Experimental Heritage
By Frances Gill
Experimental Heritage is a new research field spearheaded by archaeologist Bodil Petersson. Positioned at the intersection of the disciplines of art and archaeology, Experimental Heritage is actually the meeting of art and science. I began working with Bodil after she had supervised my undergraduate archaeology dissertation at Linnaeus University. I had begun to feel that the scientific method was impairing my natural tendency to experiment creatively and expressively with the archaeological material in arts contexts supporting scientific enquiry. I also felt and still feel that the past cannot be proved and that interpretations are directed by socio-economic biases. Bodil helped me to realize that these apparent dichotomies can be research possibilities.
Collaboration is the main challenge I have come to appreciate! Archaeology is not about the past as history without it also being about new meanings we make when we use the past for our present-day purposes. Everyone therefore, not just an archaeologist, gets a part of the action. If you happen to be able to get to the beautiful UNESCO site on the island of Öland in Sweden, come and enjoy the fun!!
The link to Bodil’s Experimental Heritage website is:
experimentelltkulturarv.se
'A door at Sandby borg' by Frances Gill, in collaboration with performance artist Helle Kvamme and archaeologist Ludvig Papmehl-Dufay, 2015.