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IMC 2026: Sessions

Session 1634: Threads of Knowledge, II: Sensorial Temporalities and Aesthetics

Thursday 9 July 2026, 11:15-12:45

Organisers:Tracey Davison, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York
Georgia Gould, Department of Scandinavian Studies, University College London
Moderator/Chair:Alexandra Makin, School of History, Politics & Philosophy, Manchester Metropolitan University
Paper 1634-aWhat's the Madder?: Temporalities of Dye in Early Medieval English Textile Production
(Language: English)
Daisy Bonsall, Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic, University of Cambridge
Index terms: Archaeology - Artefacts, Art History - Decorative Arts, Social History
Paper 1634-bAgency and Intention in Early Medieval Elaborate Textiles
(Language: English)
Tracey Davison, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York
Index terms: Archaeology - Artefacts, Art History - Decorative Arts, Women's Studies
Abstract

Textiles encompass many aspects of time through the manufacture and manipulation of the raw materials; the spinning and weaving of yarn and cloth; and the subsequent transformation into cloth and clothing as well as the time needed to acquire the necessary skills to do all the above. A sharing of generational knowledge and a perpetuation of process, technique, and creativity. In textile production, time could be considered a commodity that is factored into the value of the object at every stage. It is also important, alongside elite pieces, to consider subsistence textiles whose necessary production would have impacted significantly on the time of medieval people.

Trade and distance travelled can be equated to time and in the case of eastern cloth and premium dyes, the legacy of innovation and tradition speaks to that temporality. Spending time making and using a textile can result in a range of sensory experiences. Perception of and response to textiles may change over time, the objects themselves can evolve through degradation, re-modelling or even dismantling. Textiles have a pivotal role in commemoration through bequests in wills or funeral dress and furnishings, both of which may be used to perpetuate the memory/presence of the deceased.