Modernity in many respects is exemplified through the development of the domestic interior in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, which was characterized by an evolving relationship between public and private, a progressive relationship with technology, an embracing of the mass media and the marketplace and a new prioritisation of individualism and interiority. Despite its centrality to the history of modernity, it is only in the last decade or so that the domestic interior has begun to be the subject of a body of criticism largely thanks to the work of cultural and design historians such as Hilde Heynen, Anne Massey, and Penny Sparke. These critics have emphasised the need for modern interior to be positioned in a multidisciplinary context in order to allow its rich history to become visible. This conference seeks to bring together specialists from a wide range of areas, including art history, literature, French studies, cultural geography, the history of design and gender studies to discuss the conceptualisation and representation of the domestic interior. It aims to bring together speakers from different backgrounds in the humanities and social sciences and draw on a variety of disciplinary tools and methodologies. Submissions for 20-minute papers or panels (of 3 people) are invited across a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:

  • Haussmannization
  • Art Nouveau
  • Apartment Living
  • Technology
  • Interiority as a dimension of space
  • Homelessness
  • Materials of Modernity
  • The Literary Salon
  • Space and Identity
  • Gendered spaces
  • Home-making
  • Workspace/home space
  • Linguistic landscapes
  • Domestic Conflict
  • Representing Rooms
  • Interior Designers
  • In-between spaces
  • Domestic Objects 
  • Liminal spaces
  • Public and private
  • Cultural crossroads
  • Home as Microcosm
  • Inside/out
  • Shared spaces

Keynote Speakers:

  • Professor Anne Green, King’s College, London
  • Professor Hilde Heynen, KU Leuven
  • Dr Janet McLean, National Gallery of Ireland

Submissions should be sent to c.moran at qub.ac.uk by 31st of May 2016

A selection of papers will be published with an International Press and a special issue of a Peer-Reviewed Journal.