Facilitated by Mieke van der Bijl-Brouwer (University of Technology Sydney) and Claire Buré (MaRS Solutions Lab)
RESEARCH RENDEZVOUS with Heather Coffey
The Office of Research & Innovation presents a Research Rendezvous featuring OCAD U Early Stage Research awardee Heather Coffey. This talk will cover research conducted for a project entitled "Diminutive Divination and the Implications of Scale: A Miniature Qur’anic Falnama from the Safavid Period Indiana University"
DateMonday, April 16, 2018 - 11:00am to 12:00pm
Email
research@ocadu.ca
Location100 McCaul St., Room 187
This talk considers a tiny Safavid Qur’an preserved in the Lilly Library at Indiana University. Measuring an astonishing 6.3 by 5.7 cm, the manuscript imbricates the amuletic function inherent to the Qur’an with a prognostic capacity through the inclusion of a falnama (Book of Divination) attributed to the sixth Shi’i Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (d. 765) upon the conclusion of the Qur’anic text. This presentation will contextualize the small-scale manuscript and its falnama within Safavid bibliomantic practices, which arguably reached a height of popularity during the reign of Shah Tahmasp (r. 1524-76) in sixteenth-century Persia. In so doing, it contrasts a miniaturized specimen against alternate falnama formats and theorizes the impact of drastically reduced scale on the user’s divinatory experience.
Heather is an Assistant Professor of Art History at OCAD U, where she serves as a core faculty member for the Honours BA program in Visual and Critical Studies and as a graduate faculty member of the MA program in Art, Design and New Media Studies. Her research encompasses themes related to Christian and Islamic cross- and inter-cultural relations in Medieval Mediterranean and Italian Renaissance Art and Architecture. She has published articles on medieval eschatological imagery in Al-Andalus, the miniaturization of Islamic manuscripts, and the representation of Islam in Dante’s Inferno. Her research has been funded by the Kunsthistorisches Institut, affiliated with the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, in Florence, Italy; the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; the Royal Historical Society of Great Britain; and the Qatar Foundation.
DateMonday, April 16, 2018 - 11:00am to 12:00pm
Email
research@ocadu.ca
Website Location100 McCaul St., Room 187
Opening: Thursday May 24 7-9 pm. Insistent Trajectories explores Judith Doyle’s interest in networked life and gesture in relation to artists’ teleculture, where offline and online identities blur and merge.
Hallwalls presents an art auction featuring forty internationally and regionally acclaimed artists. For forty-three years, Hallwalls has supported the creation and presentation of new work by artists of every ethnicity, age, and gender.
We're back at OCAD on June 9th, 2018 and wanted to give you an early chance to get tickets at a special VIP price
Attendee - Save 25% off the early bird price of $99 - now $75!
Students - Save 25% off the student price $69 - now $52!
Code: THEFUTUREISNOW
Link: https://fitc.ca/event/futureworld2018/tickets/
I hope to see you there!
Monday, April 16, 2018 - 11:00am to 12:00pm
This talk considers a tiny Safavid Qur’an preserved in the Lilly Library at Indiana University. Measuring an astonishing 6.3 by 5.7 cm, the manuscript imbricates the amuletic function inherent to the Qur’an with a prognostic capacity through the inclusion of a falnama (Book of Divination) attributed to the sixth Shi’i Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (d. 765) upon the conclusion of the Qur’anic text. This presentation will contextualize the small-scale manuscript and its falnama within Safavid bibliomantic practices, which arguably reached a height of popularity during the reign of Shah Tahmasp (r. 1524-76) in sixteenth-century Persia. In so doing, it contrasts a miniaturized specimen against alternate falnama formats and theorizes the impact of drastically reduced scale on the user’s divinatory experience.
Heather is an Assistant Professor of Art History at OCAD U, where she serves as a core faculty member for the Honours BA program in Visual and Critical Studies and as a graduate faculty member of the MA program in Art, Design and New Media Studies. Her research encompasses themes related to Christian and Islamic cross- and inter-cultural relations in Medieval Mediterranean and Italian Renaissance Art and Architecture. She has published articles on medieval eschatological imagery in Al-Andalus, the miniaturization of Islamic manuscripts, and the representation of Islam in Dante’s Inferno. Her research has been funded by the Kunsthistorisches Institut, affiliated with the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, in Florence, Italy; the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; the Royal Historical Society of Great Britain; and the Qatar Foundation.
Venue & Address:
100 McCaul St., Room 187
Email:
research@ocadu.ca
Keywords:
Please be advised that OCAD U hosted events may be documented through photographs and video. These images may be used by the University for promotional, advertising, and educational purposes. By participating in our events, both on campus and off-site, you consent to allowing OCAD University to document and use your image and likeness. However, if you do not want us to use a photo or video of you or your child, please don’t hesitate to let us know when you arrive at the event. You’re also welcome to get in touch with OCAD University’s Marketing & Communications office: communications@ocadu.ca.
Be mindful of those in our community who have scent sensitivities; please help OCAD U maintain a healthy, scent-free campus.