In November 2018 the Victoria and Albert Museum is re-opening the Cast Courts after their extensive renovations. Inaugurated in 1873, these magnificent spaces house a plethora of plaster casts and electrotypes reproducing medieval and renaissance monuments from all over Europe, as well as Trajan’s Column from the 2nd century AD. A new interpretation gallery running between the two galleries will interpret the Cast Courts as expressions of the Museum’s historic interest in copies – in particular plaster casting, photography and electrotyping – which has been re-appraised in recent years with the development of digital technologies.
In order to celebrate the re-opening of these great galleries the V&A is hosting a three day conference on Thursday 17, Friday 18 and Saturday 19 January 2019. Speakers are invited to submit proposals. Subjects to be covered will include the functions and fates of historic collections, the uses and nature of reproductions now and in the past - including photography and digital media, as well as plaster casts and electrotypes. The papers presented on Saturday 19 January will draw from the direct working experience of practitioners using conservation, analytical techniques or craft skills to further an understanding of the material, behaviour and deterioration processes of plaster casts and electrotypes.
Please submit a title and short summary of your proposal for sessions to be held on the first two days to Holly Trusted (m.trusted@vam.ac.uk) and/or Angus Patterson (a.patterson@vam.ac.uk). Proposals for the session on the third day should be submitted to Charlotte Hubbard (chubbard@vam.ac.uk) and/or Sarah Healey-Dilkes (s.healey@vam.ac.uk). The deadline for the receipt of proposals is Monday 3 September 2018.
