New Visions of the Past : Aaron Watson

Faed Gallery : 15 May - 4 July: 
Talk by Aaron Watson: Wednesday 30 June, 7.30pm

The conventional presentation of archaeological data relies on careful mapping and drawing of a site and the objects in it.

This is a useful foundation, but it does miss the presentation of other aspects and dimensions which may have been of very strong significance to the site. These can include:

- The use of colour
- The significance of touch and texture
- The acoustics of the space and their use
- The positioning of the site within the landscape
- The cycle of the seasons
- The passage of light

All remains are fragments – tantalising indicators of life both similar and very different to our own. Speculation on the life behind past remains has its place, but it is often ill informed – fantasy mostly. It is surprising what is revealed when the measure and observation of archaeology are applied to these wider aspects, especially when it is allied to sympathetic and creative ways of presentation. It may still have an element of speculation, but the data points to things richer than what un-rooted imagination might depict.

Aaron Watson is a professional archaeologist. He is also an artist. He combines the disciplines of archaeology with new ways of seeing developed in modern art and an awareness of a sense of place within the landscape. It is a way of working that is both artistic and archaeological, giving new visions of the past, and a way of looking at the land - now.

Visit Aaron's site at: www.monumental.uk.com