October 24 Colloquium: Genevieve von Petzinger on Upper Palaeolithic Art

von Petzinger. Source: TED

From the Walls to the Grave: Linking the Parietal and Portable Geometric Signs found in European Upper Paleolithic Art

Genevieve von petzinger

Ph.D. Candidate,

Anthropology, UVIC

Monday Oct. 24, 2011

11:30am

MACLaurin D103

Free and open to the public

Outline: The geometric signs found in French rock art during the Upper Paleolithic (10,000 – 35,000 BP) show definite spatial and temporal patterning between the sites. This continuity suggests the geometric signs were being used with purpose, and that they were meaningful to those who created them. If they did have significance, and were being used to convey information, then we could be looking at a very early form of graphic communication. This implies that there was a system, but how can we identify the manner in which the creators of these markings organized and utilized them? This talk will examine some of the ways in which we can approach function and meaning, including the potential for comparison with portable art objects from the same time period.

Bio: Genevieve von Petzinger is a Ph.D Student in the Department of Anthropology, where she also recieved an M.A. degree.  Her thesis received wide attention in the media for its novel approach to geometric or non-figurative European cave art and forms the basis of publications in preparation.  She recently became a TED fellow, and  her biographical interview for that or is rich with information about her ideas. She also has a page at the Bradshaw Foundation.

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