Imaged in Absence

Therese Keogh

Gallery 3
Opening 01.05.19 6-8pm
Artist Talks 23.05.19 6-7pm

Imaged in Absence was developed following my participation in Ergersheimer Experimente in 2017, an experimental archaeology workshop held annually in the town of Ergersheim, Germany. Run by a team of local archaeologists, the workshop investigates woodworking techniques from the German Early Neolithic, exploring ways in which material histories can be rethought during embodied encounters with site.

In a large oak plantation, embodied and material knowledges are restaged and reassembled through experiment. One afternoon I was given a short lesson on using a replica stone adze. Holding the timber handle, one hand above the other, I worked on an upright branch from one of the already felled oaks. Despite the cold, my hands felt hot. Blisters quickly appeared where my palms met my fingers, and in the nook between my left thumb and my hand. A good strike will sing out, like a metallic ‘ting,’ as the blade cuts through the timber fibres. Hitting at the wrong angle resulted in a dull thud. Vibrations from the adze reverberated back into my hands, causing a buzzing sensation that lasted into the night. After an hour or so the blisters on my palms started to bleed. Blood rubbed into the handle of the adze and stained the tiny indentations in the pale wood grain. The final threads of timber and bark held on for a long time before eventually giving way and falling to the ground. The break in this branch was followed by a string of material transformations flowing from the tool marks, embedded in the pieces of timber. Imaged in Absence emerged through a process of cutting, moulding, modelling, 3D scanning, and an

This project has been supported by Landesamt für Archäologie and Ergersheimer Experimente, Germany

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Images

Therese Keogh, Imaged in Absence, 2018, digital animation, still