LECTURE: THE BOOK AND THE BODY

The Royal Library of The Netherlands, together with the Dutch National Archives, The Belgian-Dutch Bookbinding Society, the Bookbinding Foundation, The Dutch Book History Society, the Dutch Society of Bibliophiles and the Netherlands Paper‑History Foundation, hosts the 3rd annual Day of Materiality.

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When we think of a book, it it may evoke associations such as “knowledge” or “history”—or, nowadays, “cultural artefact”. But subconsciously, we may also be associating this common object with “sensual ritual”. Humans have been cultivating an intimate relationship with books since the folding of the first codex. Instagram book and library feeds deliver endorphin hits to bibliophiles much like puppy and kitten memes do for animal lovers. What is the mechanism that leads from book to sense of well-being?

The neural pathways underlying this connection are often established early in life through sensory cues encountered in bookish environments.The experience of calm in a library, the comfort of a reading corner, the feeling of sovereignty over an inner world: these emotions are quickly associated with and then subsequently evoked by way of cues of scent, light, colour, sound, touch… and yes, even taste.

During this lecture, we will first use our five senses as a guide to simply observe how a book appears to us: the noema of the book, as Edmund Husserl would say. From this corporeal input, we will then consider the emotional responses that are evoked. By acknowledging this less obvious associative response to the book, new opportunities emerge for book professionals to harness its emotional and sensory power.

Programma

Boekwetenschapper: Loes Dorrestein, Edel boek: boekbeslag van Brom. Universiteit van Amsterdam

Zilverspecialist: Wim Nys, Boekbeslag made in Belgium: Zilveren Hemelsleutels als katalysator voor het onderzoek naar en de creatie van boekbeslag. DIVA, Antwerpen

Gemmoloog: Tunde Bartfai, Geslepen symboliek: Romeinse cameeën en intaglios op de Anfridus-, Bernulfus- en Lebuïnuscodex. Vakschool Schoonhoven   

Archeologie: Berna van Wijk, Boekbeslag: de archeologische reconstructie van laat- en post Middeleeuwse Boeken. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

Metaalrestaurator: Paulien Kaan, De conservatieproblematiek tussen leer en metaal. Paulien Kaan Restauratie & Conservatie

Boekrestaurator: Natasha Herman, Restauratie van boekbanden met boekbeslag: typische voorbeelden, mogelijk oplossingen. Redbone Bindery