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 may evoke associations such as “knowledge,” “history,” or, nowadays, “cultural artefact.” But subconsciously, we may also associate this common object with “sensual ritual.” Humans have been cultivating an intimate relationship with books since the folding of the first codex. Today, Instagram library feeds deliver endorphin hits to bibliophiles much like puppy memes do for animal lovers. What is the mechanism that leads from the book to a sense of well-being?
The neural pathways underlying this connection are often established early in life through sensory cues encountered in bookish environments. The calm of a library, the comfort of a reading corner, the feeling of sovereignty over an inner world: these emotions are quickly associated with—and subsequently evoked by—cues of scent, light, color, sound, and touch.
During this lecture, we will use our five senses as a guide to observe how a book appears to us. We will explore how these senses connect to experience, memory, and emotion, explaining why we are called to action when we reach for a book. By acknowledging this less obvious associative response, we can begin to explore what Edmund Husserl would call the noema of the book. From these bookish noemas, new opportunities emerge for professionals to harness the emotional and sensory power of the book.
Other lectures:
Condition, Condition, Condition… How to Spot a Repair (Amsterdam and Boston)
Display of Books in Exhibition Spaces (ABA Brown Bag Lecture Series online)
The Freeze Framing Paradox (IFLA Special Collections Working Committee, National Library of France, Paris)
Why Books Still Matter (Stuttgart, Germany)
Ethics and Book Repair (University of Amsterdam; National Heritage Educational Centre)
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
