More on Timonium - Help needed!
 

I'm starting to get nervous, as I have gotten very little response to my call for ideas for table presentations at the seminar. It was mentioned that perhaps I made it sound too strict or specialized. So, I thought I'd try and explain a little better what I had in mind.

The kind of presentation that I am suggesting can be very flexible. The table displays that our Thai friends use at their daab meetings are good examples, where a display with a certain theme is set up, accompanied by some descriptive captions. More elaborate displays can involve posters, enlarged photographs, graphic displays. Whatever can fit on a table, basically (they are about 3 feet by 6 feet, or 1 by 2 meters, in size). We have always had tables set aside for "show and tell" displays, and my thought was to have somewhat more formal ones around which people can circulate and explore at their own pace.

Ideally a table presentation should have a theme, unlike for example my own "show and tell" tables in the past where I just pack in as many dha as I can and let people check them out. :) That theme does not have to be something that you would write a PhD thesis on, though. Just something informative and prepared carefully enough that its soundly-based and reasonably-presented (so, nothing suggesting that aliens make the best ultimate kampilans, or that the kora was in fact a weapon created and used by a lost race of arctic Tuareg, for example :D ). Everyone here has more than enough expertise, so don't be shy about making a proposal.

So, if you have an idea, please send me a summary or outline of it (that is what I meant by "abstract"), so we can announce the line-up. Don't leave us staring at the walls all evening! Use the e-mail function of the forum to reach me, or send a PM.

Sign me up Mark !!!
 

Mark -- you have a PM. ;)

Well, if anybody in a good place is willing to pay my way up to Timonium, I'd gladly try and drum up something worthy of the event.
:D

As I am pretty close by, I could bring some Tibetan stuff. Nothing fantastic perhaps--and I am afraid it would be rather more like the old fashioned show and tell than an exhibit with a thesis. I am afraid that at this point I have more questions than answers.

Thanks for all the response. We have a respectable line-up of presentations so far:

John Crosby, "Weapons of Aceh"
Barry Parks, "The Use of Marine Life in Pacific Island War Clubs"
Nick Wardigo, "The Vietnamese Shield"
Ian Greaves, "Lumad Swords of Mindanao"
Mark Bowditch, "The Use of Koftgari on Burmese Swords"

I will make sure that we have a couple tables set aside for the more informal show-and-tell presentations, such as dennee's on Tibetan weapons. BTW, let me know if you need a whole table or reserved half table, dennee, and if you intend to include a hand-out of some sort (I think that would qualify for a listing as a presentation).

I think that we might have room for a couple more, if anyone is interested.