The Performative Book from Medieval Europe to the Americas

The Performative Book celebrates the medieval book, the transition to print that fostered the exploration of the Americas, and modern works that rediscover medieval texts as sources of artistic inspiration. The manuscripts and books on display were made to guide the performance of worship and music, to show the results of artistic performance, to express medieval visions of individual identity, and to inform a new view of the world through images such as maps. The exhibition also includes modern books inspired by the study of medieval and early modern literature. Overall, the exhibition testifies to the performative power of books to shape the lives of readers and listeners: books were used to lay claim to divine grace, establish interpersonal bonds, defend legal rights, or serve as markers of power and prestige.

An interactive touchscreen exhibit and iPods holding audio of musical performances and spoken word will extend the visitor experience of The Performative Book.  A program of publicevents to accompany the exhibition includes several lectures, student workshops, a concert, and several films.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

January 14, Thursday

6:00 PM, Lilly Library

“What is a Manuscript Culture? Performance and Technology of the Manuscript Book.” Exhibition opening and lecture by Stephen G. Nichols, Johns Hopkins University.

January 27, Wednesday

Wylie Hall 115, 7:00-9:15 p.m. 

The Name of the Rose, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud (Medieval Studies Film Series)

February 7, Sunday

4:00 PM, IU Art Museum

“Gilding the Lilly,” Ensembles of the Historical Performance Institute. Wendy Gillespie, Dana Marsh, Nigel North, and Stanley Ritchie, directors, with Don Freund, composer.
 

February 8, Monday

4:00-6:00 PM, Lilly Library

“How I Became a Medievalist.” A conversation with Jeffrey F. Hamburger, Harvard University.

February 9, Tuesday

5:30 PM, Lilly Library

“Diagrams: Mindmapping in Medieval Art and Beyond.” Lecture by Jeffrey F. Hamburger, Harvard University.

February 26, Friday

6:30 PM, IU Cinema

Der Ozean im Fingerhut / The Ocean in the Thimble. Directed by Hildegard Elisabeth Keller. With live Foley on stage by sound effects artist Tony Brewer from Bloomington. In German with English subtitles by Julie Lawson. Read blog posts from Art at IU and the Lilly Library blog.

March 3, Thursday

5:30 PM, Lilly Library

Mediaevalia at the Lilly Library
“Boccaccio’s Geographies: Mapping Ancient and Modern Time and Space.” Lecture by Michael Papio, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

March 23, Wednesday

Wylie Hall 115, 7:00-8:45

How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman, directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos (Medieval Studies Film Series)

April 27, Wednesday

Wylie Hall 115, 7:00-9:00

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, directed by Tay Garnett (Medieval Studies Film Series)

Performative Book events are sponsored by the Indiana University Medieval Studies Institute, the Friends of the Lilly Library, the Departments of French and Italian, Germanic Studies, Comparative Literature, and Art History.