Inspired by the proposition that researchers can deepen and broaden the scope of their work through intentionality, early career scholars from the Department of the History of Art and Architecture at Trinity College Dublin invite participants to a one-day symposium on the 7th of March 2025 at the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. The symposium’s aim is to cultivate conversation by connecting early career scholars to share ideas, practices, and challenges through the launch of a new early career researchers’ forum. The event will begin with a collaborative ‘Seedlings Workshop’ for scholars to develop initial ideas and seek peer-to-peer feedback on works in progress. The morning workshop will be followed by a series of afternoon paper sessions, open to the public. 

Participants are invited to explore the socio-cultural, political, and global influences that shape our understandings of materiality, spatial perspectives, and their relationship to the practice of writing histories of art, design, and architectural history, in all its forms and facets. We encourage participants to submit paper proposals for works in progress that touch on any of these broad themes, and emphasise that this one day symposium will be supportive and constructive, thus all ideas are welcome. Early career scholars are invited to submit abstract proposals of no more than 300 words that relate to this symposium’s theme of pushing and pulling between and within thresholds in their discipline.