The Sublime Object: Nature, Art and Language

Our investigation aims to achieve a greater understanding of the ways in which perception of the sublime in the external landscape - rural and urban, historic and contemporary, real and imagined - are shaped by cultural experiences: the art that we look at, the books that we read, and the ideas that are communicated to us through the medium of history, philosophy, poetry, politics, and religion. The project will be set in the wider context of Tate's commitment to research its Collection, to display it in new and innovative ways, and to explore its range and potential through varied collaborations with the scholarly community and the public at large. One aim of this project is to draw together a wide range of individuals under the umbrella of Tate's Collection to discuss, debate and collaborate on a series of interrelated events and research activities focused upon the role of the sublime in our perception of the natural world.