CLIENT: THE RESTORATION TRUST, 2023
Throughout September 2022,
with the co-operation of with the Cambridge University Archaeological
Unit, The Restoration Trust brought a group of over twenty volunteers
- each with varying degrees of mental health issues - to participate
in the excavation of Arminghall Henge in Norwich. The project was a
first for The Restoration Trust's program of culture therapy.
I was commissioned to
record the four-week dig - through photography and sketching - from
when the first soil was turned, to when the archaeological trenches
and post holes were filled in by a mechanical excavator. I also
interviewed the various volunteers about how they'd benefited from the
experience. When the excavation was complete, I designed a 50-page
book to commemorate the event, including examples of creative writing,
together with a selection of images from the wealth of material
created by Restoration Trust members.
In 2024, a follow up was
published: Archaeology for Wellbeing at Warham Camp. I again
edited and designed the book, which had an increased page count. In
May, art and photography from both books was exhibited at The Forum in
Norwich. From August 2024, a second exhibition of art, poetry and
photography was staged at Wighton Church in North Norfolk (below
left).
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