Medieval Badges

experimental making: reimagining medieval badges in modern materials

Conceptually, “Reimagining Medieval Badges in Modern Materials” interrogates the difference between replicating and reimagining a medieval object, in this case medieval badges. The focus is not on content and meaning (symbols; iconography) or on replicating badges in pewter, but rather on experimenting with different materials and their affordances and constraints. In the Middle Ages, badge-like objects sharing similar iconographies were crafted in a wide variety of materials from precious to perishable. The undergraduate researcher-maker of this project will similarly engage with a wide variety of materials in order to learn about them and so reflect on the ways in which they might be used to reimagine badges, to explore badge-like qualities, and to engage modern audiences in discovery about the Middle Ages.

The researcher-maker of the project, Ellen Siebel-Achenbach, will craft and make medieval badge-like objects, experimenting with different materials, some closely related to their medieval counterparts, others modern. Possible materials include: engraving; different kinds of paper; wax; and dough. The researcher-maker will also experiment with different ways of ornamenting the badges she makes; we know that medieval badges were often painted, or had coloured backings; and so on. 

To read an interview about Ellen’s early experimental making, visit: “Reimagining Medieval Badges in Modern Materials.” To see Ellen’s Christmas print-making series (2021), visit: “Merry (Medieval) Christmas.” Ellen’s Christmas woodwork (2022), visit: “Merry Christmas!”