Heaven is a Place on Earth

The significance of glass from the material to the imaginary

Cycle of webinars by Sara Fiorentino and Donatella Tronca

Did the use of window glass have specific purposes related to the diffusion of light? Did dancing lights and colours have the potential (and, maybe, the purpose) to perform a certain imaginary in the observer? The materiality of glass, strictly linked to the selection of raw materials, the manufacturing technology and the achievement of specific chromatic shades, needs to be investigated together with meanings connected to its immaterial and intangible values.

Heaven is a Place on Earth: the significance of glass from the material to the imaginary is a cycle of webinars aimed to deepen the current knowledge on the above topics through a strongly trans-disciplinary approach: from the study of the materiality of the object to the understanding of its intellectual elaboration and symbolic values.

The webinars will be aimed at deepening the knowledge about the meanings of the glass window in time, space and history of the imagination. The main scope is to discuss and evaluate the state of knowledge on the subject through contributions from different disciplinary fields, to outline a synergistic methodological approach to fill the main gaps highlighted.

The series of webinars has the patronage of the Italian National Committee AIHV - International Association for the History of Glass, and is part of 2022 - International Year of Glass. It is also linked to the UNA Europa Colorful Souls project. Sensibilities, Materialities and Symbolisms in the Colors of the Middle Ages (400-1500), on which the Department of Cultural Heritage - University of Bologna collaborates as a partner (research team: Mariangela Vandini, Luigi Canetti, Sara Fiorentino, Donatella Tronca)