Mechanisms of Fascination? – exploring Neolithic monumentality through the lenses of world-building, alterity and affect

The neolithic of the British Isles is characterised by the emergence of substantial structures of earth, timber and stone; sometimes in isolation and sometimes gathered together in dense monumental landscapes. Think Stonehenge. To understand and explain these enigmatic structures we have often looked backwards, stressing ideas of memorialisation and remembrance and looking to their own past for antecedents and analogues. But what if monuments were not backward oriented at all? What if instead they were instead bound up in creative projects seeking to forge and shape a future? 

In the seminar, Professor Mark Gillings will seek to draw inspiration from recent theoretical work on alterity and process-ontologies (from anthropology) and world-building (from gaming and creative technologies) to offer a different take on monumentality as a process. This is one that stresses dynamism (instead of timelessness), affective power (instead of function) and performance (instead of metaphor).  

Register for the lecture - and lunch:

The lecture is free of charge and lunch will be provided for participants. 

Please register asap, but no later than 22 May.

More information:

Professor Mark Gillings is an archaeologist specializing in Landscape Archaeology. His fieldwork focuses on prehistoric monumental landscapes, and he employs creative digital approaches to enhance their study and interpretation. 

Don't miss our other lunch lecture this May with Karen Gabbay-Stern (20 May): 
Sensational Synagogues: Reconfiguring Jewish Worship in the Dura Europos Synagogue | PUFENDORFINSTITUTET

Mark Gillings and Karen Stern are currently International Fellows with the Theme Ancient Synagogues and the Human Sensorium at the Pufendorf IAS