An Evening of Archaeological Films at the School Presented
The Caryatid Hairstyling Project
The Archives of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, in collaboration with Fairfield University and the Archaeological Film Festival AGON, hosted an evening of archaeological films on March 14th, 2013. Based on an idea by Katherine Schwab, professor of Visual and Performing Arts at Fairfield University, the event attracted a diverse audience and introduced the School’s activities at Cotsen Hall to many newcomers. The event featured seven films of archaeological and ethnographic interest. Two French productions were viewed: one, When the Gauls were Losing their Heads, explored an unknown Gaulish ritual of beheading the defeated enemy; in the other French film, Perfume Regained, an archaeologist and a chemist collaborated to recreate ancient fragrances. The program also included a German film titled The Secrets of Nazca offering a new, fascinating interpretation of the Nazca geoglyphs in Southern Peru, and a Greek production, The Mirror Bride, by the Folk Art Museum in Xanthi, documenting a wedding ceremony full of age-old customs in a small Pomak village in Bulgaria. In keeping with the movie theme, popcorn and potato chips were served during the break. From the Greek film, The Mirror Bride The highlight of the evening was a group of three short films based on students’ research showing innovative ways of teaching ancient art. In The Caryatid Hairstyling Project, directed by Katherine Schwab, the professor-director and her students replicate the beautiful hairstyles of the Erechtheum korai illustrating how they were inspired by real styles. In The Parthenon Project, Jennifer Neils of Case Western Reserve University and her students recreate the seating plan of the Olympian Gods on the east side of the temple demonstrating in words and actions how Pheidias might have solved a complex design challenge. Finally, in Seeing is Believing: New Light on the Visibility of the Parthenon Frieze, Bonna Wescoat of Emory University and her students recreate the experience of how the ancient Greeks might have viewed the Parthenon frieze from below, by making full-scale line and color drawings of the original panels.