Doing, Seeing, Thinking: Is an ‘Archaeology of Sight’ possible?

This talk explores how materializations of human practices relate to human cognition and to socio-cultural contexts. By combining evidence on the relationship between material culture and perceptual reactions, we aim to understand the entanglement between the mind, objects, and the world. A methodology will be presented and discussed to unveil cross- and intra-cultural patterns of visual response to materiality, while avoiding presentist, subjective, and representationalist biases. The results offer new insights into the agency of material culture, and the understanding of the relationship between the mind and the material world.

The event will be followed by a reception and all are invited.

Well met!

On behalf of the entire Department,

Felix