LCF Research Conference: Folk Narrative and the Visual Arts – Fashion, Design, Materials and Media, July 2022
- Written byLCF Research
- Published date 19 September 2022
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In July 2022 London College of Fashion, UAL hosted the International Society for Folk Narrative Research (ISFNR) conference: Folk Narrative and the Visual Arts – Fashion, Design, Materials and Media. Reflecting the disciplinary expertise of UAL, the conference explored the intersections of folk narrative and visual culture in all its various forms. This included papers presented on: fine arts, sculpture, ceramics, installation, fashion, costume, film, TV, digital media, performance, video games, illustration, book design, and material culture.
Across four days, delegates heard 61 presentations from researchers based in 24 different countries. We created a hybrid format to ensure that those who could not travel were able to engage with the programme. Our keynote speakers were:
- Professor Anne E. Duggan, Wayne State University, USA ‘Generating Desire: Chocolate, Chromolithographs, and Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy’s Fairy Tales’.
- Kate Bailey, Curator, V&A Museum ‘Curating Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser’.
- Professor Mayako Murai, Kanagawa University, Japan ‘Storymaking in Contemporary Japanese Art: A Practice-Based Exploration of the Intersections of Folk Narrative and the Visual Arts’.
Led by Professor Andrew Teverson, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head of College, the conference provided an environment where researchers from different disciplines could come together to think, discuss, and be inspired.
Other conference activities included a lunchtime presentation from the curator Annemarie Bilclough, followed by a visit to see the exhibition Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature which will run until Sunday 8 January 2023 at the V&A.
Professional storyteller Vanessa Woolfe and musician George Hoyle gave an entertaining and thought-provoking performance, interweaving London-based folklore with music. Thankfully the rain held off and we were able to experience this magical performance in the LCF Library Garden at our John Princes Street campus.
The Folklore Society attended with complimentary copies of the book The Jack in the Green by Roy Judge as well as their quarterly journal Folklore, a fully peer-reviewed international journal of folklore and folkloristics.
A huge thank you to all the contributors to this conference.
