Inaugural Lecture - Professor Jill Burke Central Italy, the 1470s, late spring. A wasp thrums its way to an oak tree. Flax flowers nod in the breeze. A goose races with her sisters to get to the scraps. A cat leans into a stroking hand. A young man watches.Taking a sheet of sketches of a child and a cat by Leonardo da Vinci as its starting point, this lecture explores the entangled history of Renaissance ideation and argues that - rather than conceptualising this period as a succession of individual ‘geniuses’ - we should understand Renaissance art, literature and science as fragments of the more-than-human – a series of dependencies. Leonardo’s thought process was inseparable from the materials he used – pen, paper, iron gall ink - and the animal and human bodies that produced them. Because paper was cheap and quills were adaptable, this period saw a new focus on sketching, doodling and jotting down thoughts, all of which allowed for diverse types of idea formation - from shop-keepers making accounts, to servants refining domestic recipes, to natural philosophers recording observations. Using contemporary how-to books and recipes as a source, the audience will get a chance to experiment with quills and ink to gain insight into the material properties of early modern thinking. The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception. Professor Jill Burke You can find out more about Professor Jill Burke, her work, and research in her University of Edinburgh staff profile (link below). Professor Burke's staff profile May 20 2026 17.15 - 18.30 Inaugural Lecture - Professor Jill Burke Professor Burke's inaugural lecture will be, 'The flax, the wasp, the goose, and the cat: The more-than-human Renaissance'. Meadows Lecture Theatre, Old Medical School Doorway 4, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG Old Medical School Tickets (free)
Inaugural Lecture - Professor Jill Burke Central Italy, the 1470s, late spring. A wasp thrums its way to an oak tree. Flax flowers nod in the breeze. A goose races with her sisters to get to the scraps. A cat leans into a stroking hand. A young man watches.Taking a sheet of sketches of a child and a cat by Leonardo da Vinci as its starting point, this lecture explores the entangled history of Renaissance ideation and argues that - rather than conceptualising this period as a succession of individual ‘geniuses’ - we should understand Renaissance art, literature and science as fragments of the more-than-human – a series of dependencies. Leonardo’s thought process was inseparable from the materials he used – pen, paper, iron gall ink - and the animal and human bodies that produced them. Because paper was cheap and quills were adaptable, this period saw a new focus on sketching, doodling and jotting down thoughts, all of which allowed for diverse types of idea formation - from shop-keepers making accounts, to servants refining domestic recipes, to natural philosophers recording observations. Using contemporary how-to books and recipes as a source, the audience will get a chance to experiment with quills and ink to gain insight into the material properties of early modern thinking. The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception. Professor Jill Burke You can find out more about Professor Jill Burke, her work, and research in her University of Edinburgh staff profile (link below). Professor Burke's staff profile May 20 2026 17.15 - 18.30 Inaugural Lecture - Professor Jill Burke Professor Burke's inaugural lecture will be, 'The flax, the wasp, the goose, and the cat: The more-than-human Renaissance'. Meadows Lecture Theatre, Old Medical School Doorway 4, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG Old Medical School Tickets (free)
May 20 2026 17.15 - 18.30 Inaugural Lecture - Professor Jill Burke Professor Burke's inaugural lecture will be, 'The flax, the wasp, the goose, and the cat: The more-than-human Renaissance'.
