craft Today
• How do different contemporary groups respond to the creativity embedded in prehistoric objects?
• How do modern craftspeople engage with such objects, interpret the decision-making processes required to make them, and use them as the basis for their own creativity?
• For the public, does participating in the reproduction of prehistoric objects inspire people to think about how things are made and challenge their understanding of creativity?
• How does the classification of an object as a souvenir affect its understanding?
Caroline Allen Hand thrown deconstructed vessels. 2011.
Project Organisation
METAL (bronze)
Dr M.L.S. Sørensen. University of Cambridge
Grahame Appleby. University of Cambridge
S. Becker. University of Cambridge
Dr F. Kaul National Museum of Denmark
CONTEMPORARY ATTITUDES
Dr J. Sofaer. University of Southampton
Dr M.L.S. Sørensen. University of
Cambridge
Prof. L. Bender Jørgensen. NTNU
Rachel Brockhurst. Crafts Council
Dr L. Holten. ‘Sagnlandet’ Archaeological
Park
ADMINISTRATION
Dr J. Sofaer. University of Southampton
Dr C. Baker (Administrator)
H. Pagi (Computer technician)
+ CinBA Steering Committee
POTTERY
Dr J. Sofaer. University of Southampton
Dr Darko Maričević. University of Southampton
S. Coxon. University of Southampton
Dr I. Mirnik. Zagreb Archaeological Museum
S. Mihelić. Zagreb Archaeological Museum
TEXTILES
Prof. L. Bender Jørgensen. NTNU
Dr Sophie Bergerbrant
Dr A. Kern. Natural History Museum, Vienna
Dr K. Grömer. Natural History Museum, Vienna
H. Rösel-Mautendorfer. Natural History Museum, Vienna
Creating the Consortium
• What does the research need (materials,
expertise)?
• Create a balanced consortium (research,
previous international experience, age,
gender)
• Understand the risks (known vs unknown)
• Like your partners!
Collaboration During Proposal
Preparation
•Talk to the partners!
Generating International Added
Value For CinBA this arises through:
•Unique combination of pooled European
expertise in fields (archaeology, heritage,
craft) that are frequently highly national
•Comparative perspective
•Thematic approach
•Geographical scope: local, regional and
transnational scales
Management and Co-ordination
My style:
•Flexibility, clarity, communication.
By means of:
•Regular project meetings
•Research team meetings
•Workshops
•Internal reporting system
•Website
Project Research Meetings
Knowledge Transfer
•Embedded within CinBA research
Example: Research focus on the role that the
prehistoric past can play in offering inspiration to
contemporary craftspeople.
CinBA Live Project Exhibition
Know your Stakeholders
Stakeholders • Academics and students
• Cultural heritage institutions
• Tourism and craft centres
• Contemporary craftspeople
• Wider public
KT Activities • Books (single and co-authored)
• Refereed journal articles (single and co-authored)
• Interactive website
• Open Access online image database
• Open Access online maps
• On-line exhibition
• You-tube video
• Animation and activity booklets for children
• Museum activities: Bronze age fashion show
• Policy document on the potential of creative expression for heritage institutions
• Project launch (1st June 2010)
• Workshops and conference sessions
• Closing conference
Unexpected stuff
• Finance is complicated at the beginning.
Use your contact points and understand
your partners’ national rules
• Reporting is substantial
But on the plus side
• Research has done so much more and has
had unexpected reverberations in ways that
we could not have predicted