Talks & Keynotes
Illuminating the intersections between ancient wisdom and contemporary culture through the lens of ornamental traditions, craft practice, and embodied knowledge.
Shagane Barsegian brings decades of research and practice in traditional arts to audiences seeking deeper understanding of how cultural heritage shapes contemporary creativity. Her presentations weave together anthropological insight, hands-on craft knowledge, and philosophical inquiry to reveal the profound intelligence embedded in ornamental traditions.
Speaking Topics
The Dreams Encoded in Ornament Exploring Ernst Bloch's concept of "anticipatory consciousness" through decorative traditions as repositories of collective longing. How traditional patterns carry forward cultural aspirations and embody community visions of beauty, meaning, and possibility.
From Owen Jones to OpenAI: Pattern Intelligence Across Time Examining how the principles of ornamental design—from 19th-century pattern analysis to contemporary AI—reveal consistent structures of visual intelligence that transcend technological boundaries.
Pixels to Petals: Ancient Symbols in Digital Times How archetypal symbols travel across cultures and technologies, carrying spiritual meaning through the language of beauty from medieval embroidery to contemporary digital design.
The Art of Self-Adoration: Reclaiming Ornamentation Sacred rituals of self-adornment across cultures as ceremonies of self-celebration rather than vanity, exploring how personal decoration connects individual expression to community belonging.
Invisible Networks: Energy Maps and Creative Life Drawing parallels between traditional medicine's energy pathways and the hidden networks that connect individual creative practice to collective cultural flourishing.
Threadlines: Living Artifacts Across Generations Personal narrative exploring how handmade objects carry cultural DNA across migrations, wars, and generational transitions, using family textile traditions as case study.
In Linen and Lamplight: The Secret Lives of Slavic Needlework The visual language embedded in Eastern European textile traditions, exploring how domestic craft carried cultural knowledge through periods of political upheaval and geographic displacement.
Forest Grandfathers: Russian Mushroom Wisdom Slavic forest folklore as sophisticated ecological knowledge system, examining how traditional stories about woodland spirits encode environmental wisdom and reciprocal relationships with nature.
Format Options
Keynote Presentations (45-60 minutes)
Comprehensive explorations suitable for conferences, symposiums, and cultural institutions seeking substantive content that bridges academic rigor with accessible presentation.
Workshop Lectures (90 minutes)
Hybrid format combining presentation with hands-on craft component, allowing participants to engage with concepts through embodied practice.
Panel Discussions
Contributing expertise on topics including: cultural preservation, traditional arts in contemporary contexts, craft as embodied knowledge, migration and material culture, and intergenerational cultural transmission.
Artist Talks
Informal presentations for galleries, studios, and creative communities exploring the intersection of personal practice with broader cultural themes.
Recent Presentations
The Wende Museum - "In Linen and Lamplight: The Secret Lives of Slavic Needlework"
Mycoverse Conference - "Forest Grandfathers: Russian Mushroom Wisdom and the Ancient Art of Listening"
Various Cultural Institutions - "Pixels to Petals: How Ancient Symbols Travel Through Time and Technology"
Audience
Cultural institutions, universities, design conferences, craft organizations, museums, and communities interested in the intersection of traditional knowledge and contemporary culture. Presentations are designed for audiences ranging from academic specialists to general public with curiosity about cultural heritage and creative practice.
Inquiries welcome for speaking engagements that explore how ancient wisdom informs contemporary creative practice.