The British Archaeological Association will hold the sixth in its series of
biennial International Romanesque conferences in association with the
Dommuseum in Hildesheim on 14-16 April, 2020. The theme is Romanesque and
the Year 1000, and the aim is to examine transformation in art and
architecture in the years to either side of the millennium.
Despite the complex political situation in late-10th-century Europe, a
period marked by chaos in some areas and effective authority in others, the
last quarter of the century saw an apparent upsurge in artistic production
in the Empire, southern Britain, Lombardy and the Mediterranean. The
decades after the millennium have left a larger residue of work, notably in
France, but were the 1020s artistically more dynamic than the 980s? How
might we describe the cultural climate of the Latin West between c.970 and
c.1030? Proposals for papers concerned with the above are welcome, as are
those that review individual patrons, particularly in establishing
workshops and developing expertise. The period sees remarkable developments
in iconography and stylistic expression. It sees portable monumental and
devotional statues come into being, along with the application of novel, or
at least re-understood, architectural forms. Does the interest in
architectural ‘articulation’ initiate a new understanding of the expressive
potential of architecture? How good is the evidence for monumental wall
painting, what is the state of knowledge on scriptoria as centres of
artistic production c.1000, what conditions gave rise to the proliferation
of ‘First Romanesque’ architecture, how important was Rome, what was the
impact of objects from the Carolingian past or Byzantine present, and what
are we to make of the apparent disparities between artistically ‘active’
areas and artistically ‘inactive’ areas? The period also sees a boom in the
production of three-dimensional objects, with the revival of
bronze-casting, the re-emergence of architectural relief sculpture and he
production of monumental sculpture. The conference is geographically
international, though the date brackets of c.970-c.1030 will be strictly
applied.

The Conference will take place at the Dommuseum in Hildesheim from 14-16
April. There will also be an opportunity to stay on for two days of visits
to buildings in the surrounding area on the 17 and 18 April.

Proposals for papers of up to 30 minutes in length should be sent to the
convenors, John McNeill and Gerhard Lutz, on romanesque2020@thebaa.org by
15 May, 2019. Papers should be in English. Decisions on acceptance will be
made by 31 May.