Art and Archaeology in Orkney: Past, Present, and Future

Description

The archaeological imagination looms large in Orkney, and the islands’ ancient landscapes, monuments and artefacts have inspired artists since the 18th century. But Orkney is a place as much aware of its contemporary identity, and its future direction, as it is of its ancient history. It is a world leader in renewable energy innovation, and the islands’ hills and seas are home to large wind turbines and marine renewable devices, contemporary archaeological monuments which are inspiring a new generation of interdisciplinary art-archaeology practitioners.

This rich setting provides the ideal environment for UHI Orkney’s MA Contemporary Art and Archaeology, a unique postgraduate degree which encourages the blurring of distinctions between artistic and archaeological practice. Developed and directed by archaeologists and visual artists based in Orkney, it is the only course of its kind in the world. Students are encouraged to take a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to research-led creative practice, informed by critical engagements with archaeology. Uniquely this teaching is delivered largely online and through video conference, challenging traditional pedagogic models for such ‘hands-on’ subject areas, and allowing participatory and conceptual art-archaeology practice in the digital realm.

In this talk, Antonia will discuss how the past, present, and future of art and archaeology in Orkney have influenced creative research-led teaching at UHI. Antonia will then use the MA in Contemporary Art and Archaeology as a case study for examining the wider challenges and opportunities of integrating art and archaeology, in teaching, research, and practice.

Period	26 Mar 2025
Event title	Art and Archaeology in Orkney: Past, Present and Future (Archaeology-Heritage-Art Network Seminar)
Event type	Seminar
Location	London, United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International