The Avocational Atelier: a portrait of lithic collection practice

Summary

Adapting contemporary archaeological techniques used in the recovery of Francis Bacon’s Reece Mews studio, this project documents the collecting practice of an avocational lithic fieldworker on the Isle of Arran, Scotland who assembled a substantial heritage archive including significant archaeological objects, prehistoric assemblages and geological specimens. Treating her abandoned artefact analysis table and intact workrooms as sites it used traditional and multi-media techniques to record her working environment and explore modes of engagement and analytical methodologies. It presents a rare opportunity to capture in situ work practices to produce an intimate life-course portrait of a female collector that also offers broader comparative insights into 20th-21st century collaborative recreational research activity. In addition, intergenerational and entangled networks and issues around object divestment are explored with a view to anticipating future ancestral legacies and needs in light of Scottish national strategies promoting wider heritage participation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15754