Signum’s first gathering, the 2012 Mark Studies Conference in Stockholm, Sweden took place on October 18-19. Hosted in the Swedish Parliament the conference brought together specialists in Mark Studies from around the world. Participants presented some of their current research related to mark use both past and present. The first conference included representatives from various academic disciplines as well as mark specialists from the commercial sector. In addition to presentations, Signum members discussed potential avenues for future development, upcoming publications, and overall organizational goals and strategy for the coming year.
Click Here to View The 2012 Signum Mark Studies Conference Program
Dr. Tuve Skanberg, Signum member and conference host, opening discussion on the first day with an introductory presentation on European Merchant and Identity Marks.
Signum member Per Mollerup, author of "Marks of Excellence" delivering his keynote presentation on the theme of simplicity in the design and use of marks.
Oliver Perrin, Signum member and co-founder of the Brand Strategy agency Culture, presenting "Sustainable Branding: Minimizing Uncertainty in Mark Predication".
Signum member Niccolo Manassero presenting "Tamgas and Literacy Among The Ancient Iranians", in which he explored differences between tamgas and monograms.
Signum member Melinda Simon, of Szeged University, discussing printer's devices as signs of legal continuity, showing how these marks anchored identity despite changes in ownership.
Zsolt Hunyadi, Signum member, discussing various techniques used for authentication on Medieval seals, also including engaging discussion of how these were imitated in forgeries.
Founder of Centre International de Recherches Glyptographiques and Signum member Jean-Louis Van Belle presenting an introduction to lapidary signs.
Signum member Takashi Osawa of Osaka University presenting findings related to recent discoveries made by his team during excavations in Mongolia in the summer of 2009.
Signum member Gerard Poole presenting an entirely new perspective on the use of sound to mark time, routes through space, territorial borders, and distinct emotional states.
Signum members Katina Lillios and Oliver Perrin during group discussion.
Joám Evans Pim, whose early efforts and vision launched Signum, discussing how marks have been used by humans to minimize intraspecific aggression, focusing on Galician examples.
Signum member Laszlo Karvalics of Szeged University in discussion with members following his presentation on "Metes and Bounds as Semiotic Objects".
Ian Thorne, Signum member and the brains behind Archemind Intelligent Artifice discussing "Neurolinguistic Topology and the Non-phonic Mark".
Conference host and Signum member Dr. Tuve Skanberg discussing the history and layout of the Swedish Parliament during a tour of the institution.
A small group of conference participants on their way to a restaurant in Old Town Stockholm following day one of the 2012 Signum Mark Studies Conference.