All are welcome, but those wishing to attend should book a free ticket via Eventbrite or email archives@churchofengland.org no later than Thursday 1 May.

Accordion, screenfold, chain—various terms have been applied to books folded in a zig-zag or ‘concertina’ pattern. Seen now as novelties, concertina-fold books were once found worldwide. They were even the preferred or sole book format in some places, before the imperial spread of the codex. This one-day symposium gathers international experts to talk about the historic uses of the concertina structure in a range of cultural contexts around the world. The discussion showcases some of the many, outstanding examples of these books housed in local London and Oxford collections.

The morning session is an around-the-world tour with short talks on how the concertina-fold format was deployed in different places, across time. The afternoon is devoted to more in-depth discussion of the choice and effects of the concertina format. Lunch will be provided for in-person participants.

The symposium is part of programming for the Unfolding Time exhibition, on medieval ‘pocket’ calendars, which looks at the way the concertina format was deployed in late medieval Europe, with a focus on England. In-person attendees will have the opportunity to visit the exhibition and play with concertina facsimiles. The event is made possible through generous funding from the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC), University of Hamburg; Royal Society of Edinburgh; and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Find out more on the Lambeth Palace Library website.

Symposium Schedule 

9:30–10:00 Attendee arrival and check-in

10:00 –Symposium Welcome, Pip Willcox and Sarah Griffin

SESSION 1: The Concertina-fold book around the world

10:15 Introduction, Megan McNamee

10:30 Chinese, Costantino Moretti

10:40 Tibetan, Benjamin Nourse

10:50 Japanese, Halle O’Neal

11:00 Batak, Roberta Zollo

11:10 Thai, Peera Panarut

11:20 Ethiopic, Ewa Balicka-Witakowska

11:30 Mesoamerican, Jamie Forde

11:40 Q&A

12:00–1:00 LUNCH (included in ticket) + tours of the Unfolding Time exhibition

SESSION 2: Implications: The Choice and significance of folding

1:00 Introduction, Megan McNamee

1:10 Choosing the concertina: Evidence from Dunhuang, Costantino Moretti

1:30 Tracing the disappearance of folds in Japanese Buddhist manuscript culture, Halle O’Neal

1:50 Straightening the Magic: The Concertina manuscripts produced by the Batak people of North Sumatra, Roberta Zollo

2:10 Q&A

2:30–3:00 COFFEE + comfort break

SESSION 3: Concertina communication

3:00 Introduction, Megan McNamee

3:10 Ethiopic concertina-fold manuscripts, Ewa Balicka-Witakowska

3:30 Pictures and graphic elements in Thai concertina-fold books, Peera Panarut

3:50 Q&A

4:00 Concluding remarks, Marilena Maniaci

4:20 Acknowledgements & Thanks, Sarah Griffin

4:30–5:30 RECEPTION + Unfolding Time exhibition open

Speakers

• Ewa Balicka-Witakowska, Uppsala University
• Jamie Forde, University of Edinburgh
• Megan McNamee, University of Edinburgh
• Costantino Moretti, École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO)
• Benjamin Nourse, University of Denver
• Halle O’Neal, University of Edinburgh
• Peera Panarut, Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Staatlichen Museen, Berlin
• Roberta Zollo, Museumverband Niedersachsen und Bremen e.V. (mvnb)
• Marilena Maniaci, Università degli studi di Cassino

Organisers:

• Megan McNamee, University of Edinburgh
• Sarah Griffin, Lambeth Palace Library

All are welcome, but those wishing to attend should book a free ticket via Eventbrite or email archives@churchofengland.org no later than Thursday 1 May.

This event is also available to watch online. Please book a separate ticket if you wish to join us online instead of in person.

Please note that tickets must be booked individually for security purposes.