Visualizing garments: From fragments to archaeological reconstructions

Seminar with Magdalena Wozniak (archaeologist and textile specialist), Ulrikka Mokdad (weaver), Rosemary Hanson (illustrator and archaeologist), Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka (design curator) and Paulina Matusiak (graphic designer and visual artist).

How can we reconstruct archaeological garments from fragmentary evidence? This question is a long-standing conundrum of ancient cloth research, often answered by an over-reliance on iconographic data. Different approaches can be followed using either 2D or 3D visualisation techniques that encompass drawing, modelling, or physical recreations. Based on the work carried out in the Fashioning Sudan project, this seminar will explore these different strategies, highlighting their possibilities as well as their pitfalls. The presentations will show different types of reconstructions elaborated from archaeological remains of garments dated from the Kerma period in the Bronze Age to the Medieval period, made in both textiles and animal skin. From 2D illustrations to pattern making and craft, we will explore themes of body representation, material knowledge, and public dissemination.

Programme