Neighbours Vol. 8: Building the Arts and Sciences in 19th c. London

As part of the Neighbours vol. 8 - Lectures on History & Theory of Architecture, co-organized by labs CHAART, HITAM, LHST, THEMA, and TPOD, we're glad to welcome Dr. Simona Valeriani (Victoria and Albert Museum / Royal College of Art) for a talk on "Building the Arts and Sciences in 19th c. London: The South Kensington 'Experiment'."

Abstract
The Royal Albert Hall was originally intended to be a ‘Central Hall of Arts and Sciences’, following Prince Albert’s vision for South Kensington and beyond. The building was intended to be a crucible for innovation, an exemplar of how the coming together of arts, sciences and industry might lead to a prosperous future. Illustrious techniques from antiquity were reimagined for the new mechanical age, placing the Hall at the heart of a process of collecting, describing, and systematising arts and practices. At the same time, the Hall was conceived as a ‘manifesto’ of what the Victorians thought Britain ought to be, at a crucial moment of its socio-economic history: a symbolic cultural hub for the Empire’s metropole. The talk, reflecting the ethos of the monograph ‘The Royal Albert Hall: Building the Arts and Sciences’ will engage with these themes by presenting particular elements of the Royal Albert Hall’s construction, chronicling the previously overlooked work of a host of contributors from all walks of life, including female mosaic-makers and the Royal Engineers.

Bio
Dr. Simona Valeriani is a historian of architecture and technology and Acting Head of Academic Programmes at the Victoria and Albert Museum Research Institute, where she leads the V&A/Royal College of Art History of Design programme. Trained in architecture and building archaeology, she previously worked in the Economic History Department at the London School of Economics. Her research explores the history of construction, material practices, architectural models, and the role of objects and spaces in the production of knowledge. Her recent work includes studies of architectural model-making, the Royal Albert Hall, and the history of mosaic-making, with particular attention to women’s contribution to the nineteenth-century revival of mosaic techniques.