Changing Communication Techniques , International Workshop

Valentine Bernasconi will present at the Changing Communication Techniques International Workshop May 4, 2023, 14.00 – CET

“Changing perceptions. Decoding Early Modern painted hand gestures through computer vision”

Hands operate a specific role within pictorial representations, not only for their aspect, demonstration of the skills of the painter, but also for their role in the narrative system of an image and their understanding in a specific socio-historical context. Yet, hand gestures have been little addressed in art history and many poses remain mysterious for the contemporary viewer.

In the meantime, recent developments in computer vision and machine learning allow an automation of hand and object detection on a large corpus of digitized artworks. Through computational means, it is possible to assemble, compare and outline trends in the depiction of hands, and to propose further historical investigations in the understanding of their meanings and underlying language.

The presentation aims to introduce new modes of pictorial investigations and some research tracks towards a new comprehension of hand gestures in early modern paintings.

Program:

International Workshop, May 4, 2023, 14.00 – 17.00 (CET), online

14.00 – 14.40
Dr Rosamund Oates (Manchester Metropolitan University)
“Speaking in Hands”. Preaching, Sign Language and Speech in Early Modern England

14.40 – 15.20
Valentine Bernasconi (University of Zurich)
Changing perceptions. Decoding Early Modern painted hand gestures through computer vision

15.20 – 15.30 Coffee Break

15.30 – 16.10
Dr Mark Knowles (Oxford)
Surviving 14th and 15th century ciphers in archives and documents

16.10 – 17.00
Dr George Lasry (Tel Aviv)
Deciphering letters from Mary Queen of Scots – 1578-1584

To sign up for the online event, please contact Dr Eveline Szarka (eveline.szarka@uni-heidelberg.de) or Dr Jessika Nowak (nowak@uni-wuppertal.de)

Download the PDF here:
https://ktiw.hypotheses.org/files/2023/04/KTIW-2023-Spring.pdf