To support Didar a range of public workshops and talks have been programmed to allow visitors to engage with researchers, practitioners and conservators.
DIDAR: Stories of Middle Eastern Manuscripts PUBLIC LECTURE
The manuscripts in the University of Melbourne’s collection transcend time and place. Through their many subjects, languages and materials, they tell stories. Poetries of Persia and elaborate scenes of book scholarship. Arabic grammars with their detailed annotations and practiced calligraphy. The intricate illustrations in gold, blue and red mimic the colours and patterns of a carpet. Each aspect is an exciting avenue of research. An expression of cultural transmission and maintenance. Join our public lecture as we celebrate the manuscript tradition.
In celebration of this manuscript tradition, the University of Melbourne's DIDAR: Stories of Middle Eastern Manuscripts exhibition at Arts West Gallery will host a free public lecture featuring three researchers whose work celebrates the manuscript tradition and the artistic and cultural practices of the Near East. Speakers include:
- Dr Sareh Abooali - Image as resource, Pop-up as decode: Analysing Persian Miniature Paintings as Documentations of Social History
- Dr Reyhane Mirabootalebi - Traditional carpet weaving of Iranian and Iraqi Kurds: an inter-disciplinary approach to search for Kurdish carpet weaving traditions and weavers.
- Tarek Makhouf - Reading outside the box: paratextual misadventures
Talks will be followed by a musical performance and light refreshments. The exhibition will be open from 5 pm.
WHEN: Friday 4 November 2022
WHAT TIME: The lecture will begin at 6pm sharp and conclude at 7.30pm. The Gallery will be open from 5pm.
WHERE: Arts West Forum Theatre, Level 1, Arts West Building, University of Melbourne, Parkville
COST: Free. Please register as seating is limited.
EVENT GUIDELINES: This is a COIVDsafe event. View the event guidelines here.
This event is possible thanks to funding from the University of Melbourne's Faculty of Arts Inclusion and Diversity Small Grant Program.
Curator floor talk
Join researchers and exhibition curators Dr Leila Alhagh and Dr Sophie Lewincamp, and PhD candidate Tarek Makhouf as they discuss the Middle Eastern Manuscript collection.
This session is open to prospective students and families.
Date: Sunday 21 August 2022 (Open Day)
Time: 10am
Duration: 30 minutes
Location: Arts West Gallery, Ground Floor Art West, The University of Melbourne, Parkville
Cost: Free
Ink-making workshop
Dr Sadra Zekgroo, Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation specialises in Persian inks. Join him for a unique workshop on ink-making.
Date: Sunday 21 August 2022 (Open Day)
Time: 1.30pm to 2.30pm
Location: Arts West Gallery, Ground Floor Art West, The University of Melbourne, Parkville
Cost: Free.
Researching manuscripts at the University of Melbourne
Join PhD candidate Nasim Koohkesh to discuss her manuscript investigations and what it is like to research at the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation.
Date: Sunday 21 August 2022 (Open Day)
Time: 3pm to 3.30pm
Duration: 30 minutes
Location: Arts West Gallery, Ground Floor Art West, The University of Melbourne, Parkville
Cost: Free
Special collection viewings
Special collection viewings with exhibition curators Sophie Lewincamp and Dr Leila Alhagh are available throughout the exhibition by appointment only.
Duration: 1-hour
By appointment only
Want to know more?
For more information on the University’s Middle Eastern Manuscripts collection, public programs and associated research on the collection, contact the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation.