An exciting day of interactive workshops, discussions and activities on the theme of Classical Antiquity as it appears in modern media and advertising.

Beginning with the Renaissance and happening as recently as Ariana Grande’s video for the hit song 'God is a Woman', the ancient – and most often the Classical – world has been a constant source of inspiration for the visual media we create. Whether we reference it allusively or borrow from it directly, the Classical World has never gone out of fashion when it comes to art, advertising and design – and shows no sign of doing so.

Why does modernity seemingly have such an obsession with all things ancient and mythical? In what ways has classical imagery been used to be persuasive, beautiful, aspirational or evocative? How might our continued reliance on this imagery serve to enshrine negative or derogatory ideas concerning race, gender and aesthetics?

This event will involve a series of interactive talks and activities on numerous themes pertaining to the depiction of the ancient world in modern media – including issues of diversity, gender expectations and beauty ideals - hosted by researchers from Department of Classics and Ancient History at Warwick University, culminating in participants designing their own advertising campaign inspired by an aspect of ancient society. The day will get young people engaging with Classics and Ancient History in a way that is purposeful and feels strongly relevant to them – not just as students, but also as consumers of modern media.

This event is open to students in secondary school Years 9 – 11. ALL are welcome; however, it may be of particular interest to those studying Media, English Literature, Sociology, Fine Art, and Classics/Ancient History. Indeed, this event will provide a stimulating vehicle for putting into practice some of the wider aims of the various GCSE Media syllabi, helping to inform students’ critical understanding of the role of the media on its contemporary society.

To book please visit:
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/classics/research/outreach/warwickclassicsnetwork/events/ancientimages