European Association of Archaeologists Conference

Description

Session LV19: 'Photography and Archaeology'

Since its earliest beginnings, photography has been innately archaeological. Its ability to freeze a moment of time gives
photographic images an uncanny quality, whilst also allowing them to be a useful recording tool. Photography has been a
central element of archaeological method and practice since the late 19th century, yet the neutrality of photographic images in
archaeological fieldwork is rarely interrogated. Meanwhile, digital technology has made photography both ubiquitous and
ephemeral, questioning the status and authenticity of the image as material archive. Despite their commonalities, however, the
relationship between archaeology and photography remains under-explored. This session brings together new studies of
archaeological photography: both of historical photographs in archives, and of contemporary practice. It will discuss the legacy
of historical photography on contemporary archaeological fieldwork and image-making, and explore what the vision for the
future relationship between archaeology and photography might be in an increasingly digital world. Suggested themes
Temporality, materiality, fieldwork, representation, documentation and the profilmic

Period	4 Sep 2015
Event type	Conference
Location	Glasgow, United Kingdom
Degree of Recognition	International