Chair persons

Dr. Corinna Wessels-Mevissen

Corinna-Wessels-Mevissen is presently curator for South Asia in the Asian Art Museum, Berlin. She studied Indian art history, Indian philology, art history and archaeology in Kiel and Berlin, did archaeological field research in India, and later concentrated on art and iconography. In 2003, as a free-lancer, she organised the exhibition “Anmut und Askese – The Sublime and the Ascetic”, showcasing pre-mediaeval sculptures from India in the (then) Museum of Indian Art, Berlin. Her major publication is The Gods of the Directions in Ancient India. Origin and Early Development in Art and Literature (until c. 1000 A.D.), Berlin 2001.

Dr. Petra Rösch

Before joining the SFB with a project on Confession Rituals in Chinese Buddhist Cave-temples of the 6th to 8th centuries, Petra Rösch was assistant curator at the Institute of East Asian Art History, Heidelberg University. Her dissertation focused on Chinese wood sculptures and the reconstruction of their historical context. Her present research interests are the multilayered interpretations of images in ritual settings. A second focus of her research is dedicated to the concepts of confession, purity, guilt and reconciliation in a cultural comparative perspective. Together with Udo Simon, she organizes the up-coming symposium “How purity is made” (25th to 27th of February 2008).

> Abstract

P 07 - Ritual and Visuality

Chairs: Dr. Petra Rösch oakroesch@yahoo.de
Dr. Corinna Wessels-Mevissen tcmevissen@surfeu.de

Download preliminary daily schedule here (pdf)
(for better readability kindly print it out)

Common activities:

Reception
On Monday, 29 September, we will officially open the conference with a reception from 19.30 to 22.30

Key Note Lecture
Tuesday, 30 September:
Key Note Speaker Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jan Assmann
"Magie und Ritual"

Plenary Discussion
Wednesday, 1 October at 18.00 introductory presentation:
Prof. Dr. Christoph Wulf, Freie Universität Berlin
"The Future of the Science of Ritual in a transcultural Context"

Exchange meeting
Thursday, 2 October from 9:00 - 12:00:
Exchange meeting between scientists from the German Archaeological Institute
and the Collaborative Research Center SFB 619

Speakers (synonym for referee, panelist, active participant)

Day 1 – Monday, 29 September 2008

11:00-11:45 Petra Rösch
Columns and Pillars of Faith: Visual Culture and Ritual Space

11:45-12:30 Corinna Wessels-Mevissen

A Case of Ritual Agency? The Depiction of Animals and Hybrids

in the Temples of Tamilnadu (South India)

14:00-14:45 Parul Pandya Dhar

                        South Indian Sculpture: Ritual and Image

14:45-15:30    Claudine Bautze-Picron

The Buddha’s coronation in Maharashtra (India), 5 th to 7 th
century A.D.

16:00-16:45 Thomas M. Hunter Jr.

The Ephemeral Images of Balinese Ritual

16:45-17:30 Carsten Knigge Salis

                        Dynamics of the praise of gods as represented
                        by Ancient Egyptian ritual manuscripts

17:30-18:15    Milette Gaifman

Art and Agency in Ancient Greek Ritual:
The Case of Bowls and Libations

Abstract

The ritual and visual sphere are closely interrelated and share a long, common history. The image as a centre of the ritual and the sacred structure as a place for it, have already been the focus of research e.g. in Christian art historical studies (Belting: Bild und Kult, 1990). However, are we truly aware of the factors which make an image an appropriate object of worship or an agent in ritual? What are the visual qualities of sacred architecture and how do they shape and are they shaped by ritual actions? How can we answer these questions in a wider cultural perspective?

This panel proposes that images, be they “objective” - such as Christian relics, Greek libation bowls or Mesopotamian steles - or imaginative - such as Buddhist visualisations or Christian visions - can be interpreted as dominant symbols (Turner: The Forest of Symbols, 1967) at the centre of, triggering and shaping ritual actions.

Spatial settings like Hindu temple complexes in South India not only frame ritual actions, but again have their effect on ritual. The interdependency of the visual and the ritual sphere with respect to sacred images and architecture shall be the focus of this panel.

In a world in which images and visual signs assume the role of a global language and have a high communication value, these questions should be addressed in a multi-disciplinary approach.

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SFB 619 Sponsors & Partners Poster Send to a Colleague Contact Imprint	Chair persons Dr. Corinna Wessels-Mevissen Corinna-Wessels-Mevissen is presently curator for South Asia in the Asian Art Museum, Berlin. She studied Indian art history, Indian philology, art history and archaeology in Kiel and Berlin, did archaeological field research in India, and later concentrated on art and iconography. In 2003, as a free-lancer, she organised the exhibition “Anmut und Askese – The Sublime and the Ascetic”, showcasing pre-mediaeval sculptures from India in the (then) Museum of Indian Art, Berlin. Her major publication is The Gods of the Directions in Ancient India. Origin and Early Development in Art and Literature (until c. 1000 A.D.), Berlin 2001. Dr. Petra Rösch Before joining the SFB with a project on Confession Rituals in Chinese Buddhist Cave-temples of the 6th to 8th centuries, Petra Rösch was assistant curator at the Institute of East Asian Art History, Heidelberg University. Her dissertation focused on Chinese wood sculptures and the reconstruction of their historical context. Her present research interests are the multilayered interpretations of images in ritual settings. A second focus of her research is dedicated to the concepts of confession, purity, guilt and reconciliation in a cultural comparative perspective. Together with Udo Simon, she organizes the up-coming symposium “How purity is made” (25th to 27th of February 2008). > Abstract P 07 - Ritual and Visuality Chairs: Dr. Petra Rösch oakroesch@yahoo.de Dr. Corinna Wessels-Mevissen tcmevissen@surfeu.de Download preliminary daily schedule here (pdf) (for better readability kindly print it out) Common activities: Reception On Monday, 29 September, we will officially open the conference with a reception from 19.30 to 22.30 Key Note Lecture Tuesday, 30 September: Key Note Speaker Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jan Assmann "Magie und Ritual" Plenary Discussion Wednesday, 1 October at 18.00 introductory presentation: Prof. Dr. Christoph Wulf, Freie Universität Berlin "The Future of the Science of Ritual in a transcultural Context" Exchange meeting Thursday, 2 October from 9:00 - 12:00: Exchange meeting between scientists from the German Archaeological Institute and the Collaborative Research Center SFB 619 Speakers (synonym for referee, panelist, active participant) Day 1 – Monday, 29 September 2008 11:00-11:45 Petra Rösch Columns and Pillars of Faith: Visual Culture and Ritual Space 11:45-12:30 Corinna Wessels-Mevissen A Case of Ritual Agency? The Depiction of Animals and Hybrids in the Temples of Tamilnadu (South India) 14:00-14:45 Parul Pandya Dhar South Indian Sculpture: Ritual and Image 14:45-15:30 Claudine Bautze-Picron The Buddha’s coronation in Maharashtra (India), 5 th to 7 th century A.D. 16:00-16:45 Thomas M. Hunter Jr. The Ephemeral Images of Balinese Ritual 16:45-17:30 Carsten Knigge Salis Dynamics of the praise of gods as represented by Ancient Egyptian ritual manuscripts 17:30-18:15 Milette Gaifman Art and Agency in Ancient Greek Ritual: The Case of Bowls and Libations Abstract The ritual and visual sphere are closely interrelated and share a long, common history. The image as a centre of the ritual and the sacred structure as a place for it, have already been the focus of research e.g. in Christian art historical studies (Belting: Bild und Kult, 1990). However, are we truly aware of the factors which make an image an appropriate object of worship or an agent in ritual? What are the visual qualities of sacred architecture and how do they shape and are they shaped by ritual actions? How can we answer these questions in a wider cultural perspective? This panel proposes that images, be they “objective” - such as Christian relics, Greek libation bowls or Mesopotamian steles - or imaginative - such as Buddhist visualisations or Christian visions - can be interpreted as dominant symbols (Turner: The Forest of Symbols, 1967) at the centre of, triggering and shaping ritual actions. Spatial settings like Hindu temple complexes in South India not only frame ritual actions, but again have their effect on ritual. The interdependency of the visual and the ritual sphere with respect to sacred images and architecture shall be the focus of this panel. In a world in which images and visual signs assume the role of a global language and have a high communication value, these questions should be addressed in a multi-disciplinary approach.