Archaeologists-in-Residence at Papay Gyro Nights: Experience, expectations and folklore-in-the-making

Since February 2013, we have been archaeologists-in-residence at Papay Gyro Nights, an international contemporary arts festival held annually on the island of Papa Westray, Orkney. In this paper we present some aspects of this work-in-progress and discuss part of this experience. We will be focussing upon two interlinked projects: firstly, our own interactive walking fieldwork which contributes to the festival, and secondly, a collaborative ‘folklore-in-the-making’ project that we have undertaken with an artist-in-residence. This contemporary archaeology has necessitated a new fieldwork methodology as we have developed our own practice as archaeologists within an arts context.