Study Day

Russell Roberts, Staged, Estranged, Candid and Observed: Mass-Observation & Photography  Russell Roberts looks at the ways that Mass-Observation engaged with photography during the 1930s and 40s, to understand social dynamics of the historical moment. The paper looks to specific applications of documentary realism in relation to urban space and more choreographed depictions of daily life from the street to the home to the place of work.

Steve Edwards, Documents and Pictures  Steve Edwards explores some of the antimonies or contrasts that have shaped photography from its origin in the nineteenth century to the present. This short survey presentation provides an introduction to ideas and photographic practices relevant for this study day. Suggested Further Reading Steve Edwards, 'Profane illumination': Photography and photomontage in the USSR and Germany, Steve Edwards & Paul Wood eds, Art of the Avant-Gardes, Yale University Press, 2004, pp.395-425

Organised in collaboration with the Open University, this study day explored the role and practice of collaboration in the making of art and design during the Renaissance. The day examined collaborations between centres of production and between individuals, as well as the overlaps and exchange between different media, disciplines and countries. It included talks relating closely to the new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries by curators and conservators from the project team, and art historians from the Open University.

The course team for the Open University Art History Course Renaissance Art Reconsidered, AA315, began an annual collaboration with the Walker Art Gallery in 2009. An Open University art history lecturer gives a Friday lunchtime lecture based on one of the works in the Walker Art gallery.