The Medieval Comics exhibition launched at Orbital Comics on 23 March 2017 and ran till the end of April. Visitors got to see original artwork by Karrie Fransman inspired by the work of medieval literature scholars as well as comics from the Middle Ages.
The launch party attracted medieval academics as well as comic artists and readers. (Occasionally–but not often–there was overlap between these groups.)
At the launch party, visitors tried mead (a medieval, alcoholic drink made of fermented honey), admired Karrie Fransman’s artwork, and saw examples of medieval comics.
The exhibition included Karrie’s sketches and works-in-progress as well as her final pieces. The literary snapshots written by medievalists were presented beside the artwork they inspired. (If you haven’t already, go and read these on the blog!)
The medievalists enjoyed seeing Karrie’s creative interpretations of their research subjects.
I introduced the project and talked a bit about medieval comics. Some of the other medievalists who had written literary snapshots also told their stories. Karrie Fransman spoke about her comics and how she was inspired by the literary snapshots and medieval artwork. Dr Robert Mills (Reader in Medieval Art, University College London) spoke about visual storytelling in medieval religious art, including stone carvings and stained glass. You can listen to the talks on Orbital’s Off the Wall podcast.
Did you attend the launch event or visit the exhibition? Please comment below. What brought you to the exhibition? Did anything surprise you?
For more images of the exhibition, see Flickr albums by Hana Videen and Orbital Comics.
