Conference: Certaine Wytches - Persecution and Possibility

Reed Hall, University of Exeter, EX4 4QR. £35 (£25 OAPs and students)
Conference: 10am – 5pm (registration & coffee from 9.30am)
Book: 01626 832223 or in person at Devon Guild of Craftsmen

Organised by Devon Guild of Craftsmen, with support from the University of Exeter Arts and Culture team, this day-long event will bring academics and artists together to shed further light on the history of witchcraft in Exeter, Devon and beyond, and on the symbolism, imagery and practices that can still resonate strongly with us today. This conference accompanies the exhibition Certaine Wytches – Fear, Myth & Magic showing at the Devon Guild of Craftsmen. Through a series of large and small-scale knotted tapestries, textile-artist Anne Jackson explores the ideas of witchcraft and historic witch-persecution across Europe, both as commemoration and as a metaphor for our contemporary fears. The word witch often signifies an outsider who is seen as frightening or difficult. She is sometimes seen as the wielder of occult power, sometimes as a healer, and she has often been met by violence. Certaine Wytches will lay bare the dramatic and unsettling experiences brought to life through Anne’s impactful knotted tapestries, and will pose questions about our own beliefs, provoking evocative responses. The exhibition will juxtapose the narratives played out in these contemporary tapestries with authentic historical artefacts from the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle. It runs until Monday 6th May 2019.

Chaired by Dr Nicola Thomas – Associate Professor in Cultural Geography, University of Exeter.

Visit our website for full information on speakers.