This year we are doing the Antique Arms & Armor Seminar, held in Timonium Maryland during the Baltimore Antique Arms Show (March 17-18), in a little different way.
We will have two featured speakers, Michal "Wolviex" Dziewulksi will present a lecture on the Eastern influence on Polish weapons, and Erik Farrow will present a lecture on Dyak weapons, each approximately an hour long.
For the rest of the evening, we are going to try out a "table" presentation format of several more discrete presentations, which can be viewed and discussed at one's leisure before and after dinner, and during breaks in the activities. These would be akin to the poster presentations that you see at many academic conferences.
The idea is to have a static display on a table, or two to a table, depending on size, with photographs, text, and/or actual pieces. Ideally, hard copy handouts of the presentation would be available for people to take with them. The presenter would be available to discuss their topic one-on-one during the table sessions (and during whatever informal time they may want to be there). This way we can get in several presentations without it being a very late evening, and people can focus on those presentations that interest them most. Think of it as show-and-tell on steroids.
I therefore invite everyone to submit abstracts for consideration by the steering committee organizing the talks. Topics can really be anything, but I suggest chosing a reasonably focused, but substantive subject. I had thought, for example, of a presentation on the use and styles of koftgari decoration on Burmese dha (just as a topic - I'd need to do a lot more research to actually put it together). A topic like Lee's short talk on the double-moon blade markings on takouba is another example; presentations in the broader field of kerisology could be things like kingfisher style urikan/hulu, keris majapahit, or keris purification ritual. In years past we have had short presentations on lesser-known weapons, like the "Black Sea" yatagan (laz bicagi), Pacific Island war clubs and Vietnamese guom, subjects which would have lent themselves well to a table presentation.
I think that we can fit in between 6 and 10 table presentations (again, depending on size, and my confirming the number of side table we can fit in). If we end up with more presentations than can reasonably fit into the available space, we are going to have to make some judgment call on what to include and what to save for another year. In a way I hope we don't have to put off anyone, but in another I'm hoping for a flood of abstracts!
Please send your presentation proposals to me via e-mail (mark@vikingsword.com). A proposal should consist of a reasonably detailed statement of the subject, scope, and format (all text & photos vs. text & weapons display, poster, model, etc., etc.). A full abstract of the proposed presentation is preferable.