A percentage for art? Integrating artistic practice and archaeological survey

Description

Both artists and archaeologists are fundamentally concerned with exploring what it means to be human, and as such it is unsurprising that there are a growing number of art and archaeology collaborations. Alongside this is wide-ranging discussion of how such collaboration can inform archaeological interpretation and what practitioners can learn from each other. These new directions of inter-disciplinary practice offer both the potential for artistic interpretation of archaeological material, but also more challenging and engaging ways for archaeologists to represent their data and interpretations. This paper documents the first phase of a project designed to explore the ways in which the later prehistoric landscape of Orkney can be interpreted and represented using a range of methods and media – from the traditional to the experimental. We intend to employ a variety of equipment and techniques - GPS, GIS, gradiometer survey, digital video, digital (and traditional) drawing and recording, audio, light projection and mapping. Through this we aim to develop new and interesting ways to interpret the area and its human history, in addition to providing members of the project team with new skills and tactics to think about the landscape. Rather than the artistic practice being an element tacked onto a traditional archaeological project, the two are both integral parts of a larger whole. This ethos will pervade all elements of the project, from planning and funding through to fieldwork and dissemination, and is offered up as an example of a pragmatic approach to linking artistic and archaeological practice and practitioners.

Period	3 Sep 2015
Event title	European Association of Archaeologists Conference
Event type	Conference
Location	Glasgow, United Kingdom
Degree of Recognition	International