2026: Interdisciplinary Forum: The Conventions of the Unconventional. Materiality, Mediality, and the Making of Knowledge Across Cultures (3. Juni 2026)
Date
June 3, 2026
Ort
Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies, Zurich University, Rämistrasse 59, 8001 Zurich, Room RAA-E-12
Organization
Rebecca Sauer (Zurich University) und Valentina Sagaria Rossi (University of Rome Tor Vergata, Senior Fellow, Collegium Helveticum)
Program:
10:00 – 10:15 | Welcome and Opening Remarks
Valentina Sagaria Rossi & Rebecca Sauer
Session I (10:15 – 12:30)
Materiality, Loss, and Reconfiguration: Objects, Archives, and Epistemic Absence
Anna Castelli (IULM University, Milan)
Explores the Māori sail Te Rā as a living entity embedded in relational epistemologies.
Nicolò Ferrari (University of Zurich)
Critically examines how destruction and displacement shape historiography.
Ilinca Maican (University of Bucharest)
Compares physical and digital strategies for exhibiting stolen heritage.
Valentina B. Lanza (University of Rome Tor Vergata, MSCA Global Fellow)
Investigates allographic variation in Arabic script.
Discussion
12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch Break
Session II (13:30 – 15:45)
Mediality, Interfaces, and Knowledge Practices Across Cultures
Christina Zimmermann (Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts)
Explores immersive digital archival interfaces.
Tobias Heinzelmann (University of Zurich Library)
Examines lithographic circulation across cultural contexts.
Sara Fani (University of Bologna)
Studies technical knowledge and practices in the Arabo-Islamic tradition.
Discussion
15:45 – 16:00 | Coffee Break
Final Session (16:00 – 17:00)
Epistemological Frames: Artistic Research and the Question of Mediality
Giaco Schiesser (Zurich University of the Arts; University of Arts Linz)
Concluding epistemological reflection on mediality and materiality in artistic research.
Final Discussion & Closing Remarks