This July, the BAA returned to Winchester for the fourth time for the annual BAA conference. Lectures covered various aspects of the city and county’s art, architecture, and archaeology from late Antiquity through the early, high, and late Middle Ages. In addition to these insightful talks, members were treated to various site visits across the Cathedral and beyond.
At this year’s conference, students attending with BAA scholarships took part in a poster presentation on the opening evening, sharing aspects of their postgraduate research with conference delegates. This provided an opportunity not only to showcase their work, but to discuss ideas with specialists, receive feedback and make connections at the very beginning of the conference.
As the reflections below demonstrate, the poster session quickly became much more than a presentation exercise! Conversations prompted new research questions and suggestions, while the combination of lectures, specialist-led site visits, and informal events gave students opportunities to engage with the wider BAA community throughout the week.
We are delighted to share reflections from our student scholars on their experiences of the poster competition and the conference more broadly.
Julia Teal, Northeastern University London
“The poster presentation was an interesting and enjoyable way to communicate our research ideas. It was not only a helpful icebreaker for conversations with other delegates, but also a welcome introduction to other postgraduates’ work. I do think the session encouraged wider ranging conversations and put the PGRs at ease more quickly. Several delegates shared useful insights on wall painting schemes they were familiar with and offered suggestions for further research.
Overall, I thought the conference provided a stimulating blend of papers by excellent speakers and site visits to suit all interests. I was especially delighted to see Romsey Abbey, to spend time with the Holy Sepulchre Chapel paintings at Winchester Cathedral, and to visit the archives and library at Winchester College. Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable immersion in medieval Winchester and Hampshire. Many thanks again to all those who worked so hard to put the conference together.”
– Julia Teal, conference scholarship recipient
Weiliang Xu, University of Cambridge
“The poster presentation was an interesting and enjoyable way to communicate our research ideas. It was not only a helpful icebreaker for conversations with other delegates, but also a welcome introduction to other postgraduates’ work. I do think the session encouraged wider ranging conversations and put the PGRs at ease more quickly. Several delegates shared useful insights on wall painting schemes they were familiar with and offered suggestions for further research.
Overall, I thought the conference provided a stimulating blend of papers by excellent speakers and site visits to suit all interests. I was especially delighted to see Romsey Abbey, to spend time with the Holy Sepulchre Chapel paintings at Winchester Cathedral, and to visit the archives and library at Winchester College. Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable immersion in medieval Winchester and Hampshire. Many thanks again to all those who worked so hard to put the conference together.”
– Weiliang Xu, conference scholarship recipient
Sophia Dumoulin, Courtauld Institute of Art
“I had the privilege to attend the BAA Winchester Conference as a scholarship student. The conference was an amazing opportunity to study the medieval art and architecture of Winchester with such a learned and friendly group of experts. The papers in the lecture hall at the University of Winchester were all fascinating, and we were able to see lots of medieval buildings and artworks in situ in Winchester and the surrounding areas as well. The conference was also a lot of fun, with pub trips, receptions in beautiful gardens, and even a dinner in Winchester College!
One of the highlights of the conference for me was the student poster presentation on the first evening. Making the poster was a great exercise that helped me think about how to present my research succinctly and visually. I also really enjoyed showing my poster to the fellow conference attendees and to discuss my PhD with them. It was incredibly helpful to receive the questions and feedback of such a learned and distinguished audience.”
– Sophia Dumoulin, conference scholarship recipient
Photos of the conference and trips by other members
