The colour blue in ancient Egypt and Sudan

Since the Neolithic, the color blue has been highly prized all along the Nile Valley, where its strong relation to the divine is particularly embodied by the god Amun. Blue pigments and dyes occupied a very special place in the visual landscape, where they adorned temples, palaces, statues, and people’s bodies thanks to a large repertoire of blue cloths and ornaments. The conference will focus on the powerful colour blue in ancient Egypt and Sudan, exploring the relations between different media – architecture, statuary, and costume – and different material – pigments and dyes. The 1st day of the workshop will be dedicated to scientific presentations, while the 2nd day will propose hands-on experiments and presentations from contemporary artists.