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The Sacred Image Between Revealing and Concealing: new directions in the interpretation of the sacred in ancient and medieval artÂ
By Dan Aufseesser, Junior Project Manager
As you enter the Fogg Museum, a beautiful, modern and spacious hall first welcomes you. In this historic building, the glass roof, installed as part of the 2008 Â renovation led by architect Renzo Piano, reveals with splendor the unique collection hosted by the Harvard Art Museum. On the second floor however, behind a few galleries, lies a room unknown by most visitors and concealed by a discreet door. Entering the Naumburg Room is like travelling to another time. The dark wooden panels and the exquisite Swiss stained-glass windows (you will even notice a Bern flag) are a contrast from the rest of the museum. The room was once the apartment of Nettie and Aaron Naumburg in New York City and was itself inspired by German architecture.
Could there have been a more appropriate space to host the Eikones conference?
On the invitation were Adrian Stähli (Harvard University, Department of the Classics), Jeffrey F. Hamburger (Harvard University, Department of History of Art and Architecture), and Gerald Wildgruber (University of Basel, Graduate School Eikones), academics in Art History, Archeology, History, Visual Arts, Anthropology, and Literature gathered from Europe and the US to discuss “the understanding of current meÂÂthods for the interpretation of sacred images, question their conÂtiÂnued applicability in light of new models, and, in particular, to foster debate among scholars on both sides of the Atlantic whose work remains rooted in very diverse academic traditions which too frequently talk past, rather than with, each other”.
After introductory remarks by the three organizers, highlighting the importance of this transcontinental exchange to better understand the subject at hand, the conference started by a paper presentation by Ioannis Mylonopoulos (Columbia University, Department of Art History and Archaeology), followed by  Gerald Wildgruber and Verity Platt (Cornell University, Department of Classics). Each presentation was echoed with remarks and questions from the speakers as well the audience made of students, teachers and history enthusiasts. Following a short coffee break, allowing guest and speakers alike to meet each other and deepen conversations, the conference went back on track with presentation by Sophie Schweinfurth (University of Zürich, Kunsthistorisches Institut) and Laura Nasrallah (Harvard University, Divinity School).
As promised in the program we were then treated with a surprise: a special and private visit of the Adolphus Busch Hall. It is well concealed in the heart of Cambridge and behind an unsuspecting door we discovered this space filled with beautiful replicas of German art and architecture.
Fortunately, this wasn’t all the first day had to offer. There was more to come in the form of a Keynote Lecture in the Harvard Hall by famed and renowned French-professor François Lissarague who gave us a glimpse at the various ways images of religious rituals integrate divine presence according to different modes, media and rites. Â
After a good night’s rest, we all convened on Friday for a second day of fascinating presentations focusing on a vast period of time. It started with a paper by Milette Gaifman (Yale University, Department of Classics) on “Jugs, Gods, and the Creation of the Sacred in Classical Greece”, Followed by James Simpson’s (Harvard University, Department of English) presentation on “Idolatrous Images and the Psyche in Reformation England”, and Felipe Pereda’s (Harvard University, Department of History of Art and Architecture) paper on ““Floating in the Sea” The Origin and Nature of Sacred Images in Early Modern Spain”. After the break Barbara Schellewald (University of Basel, Graduate School Eikones), Henriette Hofmann (University of Basel, Graduate School Eikones) and John Hamilton (Harvard University, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures) gave the final presentations.
Coffee breaks, lunches and after-presentation discussions allowed for more in depth exchanges between conference participants. Following closing remarks by the organizers we went down the road to swissnex’s 420 Broadway office, for an interactive panel discussion that allowed speakers and organizers to reflect on the past two days and the role the conference played in the overall dynamic of their fields. After two days of intense discussions and contemplations all that was left to do was to enjoy the well-deserved reception. In the pit, around the buffet or on the high tables dialogue continued. When it came time to say goodbye, it was clear that the conference had succeeded in creating new transatlantic links and we look forward to the next event.
We would like to thank all of our partners that made such a great event possible: The Eikones Graduate Institute, Uni Basel, The Department of the Classics and the Department of the History of Art and Architecture at Harvard University, The Provostial Fund For Arts and Humanities at Harvard University, The Standing Committee on Medieval Studies at Harvard University and the Harvard Art Museums.
Re-inventing surgery: lasers and advanced imaging in the OR
By Francesco Bortoluzzi, Junior Project Manager
Every year, swissnex Boston hosts the University of Basel for Basel Night, an event open to the public when this oldest university of Switzerland showcases its most exciting researchers to one of the biggest hubs of research and innovation in the world – Boston.
On February 23rd Philipp Cattin highlighted his latest research on re-inventing bone surgery with lasers and virtual reality technology. Cattin is Associate Professor in the Medical Image Analysis Center at the Medical Faculty of the University of Basel, where he also heads the Biomedical Engineering Department. He brings to bear his background in computer science in order to develop new medical technology – an endeavor aided also by his practical experience as an apprentice in the Swiss vocational education system before moving on to higher education studies.
Cattin’s keynote traced the evolution of bone surgery throughout history, before the introduction of the concept of laser cutting in the middle of the 20th century, when surgical lasers applications were deemed impractical due to the laser burning tissues and preventing proper healing. More recently, however, advancements in the applications of lasers have improved so that it is possible to cut tissues in a way that not only is very precise, but that also has improved healing characteristics compared to mechanical friction means. Furthermore, robot-guided laser ablation during surgical operations allows for new three-dimensional cuts of almost any desired shape enabling completely new surgical techniques, thus simplifying procedures and shortening the time required to plan and carry out surgical interventions.
Advancements in laser surgery go hand in hand with advancements in medical imaging technology, as Cattin demonstrated thanks to a demo of the MIRACLE project at the University of Basel. The MIRACLE allows doctors to visualize medical scans in a VR setting that then allows for precise operational plans: for example the MRI of a patient’s head can be manipulated in VR in order gain a better understanding of the position of aneurisms that need to be removed.
Building on the topic of advanced medical imaging, Dr. Jayender Jagadeesan (Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and Research Associate at Brigham and Women's Hospital) made a short presentation on the AMIGO suite at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The AMIGO, which stands for Advanced Multimodality Image Guided Operating suite, is an operating room equipped with all the main medical imaging machines, which allows the best possible views of the area of operation. The medical images provided by the AMIGO suite can also be integrated with augmented reality goggles allowing surgeons to chart the best path to a successful operation.
Sheila Russo, currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Microrobotics Lab and Biodesign Lab at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, then also gave a short presentation on robotic approaches to enhance laser surgery. In particular, she explained her work on developing scopes making use of laser cutting technology for endoscopic procedures, which have the clear advantage of not cutting unnecessary tissue in order to complete operations.
After the three presentations, the evening opened up to a panel discussion between the researchers moderated by Frank Preiswerk, a postdoctoral fellow in radiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and former PhD student under Philipp Cattin at the University of Basel. The discussion ranged from which operating robots are best suited to assist surgeons, to what are going to be the most common applications of the technologies the researchers had described. The audience then had the chance to engage the panel with questions and comments about their work during a Q&A session before the event turned into a networking reception with the chance to try both simulations of both the MIRACLE project (with VR headsets) and the AMIGO suite (with AR goggles).
swissnex Boston would like to thank the University of Basel and Philipp Cattin for their continued support of the Basel Night throughout the years, as well as the other panelists, and the audience.
