Blake Awakes

  • Naomi Billingsley (Chair)

Activity: Participating in or organising event(s)Organising a conference, workshop, exhibition, performance, inquiry, course etcResearch

Description

This workshop explored some of the ways in which the artistic vision of William Blake has been reimagined and reinvented in British art and culture, with a special focus on material held at the John Rylands Library.

Hosted by the John Rylands Research Institute, the event built on previous Blake projects at the John Rylands Library, including the exhibition Burning Bright: William Blake and the Art and Craft of the Book, which explored Blake’s own work as a commercial engraver, and his legacy in the world of the book in the century after his death.

This workshop spotlighted other themes relating to Blake and his legacy in material held at the John Rylands Library as part of continuing efforts to unlock Blakean materials in the collections. Topics included Blake himself as a re-inventor in his designs for Edward Young’s Night Thoughts (1795-97); reinventing Blake’s Songs in editions of the poems held in Rylands collections; and Blake and counter-culture, represented in modern literary archives held at the Library.

The event was attended by students and staff from Manchester and other institutions, and by members of the public.

This event was funded by a John Rylands Research Institute events grant.
Period1 May 2018
Event typeWorkshop
LocationManchesterShow on map

Keywords

  • William Blake
  • Book History
  • Book Illustration
  • Graphic Novels
  • Surrealism
  • James Smetham

Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms

  • John Rylands Research Institute and Library