Yesterday bad weather suspended the dig. Today I am sitting in the Art Hut waiting for the rain to stop. Even if I could stand the wind, the paper in my sketchbook will suffer in the rain. There is a blanket of grey cloud – not even the usual drama of an Orkney sky.
Time to reflect on what I may do this season – all eight weeks of it. Last year they asked if I have a plan. This year most of them know me well enough to simply enquire how things are going and what I may do. There are certain objectives, like filling in some gaps in my collection of material for my ongoing film. Otherwise it is a matter of following the activity on site to see what it throws up. I also intend to do more serious reflection, partly through reading but mostly through continuing the process of composing the film – layering the drawings, colours and sounds.
My role on site is a little clearer now, made easier by the archaeologists’ appreciation that their process contains passion and the need to accept uncertainty in what is designated a science.
I managed a drawing from the door of the Art Hut of dogged archaeologists working the rain. Not having such staying power, I gave up and left for the day. The forecast next week promises sunshine – let’s hope…
Rain and wind – enough to make most people want to stay indoors. Not at the Ness of Brodgar though, where both archaeologists and visitors are out in this weather to do and see the dig. Visitors are here briefly before heading back to the dry and the warm. But archaeologists remain working for hours, scraping mud or, as today is the first day with the tarpaulins off the trenches, weeding and trimming back the grass that has grown over the year.
Work has begun again in Trench Y. There is yellow clay of the natural surface around various hints of bits of structure. It’s going to be interesting to see what is revealed in the next few weeks.
The weather is a little friendlier this morning and uncovering the site continues. This is an aspect I have already drawn and recorded. So I was looking forward to moving into the Art Hut and getting organised in my space for the dig – but the firm bringing the portacabins are not expected to deliver until this afternoon. However, a treat was in store. The director gave a talk to some Art and Archeology students, which included a fascinating insight into Trench T.
There are several trenches and many structures within those trenches, each with its own interesting story and dedicated archaeologists who are willing to share their experiences for my project. At the moment I am concentrating on two very different trenches. One is Trench Y, which was meant to be opened and closed in one season, but has had a stay of execution to allow for some further work this season. It will be one of the faster excavations on site. The other is Trench T, which has been excavated over several years, slowly revealing some amazing archaeology. The director’s talk has provided an excellent background to Trench T’s story so far and provided a glimpse of what may be discovered this year. Last year I established a view point from where I can follow developments and will be able to layer the drawings to ‘animate’ the progress. Both fast and slow trenches generate excitement and sometimes frustration as they both throw up unexpected results, that bewilder and delight. It is this emotional response that is the focus of my work here.
Afternoon:
The Art Hut has arrived and I’ve moved in at last. It is an ‘Anti Vandal Unit’…
The wind has picked up again. I just managed to get a drawing of tarpaulins billowing, and a decent sound recording of them too, before the rain arrived and it was time to go home.
This year’s residency is for the whole eight weeks of the dig. I am now thoroughly integrated into the workforce as an artist, and the archaeologists know what I’m trying to achieve. My aim for this season is to continue recording human involvement, specifically the emotional responses to the archaeology. I will also continue to work on my film, looking to fill in any gaps in the ‘story’.
Alongside the practical work, I intend to reflect on how my drawings are making a valid contribution to the archaeological record – and the implications for perceptual artworks in other fields of research.
Back to the hard reality of working in Orkney. It was a wet and windy start. So today they are only removing the tyres from the trenches – working in long lines to roll them to the stacks. It is too windy to lift the tarpaulins, which will have to wait until tomorrow.
There is a lot of water to be bailed out.
The weather forecast for tomorrow is a little better – and, with any luck the Art Hut portacabin will arrive too.
The last day of this year’s dig and there were very few people left on site. Everyone is tired as they wind down from a rather intense season. My adrenaline is seeping away and it’s difficult to think clearly or articulate how I feel. So here are the pictures I made today of the empty trenches.
And my experiment in colours on a stone, which will be left out over winter to see how they weather.
I will now be heading back to my studio for a period of reflection and recovery. So there will be a pause in my blog, which will be continued when there is fresh action in this project.
Until then news of my other activities can be found at www.karenwallis.co.uk
