VIA 2011 - That's me in the corner...
Well, that’s the VIA project finished – what a great conference. Lots of really good papers, and lots of very different topics touched on. Very good to see the crowd from October there, and great to meet some new people, too – some of whose work (Peter Dunn, step forward) I’d admired for a long time. And some old friends in among the crowd as well!
In a way, it was a shame that it was so much bigger than the workshop – I missed the more intimate Q&A sessions that we had in October, and the way in which the questions were able to cross from one paper/presentation to another. It really pulled together a lot of the disparate strands that people were focusing on – something that was perhaps missing in the conference. Still, having said that, the range of topics covered by the programme not only did credit to the organisers and the scope of the project, but also to the varied nature of what we now mean by “archaeological visualisation”. Interestingly, it occurred to me that if this conference had been held fifteen or even ten years ago, a lot of the subjects might have been thought to have been too tangential.
Some highlights for me –
- Peter Dunn on his work with Mike Parker Pearson at Stonehenge. A perfect example of the kind of “eye” that an archaeological illustrator brings to questions about landscape and structure. Really excellent work – not just the illustrations (which I’ve always liked; that one of Woodhenge, particularly – you all know the one I mean: it’s in The Cultural Life of Images), but the outlining of the thought processes as well. Very glad to have met him – hope to see more of his work at Stonehenge, too.
- Katy Killacky on her post-Catal work at the Presidio, and another great example of how illustrators can embed themselves into the interpretative process in a way in which no other specialist can. And some neat ideas about “modular” drawing of reconstructions – which might offer a way to get non-drawing archaeologists involved in “drawing” reconstructions, maybe on context sheets?
- Kate Giles on the further story of the Guild Chapel wallpaintings in Stratford-Upon-Avon – expanded from her presentation in October, and still fascinating. Also a great antiquarian story in there (dying to be turned into a graphic novel, Kate!)
- Meeting up with Kelvin again – always full of beans, he is. Full of ideas for a collaborative project in Holland, plus it turns out he’s part of this illustration session in Brazil in September. Keep you posted! Also really unexpected to meet up with Katy again. Lovely to see her – and to get a chance to catch up. Wish we’d had more time to talk more about illustrations – but there’s always SAA, perhaps?
- Meeting up with Ian and Kirsty from Cardiff – whose last names and email addresses I completely neglected to get. I think Ian might be Ian Dennis, but I’m not sure. Anyway, good to talk to other hands-on illustrators with a wider interest in visualisation in general. I think Kirsty was going to do something with my idea for airline safety card-like laminated instruction sheets for training.
- Some unexpected ideas from the “art history” wing of visualisation in Sam Smiles’ session. I had only intended to drop by the session for the first paper or two, but ended up staying for the whole session because I became intrigued by the dramatic change in direction visualisation of archaeology has undergone in the past 100 years – and not for the better, either. I’ll think more on this, but there are lessons to be learned from some of what came out in those papers, I think.
- And, of course, good to spend time with Stephanie, Sarah and Ian. Good to hear more about what they’re up to at Catal, and interesting to hear how they’re tackling some of the practical and theoretical problems out there. I look forward to reports back at the end of the summer with great interest!
- Speaking of Catal, two excellent pieces of artwork by someone whose name I wrote down and can’t find. Will find a link to these somewhere and re-post it – they’re worth seeing!
Hello John,
I have just come across your blog and was pleased to see your comments on the conference and more so to be in your highlights, thanks very much.
Stupidly I did not get contact details for everyone I met, that was a shame because as you said it was great meeting new like minded people as well as seeing some old friends and colleagues, so it was good to find your blog and revisit some of the ideas you introduced at the conference which I found really thought provoking and as with so many of the ideas in the conference could expand visual communication in archaeology, let’s hope VIA continues in some form in the future.
I must say I was a bit surprised that anyone understood what I had to say in my paper, I did feel for one or two reasons rather stressed at the conference and the 15 or was it 20 minute time slot was too rushed for me, but I am glad some of it got across.
Your paper was also one of the highlights of the conference and I am very glad to have met you, I am away for a couple of weeks from the weekend but it would be good to be in contact again and perhaps compare further experiences of working in the Caribbean, I did not get around to showing you the work for Jamaica. Unfortunately this project appears to be heading for the rocks as they have not paid me for the last 2 recons sent in May and do not seem to have a date to do so, they have stopped replying to my emails too. All a bit worrying!
Anyway I hope to hear from you.
Best Wishes,
Peter
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