ANIMATING ANTIQUITY:

HARRYHAUSEN AND THE CLASSICAL TRADITION

9th November 2011, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

“Room at the Top” conference suite, National Media Museum, Bradford

co-organised by Steve Green (Leeds) and Penny Goodman (Leeds)

Classics at Leeds, in collaboration with the National Media Museum at Bradford, is pleased to announce a one-day conference this November based around the film work of Ray Harryhausen.

Harryhausen’s distinctive brand of film animation of classical myth has captured the imagination of generations of viewers – his animation of skeletons in Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and Medusa in Clash of the Titans (1981) are of course legendary.

The conference aims to take a ‘Janus-like’ approach to the relationship between Ray Harryhausen’s films and the classical world of myth by exploring not only the influence of the ancient world on Harryhausen but also the ways in which Harryhausen in his turn has shaped popular imaginings of the classical world in genres of modern (sub-) culture such as video/ computer gaming.

The conference will take place at the National Media Museum at Bradford to coincide with, and mark a celebration of, the arrival of the Harryhausen animation collection to the Museum. Classically-themed items from the Harryhausen collection will be available for viewing on the day. Moreover, as this date also marks the opening of the Bradford Animation Festival at the Museum, the conference will finish with a newly-made documentary on Harryhausen followed by a drinks reception to mark the opening of the Bradford Animation Festival.

To book a place at the conference, please follow this link.