AFC Lab Talk Series

Together with the Association for Independent Research (AIR) we host a virtual talk series together — typically on Wednesdays. We aim to support early-career researchers and underrepresented groups by providing a platform for their work and increasing networking opportunities. We are committed to connecting researchers with or without affiliation and promoting science outwith traditional academic and institutional conventions.

If you'd like to give a talk, drop us a message and we'll get it organised.

You can access the talks via their Teams links advertised on World Wide Neuro, or ask Meike to add you to the mailing list to be updated about upcoming events.

Thu, 04 Sept 2025
11:00
Iconography of Dress in Early Modern Art (1500-1600)
University of Zürich
The history of dress and fashion constitutes an essential yet frequently underappreciated dimension of art theory. While garments in visual art have long functioned as carriers of symbolism, identity, and social codes, dress analysis remains a marginal subject within mainstream art historical discourse. Despite the disciplinary challenges posed by its non-institutionalized status, scholars such as Rosita Levi Pisetzky—and many others—have produced foundational research that continues to shape our understanding of visual culture and material identity. This presentation draws on a multidisciplinary theoretical framework encompassing dress history, art history, social history, and semantics. It investigates the methodological potential of iconographic dress analysis in Early Modern artworks, with a particular focus on how clothing functions not merely as decoration but as a semiotic system embedded in the image. The aim is to explore how dress contributes to the construction of meaning within the pictorial space—revealing not only what is seen, but how and why it is seen. Moreover, what possible bridges can be built at the intersection of dress iconography and Artificial Intelligence in the study of Early Modern Art History?