Collecting Lives, 16th Women's History Network Conference, Centre For The History Of Women's Education, University of Winchester, 7-9 September 2007

Visual art was almost as important as words at this innovative conference. And what a joy it is to be able to say that about an academic event. Not only were there welcome strands on visual sources and material culture, but the organizers (Camilla Leach, Andrea Jacobs and Zoe Law, along with Joyce Goodman) had also taken the imaginative step of inviting an artist to make an art installation that responded to the preoccupations of those taking part. The enthusiasm with which Alex Hoare's work was greeted suggests that every conference needs an artist in residence as much as it needs food, bookstalls and beds. Weeks before the conference, Alex invited participants to send her a photo or quotations related to the historical women we are studying. Then in a peaceful room off the main corridor she created a video display that wove our subjects and ourselves together in a...

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