Dr Joanna Sofaer, University of Southampton, HERA, London Briefing Session, London 15th March 2012

1. Creativity and Craft Production
in Middle and Late Bronze Age
Europe
(CinBA)
www.cinba.net

2. Project Partners
Academic Partners
• Dr Joanna Sofaer, University of Southampton, UK (PL/PI
01)
• Dr Marie Louise Sørensen, University of Cambridge, UK (PI
02)
• Prof. Lise Bender Jørgensen, Norwegian University of
Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway (PI
03)
• Dr Ivan Mirnik, Zagreb Archaeological Museum, Croatia (PI
ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM IN ZAGREB
04)
• Dr Flemming Kaul, National Museum of Denmark,
Copenhagen (PI 05)
• Dr Anton Kern, Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria (PI
06)
Non-Academic Partners
• Rachel Brockhurst, Crafts Council, UK
• Dr Lars Holten, Land of Legends (Sagnlandet)
Archaeological Park Lejre, Denmark

3. Pottery, Textiles, Metal and Contemporary
Attitudes
3) 4)
1)
2)
1) Urnfield bowl. Zagreb Archaeological Museum
2) Textiles from Hallstatt. Natural History Museum Vienna
3) Bronze razors. National Museum of Denmark.
4) Neckpiece. Miriam Jones 2011

4. Pottery
1) 2)
3)
1) Anthropomorphic urn. National Museum of Denmark
2) Vatin vessel. Archaeological Museum in Zagreb
3) Encrusted vessel. Osijek Museum

5. Textiles
2)
1) Egtved burial
2) Skrydstrup embroidery
3) Trindhøj hat
National Museum of Denmark.
1) 3)

6. Metal (Bronze)
1)
2) 3)
1) Fibula. Archaeological Museum in Zagreb
2) Arm ring. Natural History Museum, Vienna
3) Razor (detail). National Museum of Denmark

7. 1) The Qualities of Materials
• What are the characteristics and
potentials of each material?
• How did the innate qualities of
each material inspire, guide and
restrict the production of
objects?
• What specific decisions were
required to work with them?
Motif on razor from Neder Hvolris, Denmark. National
Museum of Denmark. Kaul 1998, cat. No.243

8. 2) Motifs and Skills
• What motifs are employed?
• How is skill developed and
expressed in the creation of 1)
motifs?
• How do motifs and skills cross 2)
between the materials, both in
terms of technical relationships
and influences through the
transfer of knowledge and
3)
ideas?
4)
Bird motifs 1) Central European Fibula. Metropolitan Museum of Art 2) Chariot pole 5)
terminal from Zsujta. British Museum 3) Wagon fittings. Landesmuseum Stuttgart 4) Bird
vessels. Aquincum Museum 5) Bird vessel. Hungarian National Museum

9. 3) Spatial and Temporal Trends
• How did the practice of each
craft develop locally?
• How did changes in one region
inspire imitations and
developments elsewhere?
?
?
?

10. 4) The Perception of Prehistoric Craft Today
• How do different contemporary
groups respond to the creativity
embedded in prehistoric objects?
• How do modern craftspeople
engage with such objects, interpret
the decision-making processes
required to make them, and use
them as the basis for their own
creativity?
• For the public, does participating in
the reproduction of prehistoric
objects inspire people to think about
how things are made and challenge
their understanding of creativity?
• How does the classification of an
object as a souvenir affect its Caroline Allen Hand thrown deconstructed vessels. 2011.
understanding?

11. Project Organisation
POTTERY
Dr J. Sofaer. University of Southampton
CONTEMPORARY ATTITUDES
Dr Darko Maričević. University of Southampton
Dr J. Sofaer. University of Southampton
S. Coxon. University of Southampton
Dr M.L.S. Sørensen. University of
Dr I. Mirnik. Zagreb Archaeological Museum Cambridge
S. Mihelić. Zagreb Archaeological Museum Prof. L. Bender Jørgensen. NTNU
METAL (bronze) Rachel Brockhurst. Crafts Council
Dr M.L.S. Sørensen. University of Cambridge Dr L. Holten. ‘Sagnlandet’ Archaeological
Park
Grahame Appleby. University of Cambridge
S. Becker. University of Cambridge ADMINISTRATION
Dr F. Kaul National Museum of Denmark Dr J. Sofaer. University of Southampton
Dr C. Baker (Administrator)
TEXTILES
H. Pagi (Computer technician)
Prof. L. Bender Jørgensen. NTNU
+ CinBA Steering Committee
Dr Sophie Bergerbrant
Dr A. Kern. Natural History Museum, Vienna
Dr K. Grömer. Natural History Museum, Vienna
H. Rösel-Mautendorfer. Natural History Museum, Vienna

12. Creating the Consortium
• What does the research need (materials,
expertise)?
• Create a balanced consortium (research,
previous international experience, age,
gender)
• Understand the risks (known vs unknown)
• Like your partners!

13. Collaboration During Proposal
Preparation
•Talk to the partners!

14. Generating International Added
Value
For CinBA this arises through:
•Unique combination of pooled European
expertise in fields (archaeology, heritage,
craft) that are frequently highly national
•Comparative perspective
•Thematic approach
•Geographical scope: local, regional and
transnational scales

15. Management and Co-ordination
My style:
•Flexibility, clarity, communication.
By means of:
•Regular project meetings
•Research team meetings
•Workshops
•Internal reporting system
•Website

16. Project Research Meetings

17. Knowledge Transfer
•Embedded within CinBA research
Example: Research focus on the role that the
prehistoric past can play in offering inspiration to
contemporary craftspeople.

18. CinBA Live Project Exhibition

19. Know your Stakeholders
KT Activities Stakeholders
• Books (single and co-authored) • Academics and students
• Refereed journal articles (single and co-authored) • Cultural heritage institutions
• Interactive website
• Tourism and craft centres
• Open Access online image database
• Open Access online maps • Contemporary craftspeople
• On-line exhibition • Wider public
• You-tube video
• Animation and activity booklets for children
• Museum activities: Bronze age fashion show
• Policy document on the potential of creative
expression for heritage institutions
• Project launch (1st June 2010)
• Workshops and conference sessions
• Closing conference

20. Unexpected stuff
• Finance is complicated at the beginning.
Use your contact points and understand
your partners’ national rules
• Reporting is substantial
But on the plus side
• Research has done so much more and has
had unexpected reverberations in ways that
we could not have predicted