Join Professor Christine Casey of Trinity College Dublin as she takes part in the Paul Mellon Centre’s Book Night.

Christine will present her new publication, Architecture and Artifice: The Crafted Surface in Eighteenth-Century Building Practice (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, 2025), in conversation with fellow authors Richard Ormond, Lynda Nead, Elizabeth Goldring and Sam Smiles.

Professor Christine Casey will deliver her Inaugural Lecture entitled ‘The wisdom of hands: craft practice in architecture’.

This symposium seeks to deepen the understanding of the 'professional worlds' surrounding architectural ornament by bridging two rich but traditionally separate fields of research: the history of ornament and the study of professions associated with architecture and construction. With a focus on craftspeople and professional practices, contributions will explore the diversity of ornamental roles, the dynamics of production chains, and the movement of individuals, techniques, and materials across regions and periods. Spanning from the 18th century to the 2010s, and drawing from diverse geographical and cultural contexts, this symposium promises to illuminate the evolving intersections of artistry, craftsmanship, and professional identity in architectural ornamentation.