- 1. The Portfolio of Villard de Honnecourt
(2 sessions)
Organizer: Carl F. Barnes, Jr.
Jean Gimpel spearheaded the introduction of the Villard
portfolio to a wider range of people, notably through the
founding of a society in France (1983), which served as
inspiration for the founding of AVISTA (1984),
and via publication of a new facsimile of the portfolio
(Paris, 1986). Topics concerning any aspect of the contents
of the portfolio itself (text, drawings, codicology, etc.)
are welcome.
- 2. Practical Geometry (1 session)
Organizer: Marie-Thérèse Zenner
Practical geometry was recognized as a major subject of the
Villard portfolio in the mid-nineteenth century by J.B.-A Lassus.
Jean Gimpel and architectural historians have considered the
documentary evidence left by Villard, Roriczer, and
Schmuttermayer. Yet these works have rarely been considered
within the context of contemporary mathematical works on
geometry. Topics concerning specific texts on (practical)
geometry or on the historical context of mathematical knowledge
and its possible application in design projects are welcome.
The time frame is open and may include texts from Vitruvius
through Francesco di Giorgio.
- 3. Gothic Architecture (1 session)
Organizer: Stephen Murray
Topics in materials, technology, and design are invited,
particularly those that relate to the interests of Jean
Gimpel as expressed in his writings, Les bâtisseurs
de cathédrales (1958) and La révolution
industrielle du Moyen Age (1975), as well as more
recent historiography in this field. Topics which take into
account the drawings or context of the Villard portfolio are
also welcome.
- 4. Medieval Technology (1 session)
Organizer: Kelly DeVries
All topics in civil or military technology are welcome,
especially those which were of long-term interest to Jean
Gimpel, namely the use of visual models for communication,
the application of medieval technology to the needs of
the developing world, and the technology and environmental
aspects of medieval water systems. Topics that take into
account the drawings or context of the Villard portfolio
are also encouraged, as are topics on the historiography
of the mechanical arts and the history of guilds.
- 5. Medieval Science (1 session)
Organizers: Charles Stegeman and
Marie-Thérèse Zenner
Topics in any of the medieval sciences are welcome, particularly
those of special interest to Jean Gimpel from his earliest
writings through the time of his death in 1996, for example,
the introduction and impact of Greco-Arabic sciences in
Europe. Topics that take into account the role of visual
diagrams used for experimental science or for explaining
and disseminating scientific theory are encouraged as are
topics addressing the geographic importance of Picardy and
Lotharingia in the scientific movement.
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