Skeuomorphs-Programm

Medium Aevum Quotidianum, 2019

Skeuomorphs are objects or features that imitate the design of similar artefacts made from another material. In the late middle ages, artists employed alternative materials under several conditions: when the challenge of representation exceeded their skill levels, when the ideal material would be too expensive to use, when other physical constraints limited material choice. The resulting skeuomorphs often reveal ingenious solutions to dealing with those constraints. Skeuomorphe Objekte oder Objekteigenschaften imitieren die Gestaltungsweise ähnlicher, aus anderen Materialien gefertigter Artefakte. Im Spätmittelalter nutzten Künstler alternative Materialien unter bestimmten Umständen: Wenn die repräsentativen Erfordernisse ihre eigenen Fähigkeiten überschritten, wenn das für den jeweiligen Zweck ideale Material zu teuer gewesen wäre oder wenn andere äußere Umstände die Auswahl an Materialien einschränkten. Die dadurch entstandenen skeuomorphen Objekte zeigen daher häufig, wie Künstle...

Intermaterial relations between individual genres of material culture are a constant phenomenon in antiquity. There are, however, specific periods of time with particularly strong interdependencies. This applies in particular to the Late Republic and Early Empire (2 nd century B.C.-1 st century A.D.). The aim of this paper is to focus on this period from a diachronic perspective by taking into account different genres of ancient 'art', such as pottery, glass or marble objects. The analysis of all these genres shows especially that the mere imitation of formal characteristics played a lesser role than the creative appropriation and emulation of these characteristics. In order to tackle the phenomenon of intermaterial relations, the concept of skeuomorphism is abandoned in favour of the art-theoretical concept of 'intermateriality', which is introduced and further developed here.

Materiality in Roman Art and Architecture

The aesthetic qualities of materials used for artefacts have rarely been considered, and aesthetics in relation to the functionality of objects is especially neglected. The paper addresses these issues through an examination of a particular object category, vessels and containers, with a focus on three types of materials, namely glass, metal and organic materials. Firstly, definitions relating to aesthetics are discussed, followed by an overview of our knowledge of aesthetic cultural values in the Roman period. The paper then investigates evidence, principally from the surviving objects of the Early Roman period, but also drawing on written sources, that allows us to gain an understanding of the ways that these materials may have been aesthetically valued in contemporary culture. It finally considers the social functions of the aesthetic features of artefacts.

Facta. A Journal of Roman Material Culture Studies, 2009

Annual Review of Anthropology, 1992

Visually-compelling small finds have traditionally been examined for their appearances. It is conspicuous that these artefacts, consisting of figurines, ornaments and body adornments for example, have been primarily studied for the meanings that the images they project might have held. Strikingly fewer, however, are analyses of these objects' material qualities. Frequently ignored are their composition, the sourcing and working of their materials, or their materiality.

2020

Skeuomorphs are copies of prototype artifacts replicated in different physical materials in the derivative objects. The skeuomorph copy may or may not have a utilitarian function, and the original function of the prototype attribute may change or become less functional with successive copying. Because skeuomorphs are an imitation of the prototype model, they are iconic representations. Archaeological examples of pottery vessel skeuomorphs are presented and interpreted with evidence from ethnography, psychology, and modern material culture. This review lends support to the proposal that skeuomorphism is a causal factor in technological change. Skeuomorphs facilitate acceptance of innovations in artifacts by (1) materializing the pre-existing familiar value of prototypes as attributes transferred to unfamiliar derivative objects; (2) evoking positive social memories associated with the prototype; and (3) creating broader scales of value by creating novel variants of similar objects. [skeuomorph, pottery, technological change]

Revival and Invention: Sculpture and its Material Histories, 2011

Materials may seem to be sculpture’s most obvious aspect. Traditionally seen as a means to an end, and frequently studied in terms of technical procedures, their intrinsic meaning often remains unquestioned. Yet materials comprise a field rich in meaning, bringing into play a wide range of issues crucial to our understanding of sculpture. This book places materials at the centre of our approach to sculpture, examining their symbolic and aesthetic language, their abstract and philosophical associations, and the ways in which they reveal the political, economic and social contexts of sculptural practice. Spanning a chronology from antiquity through to the end of the nineteenth century, the essays collected in this book uncover material properties as fundamental to artistic intentionality.

Materiality in Roman Art and Architecture

Intermaterial relations between individual genres of material culture are a constant phenomenon in antiquity. There are, however, specific periods of time with particularly strong interdependencies. This applies in particular to the Late Republic and Early Empire (2 nd century B.C.-1 st century A.D.). The aim of this paper is to focus on this period from a diachronic perspective by taking into account different genres of ancient 'art', such as pottery, glass or marble objects. The analysis of all these genres shows especially that the mere imitation of formal characteristics played a lesser role than the creative appropriation and emulation of these characteristics. In order to tackle the phenomenon of intermaterial relations, the concept of skeuomorphism is abandoned in favour of the art-theoretical concept of 'intermateriality', which is introduced and further developed here.