Exhibition 'Object Biographies. Used - Appreciated - Collected'

An exhibition of the Original and Cast Collection, the Graphic Collection and the Papyrology Collection of the University of Trier

The exhibition 'Object Biographies. Used - Valued - Collected' presents thirteen objects from the collections of the Classical Archaeology, Art History and Papyrology departments at Trier University. The focus is not on the artistic or cultural-historical value of an object, but on the history of its transmission and its visible traces: stamps, inventory numbers, folds, adhesive, mounting or paint residues, cut and broken edges, handwritten inscriptions, traces of storage or written archival traditions can provide a wide variety of information about the 'life cycle' of an object. The way in which objects are handed down and the traces to be found on them are generally given little attention in exhibitions. However, this perspective opens up a broad thematic field: among other things the collecting passion of the educated middle classes, the legal and illegal art trade including provenance research, the material conversion of antique objects for reuse or further use, art theft during the Nazi era, the function of human and animal bones in Coptic magic, the use of early modern prints in the production of copies, the relationship between 'copy' and 're-creation', mummification with 'old papyrus', the variance in the value attributed to an object, forgeries of archaeological objects and the formation of narratives of tradition. At first glance, the compilation of exhibits is heterogeneous, but there are numerous thematic cross-connections. The 'object-biographical' approach sensitizes visitors to a holistic and cross-epochal perception of works of art, texts or archaeological finds and deliberately breaks down the disciplinary boundaries of the subjects involved.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Kai Ruffing
University of Kassel, Faculty of Social Sciences, Ancient History
Tel: +49 561 804-1904, e-mail: kai.ruffing[at]uni-kassel[dot]de