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About
Fire Arts is a three-day conference that shares and advances the collaborative research projects of a group of like-minded scholars, scientists, performers, and artists, many of whom are members of the Active Matter collective. This group studies historical knowledge systems and artisanal processes for what they can tell us about our cultural pasts and our collective paths towards sustainable and regenerative futures.
Morning sessions take place in the Adams Presentation Room of ARCA at Texas A&M Main Campus and are free and open to the public. They feature seminar-style presentations followed by question and answer periods.
Afternoon sessions take place at the Architecture Fabrication & Design Lab at Texas A&M RELLIS Campus and are by invitation only. They feature hands-on experiments in three different reconstructed historical furnaces: an early modern European goldsmithing furnace, an early modern European distillation furnace, and a pre-Hispanic Colombian guaira—a portable, clay, goldsmithing furnace.
Fire Arts is organized by Dr. Tianna Helena Uchacz, Assistant Professor, School of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts. For more information or to request an invitation to the RELLIS workshops, email Dr. Uchacz: thu@tamu.edu
Fire Arts has been generously supported by:
School of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts: Interdisciplinary Grant
Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research: Small Conference Grant
Academy of the Visual & Performing Arts: Research Grant
Schedule
Monday, November 6, 8:45 am–12:00 pm
Adams Presentation Room, ARCA
(free and open to the public)
| 8:45–8:50 | Welcome Tim McLaughlin, Interim Dean, School of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts |
| 8:50–9:30 | Lightning Talks: Introductions to the Reconstruction Workshop Projects at RELLIS |
| 9:30–10:15 | A Return to Process: Reconstructing Pre-Hispanic Colombian Goldsmithing Techniques Ana María Jiménez, MFA, artist & jeweler Dr. Andrés Vélez Posada, professor of arts & humanities (Universidad EAFIT) |
| 10:15–10:30 | Break |
| 10:30–11:00 | Clay: The Genesis and Properties of an Artisanal Material Dr. Julie Howe, professor of soil science (Texas A&M) |
| 11:00–11:30 | Furnace Fuel: Managing the Heat of Coal, Coke, and Charcoal Alan Lee, blacksmith, Steephollow Forgeworks |
| 11:30–12:00 | Craft and Simulation: Digitally Mediated Bench Practices Michael Gayk, MFA, metalsmith, computational designer & instructional associate professor (Texas A&M) |
Monday, November 6, 1:00–6:00 pm
Architecture Fabrication & Design Lab, RELLIS
(by invitation only)
| Intro to “The Ranch” by Will DiNisco, School of Architecture | Tour, practicalities, safety, etc. |
| European Goldsmithing Furnace | Cupellation: trial 1 Enameling: trial 1 Granulation: silver, trial 1 |
| Distillation Furnace | Heat management tests |
| Pre-Hispanic Colombian Guaira Furnace | trial 1 |
| Pre-Hispanic Colombian Pit Firing |
Tuesday, November 7, 8:45 am–12:00 pm
Adams Presentation Room, ARCA
(free and open to the public)
| 8:45–8:50 | Welcome Dr. Troy Bickham, Interim Director, Glasscock Center for Humanities Research |
| 8:50–9:30 | Group Discussion: Monday’s Reconstruction Experiments at RELLIS Moderated by Dr. Hannah Elmer (Leibniz University Hannover) |
| 9:30–10:00 | Early Modern Artisans Moving between Designs and the Finished Object Dr. Tianna Uchacz, historian of art and craft technology & assistant professor (Texas A&M) |
| 10:00–10:30 | Reconstructing a Sixteenth-Century European Goldsmithing Furnace: Technical principles, Structural Requirements, and Practical Issues Dr. Peter Oakley, reader in material culture & co-lead of the material engagements research cluster (Royal College of Art) |
| 10:30–10:45 | Break |
| 10:45–11:10 | Furnaces in Early Modern Goldsmithing and Beyond Dr. Thijs Hagendijk, historian of early modern practicl knowledge & assistant professor (Utrecht University) |
| 11:10–11:35 | Exploring Experimental Granulation Techniques in a Reconstructed Goldsmithing Furnace Dr. Katharina Vones, jeweler & lecturer in jewelry (Royal College of Art) |
| 11:35–12:00 | Understanding Historical Enameling via Experiments in a Reconstructed Goldsmithing Furnace Dr. Márcia Vilarigues, assistant professor & head of the conservation department (NOVA school of science and technology) |
Tuesday, November 7, 1:00–6:00 pm
Architecture Fabrication & Design Lab, RELLIS
(by invitation only)
| European Goldsmithing Furnace | Cupellation: trial 2 Enameling: trial 2 Granulation: silver, trial 2 |
| Distillation Furnace | Rosemary water: trial 1 Basil water: trial 1 |
| Pre-Hispanic Colombian Guaira Furnace | trial 2 |
| Pre-Hispanic Colombian Pit Firing |
Wednesday, November 8, 8:45 am–12:00 pm
Adams Presentation Room, ARCA
(free and open to the public)
| 8:45–8:50 | Welcome Dr. James R. Ball III, Director, Academy of Visual & Performing Arts |
| 8:50–9:30 | Group Discussion: Tuesday’s Reconstruction Experiments at RELLIS Moderated by Dr. Hannah Elmer (Leibniz University Hannover) |
| 9:30–10:00 | Distilling Knowledge in Early Modern Europe Dr. Tillmann Taape, Historian of Science & Lecturer in History of Medicine (Charité Universitätsmedizin) |
| 10:00–10:30 | Alchemizing Kudzu: From Invasive Species to Artificial Gemstones Dr. Donna Bilak; historian of alchemy, goldsmith, & director of Active Matter (NYU & Pratt Institute) |
| 10:30–10:45 | Closing Summary Dr. Uchacz & Dr. Bilak |
| 11:00–12:00 | Closed door discussion about publication plans, next steps, etc. |
Wednesday, November 8, 1:00–6:00 pm
Architecture Fabrication & Design Lab, RELLIS
(by invitation only)
| European Goldsmithing Furnace | tear down |
| Distillation Furnace | Rosemary water: trial 2 Basil water: trial 2 |
| Pre-Hispanic Colombian Guaira Furnace | |
| Pre-Hispanic Colombian Pit Firing | trials 1 & 2 |
Practicalities
Locations
The Adams Presentation Room (Rm 212) is on the second floor of the Langford A Architecture Building (ARCA) on the Main Campus of Texas A&M University. You will enter the Adams Presentation Room by walking through the Wright Gallery.
The Architecture Fabrication & Design Lab (“The Ranch”) is on the RELLIS Campus of Texas A&M University.
Parking
On Main Campus, visitors can use one of the visitor hourly parking lots.
On RELLIS Campus, visitors can pay for hourly parking using one of the kiosks on campus or through the Parkmobile App (using Zone 7743). Those who have a valid daily, weekly or monthly permit for any Texas A&M Main Campus lot and have registered their license plate may park at RELLIS under their existing permit.
Active Matter 