Project description
North Italian contribution to early machine culture
Between 1400 and 1600, Florence, Milan, and Venice had one of the most flourishing early machine cultures in Europe. Although these engineering traditions were traditionally related to warfare, construction, hydraulic and industrial technologies, and timekeeping, some of the most elaborate mechanical inventions belonged to those functions directed at animating a symbolic organism that conveyed a multi-layered intellectual message often undecipherable to our contemporary eye. Supported by EU funding, the project AUTOREN will examine the concept of mechanical utility in relation to philosophy. It will explore state-funded mechanical projects such as cosmomorphic automata (planetary contrivances demonstrating the movements of all the heavenly bodies) and a surprisingly understudied group of still extant anthropomorphic automata (especially self-propelled spring-driven automata).
Objective
This interdisciplinary project aims to innovatively fill a gap in the fast-growing historiography on automata, focussing on the social, cultural and material history of these types of machines in Renaissance Italy. For the first time, AUTOREN will investigate the history of automata in the areas of Milan, Venice and Florence between 1400 and 1600. These three Northern Italian engineering traditions are among the most thriving early modern cultures of machines, and they have been researched for their seminal influences on the development of European useful machines: these are traditionally related to warfare, construction, hydraulic and industrial technologies and timekeeping. Surprisingly, the most elaborate mechanical achievements of Renaissance Italy did not belong to such a positivist idea of utility, but to those functions directed at animating a symbolic organism that conveyed a multi-layered intellectual message often undecipherable to our contemporary eye. AUTOREN will examine these other layers of the concept of mechanical utility in relation to philosophy, representation of power, knowledge-seeking activities, piety and marvel. Among these symbolic machines, for the first time, AUTOREN will comparatively explore state-funded mechanical projects such as cosmomorphic automata (planetary contrivances demonstrating the movements of all the heavenly bodies) and a surprisingly understudied group of still extant anthropomorphic automata (especially self-propelled spring-driven automata). Crafting a toolbox at the crossroads of archaeometry and the historiographies of philosophy, art, science and technology AUTOREN will be able to highlight overlooked Northern Italian contributions to technological innovation and trends in mechanical projects to European early modern culture of machines at the dawn of that long epistemological shift known as the Scientific Revolution.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- humanities history and archaeology history
- social sciences political sciences political transitions revolutions
- humanities history and archaeology archaeology archaeometry
- humanities philosophy, ethics and religion philosophy
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
30123 Venezia
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.