Een lezing - en de voorwerpen van zeer dichtbij zien !
Een ervaring die u niet snel vergeet..
Ter promotie van (o.a.) verschillende tentoonstellingen - over de Vikingen, zoals in het Historiehuis in Roermond en in de Bibliotheek van Reuver,heb ik lezingen gegeven. Naast lezingen behoren andere vormen van deelname aan (interactieve) bijeenkomsten, vraaggesprekken of panels ook tot de mogelijkheden.
Mijn lezingen beginnen altijd met een introductie op de Vikingtijd met een korte presentatie vanaf een scherm, waarna ik ik de lezing een 'Tussen Kunst & Kitsch' vorm geef, waarbij ik het publiek van dichtbij laat kennis maken met voorwerpen uit mijn particuliere collectie. Ik vertel u over hoe de voorwerpen gebruikt werden, en over de verschillende Viking kunststijlen die toegepast werden in de decorering van deze voorwerpen. De voorwerpen hebben soms ook een directe link met de Noordse mythologie, die te zien is in de afbeelding/vormgeving van het voorwerp. De lezing heeft altijd een ongedwongen interactief karakter;
u kunt mij op ieder enig moment vragen stellen of aanvullingen geven vanuit uw eigen kennis over deze unieke tijd. Op deze manier is geen lezing hetzelfde gebleken en misschien dekt de wat statische term 'lezing' wel niet geheel de lading. Het is mij iets laten vertellen, maar juist ook door u aan mij, en bovenal de unieke kans om unieke voorwerpen te zien en misschien wel even in handen te houden..
In een intieme kleinschalige setting - iets groter mag ook :) neem ik u mee naar de intrigerende wereld van de noormannen, en laat u door de voorwerpen zo dicht als mogelijk letterlijk met deze veelbesproken cultuur in contact komen.
Indicatie minimum omvang groep: 8-12 deelnemers. Maximum omvang: al naar gelang gewenste vormgeving van de lezing. Voor tarieven zie Tariffs/tarieven.
Bent u geïnteresseerd, dan verzoek ik u contact op te nemen via het email adres: vikingsandartefacts@yahoo.com
Zie voor een kleine sfeerimpressie de foto's hieronder.. (resp. een lezing in het cultuurcafé Salon Remunj ter ondersteuning van de tentoonstelling in Roermond 'De Noormannen waren hier' maart 2015, een lezing in de bibliotheek in Reuver bij de opening van een tentoonstelling over de vikingen in juli 2015 en een filmpje het 'Tussen Kunst & Kitsch' afsluitende gedeelte van de lezing op de Universiteit Groningen voor de Scandinavische Vereniging Groningen, april 2016 en tijdens de Vikingdagen in juli 2017 in museum Dorestad).
Well. I could have been with these stones until after dark, but as my wife wanted to travel on.. well.. I see you again, some day, hogback stones from Gosforth. And if you happen to be there one day, do not forget that monument on the outside...
Further on with the Cumbrian hogbacktour !
In - yes, luckily again in - St. Peter's church in Heysham, there is a truly beautiful hogback stone. The guide told us, it had been studyied by Thor Ewing, a writer, in 2000. in 'Understanding the Heysham hogback' A tenth century sculpted stone monument and its context (link), Thor Ewing tells in detail what he dicovered on the both sides of this hogback stone.
Just being brought in the church as late as the 1970's accompanied with some protest here and there among the church visitors, considered as being a token of old paganism, it had been remarkably nice preserved, and a lot of detail can be seen, still. Truly worthwile a visit.
I had a small debate with the guide in the church if the - zoomorphic, in my opinion - faces on the sides were lions (or hippo's). The guide doubted if the vikings could have known about lions. Well I guess so, concerning the runes on the Ancient Greek lion statue at the Arsenal, Venice. For example. Vikings did travel south..
But when he told me he was doubting the vikings 'discovered' (as the native inhabitants were of course, in the first place) America before Columbus, I decided to rest my case..
One has to know when to start and to end a conversation ..
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Just discovered the book in a bookstore written by Geoff Holder - The guide to the mysterious Lake District, I knew there had to be another hogback stone in Lowther, St. Micheal's Church. With a promising image described in the text of 'a naval and a land-based force of shield-bearing vikings above a fish and what might be a coiled sea serpent. On the reverse is a row of female figures with snakes, possibly a representation of the hideous hag Hel'. Wow. If that did not sound as a true pagan promised land ..
Not complaing too much after all we have seen, this visit was the dissapointing one of them all. But if you wife states 'I am happy to have seen them' and I am answering 'Measuring is knowing' and the even more obligate verb 'handling 'if we did not see it at all, we wouldn't have known anything at all of how they were looking' the glass was again half full, at the last day of our journey..
The hogback stone appeared to be just being tolerated within the entrance segment part of the church. As something you never use anymore but you do not throw away - entirely. That sort of feeling emerged when seeing this hogback asylum seekers.. Bed, bath and bread, ás we say in Dutch, but no luxury at all and standing on some outcuts of wood, you would balance the table with at home..
Come on, St. Micheal's Church.. care a bit more of your 'children' !
This hogback stone was moved in the church in 1907. Hogback stones layed partially buried in the churchyard before it was dug up and moved into the church.
The promising depiction of a longship - as certainly can be seen after some studying - see http://vikingminds.co.uk/pages/longship
we have missed !
The stone itself is (157 x 50 x 30 cm) and very worn.
The hogback stones in Cumbria - very diverse in quality, but everyone worth a visit ! Especially on a gloomy day in late October ...
The churches to visit - see photos of resp. St. Andrew's church in Penrith, St. Mary's church in Gosforth, St. Peter's church in Heysham and St. Micheal's church in Lowther.
Did I miss out on another one in Cumbria ? Let me know !
In a next blog I will take you to four - still remaining utterly mysterious- statues 'guarding' the graveyard of St. Andrew's church in Dacre..
For the last blog of October 9th see this link.
References: (as always, links to where the books can be ordered are attached).
Edwards, B.J.N. Vikings in North West England - The artifacts (1998);
Emery, Gordon, CURIOUS CUMBRIA, The Lake District & Beyond: A celebration of Cumbria (2023)
Ewing, T. 'Understanding the Heysham hogback' A tenth century sculpted stone monument and its context ;
Hall, R. Viking Age archaeology in Britain and Ireland (first printed 1990, reprinted with amendments in 1995);
Holder, G. The guide to the mysterious Lake District (2009)
possibly also (as there within the part of Cumbria dealing with Carlisle, the Eden Valley, Barrow-in-Furness, Whitehaven and the west coast is being dealed with)
Holder, G. Paranormal Cumbria (2010)
http://vikingminds.co.uk/pages/longship