Symposium
Not Yet ... Art and Archaeology in the Context of Urban Renewal
Saturday 28 April 2007, 10am-5pm
Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol

The idea of site and situation in contemporary art is often conceived in 
purely geographical, three-dimensional terms - without an appreciation of 
the contingencies of the past, the constantly changing environments of the 
present, or the complex materialities from which future landscapes are 
constructed. Meanwhile, archaeologists often understand contemporary 
landscape change as purely destructive, as archaeological impacts to be 
opposed or mitigated, rather than placing the many dimensions of change at 
the heart of the management, research and presentation of archaeological 
landscapes - an observation that has been made especially in relation to 
the recent past (Bradley et al 2004). The context of urban renewal, where 
public art and public archaeology operate in parallel, offers a 
distinctive opportunity for these issues to be explored. 

"Not Yet" is an Arts Council-funded project that brings together artists 
and archaeologists in both dialogue and in field practice. The symposium 
will be of particular interest to archaeologists working on the recent 
past, public archaeology, heritage studies or dialogues between art and 
archaeology, as well as to artists and curators. 

Over the weekend of 30-31 March 2007, six artists and archaeologists came 
together for an experimental fieldwork project at Broadmead in central 
Bristol - a landscape that is witnessing a major urban redevelopment 
project (2005-2009) led by the Bristol Alliance. The development replaces 
the central Broadmead shopping district, built during the 1950s and 1960s 
on extensively bombdamaged land and largely pedestrianised during the 
1970s. Over 24 hours, the fieldwork brought three pairs of artist- and 
archaeologist-led teams, exploring the recent past, the present and the 
future in the contemporary Broadmead landscape. 

In parallel with the fieldwork, archaeological film-maker Greg Bailey 
worked with artist Amy Feneck to document aspects of the project and the 
changing landscape, and to produce a short film.

This symposium, on Saturday 28 April, reports on the fieldwork, and 
explores commonalities and differences between archaeological methods and 
artistic practices in relation to the temporality of urban landscapes, 
artistic conceptions of site and situation, and the intersections between 
ideas of public art and public archaeology.

The project involves three leading contemporary artists - Pablo Bronstein, 
Lottie Child and Richard Wentworth - and three archaeologists Joshua 
Pollard (Bristol University), Sefryn Penrose (WS Atkins) and Sarah May 
(English Heritage). The fieldwork was also conducted in partnership with 
the Barton Hill Writers Group. John Schofield (English Heritage), Victor 
Buchli (UCL) and Dan Hicks (Bristol University) will act as discussants at 
the symposium, and concluding remarks will be made by Jane Rendell (UCL).

The timetable for the symposium is below. Tickets are limited, and cost 
£20 (not including lunch) or £15 (concessions). To book tickets, email: 
[log in to unmask] or call: 0117 917 2300. 

Further details: 
http://www.situations.org.uk/projects_materialcity_events.htm 

or email Claire Doherty - [log in to unmask] - or Dan Hicks - 
[log in to unmask] 

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Not Yet ... Art and Archaeology in the Context of Urban Renewal
Symposium Timetable, Sat 28.4.07

9.30am Tea/Coffee in the Light Studio, Arnolfini

10am Welcome and Introduction: Claire Doherty
10.15am Introduction to Public Art and Archaeology in the Broadmead 
Landscape: James Dixon
10.35am Screening of Greg Bailey and Amy Feneck’s film

11.00am Coffee

11.30pm The Recent Past: presentations by Joshua Pollard and Pablo 
Bronstein
12.00pm Discussion: John Schofield

12.30pm Lunch (not provided)

1.30pm The Present: presentations by Sefryn Penrose and Richard Wentworth 
2.00pm Discussion: Victor Buchli

2.30pm Tea

3.15pm The Future: presentations by Sarah May and Lottie Child
3.45pm Discussion: Dan Hicks

4.15pm Response: Jane Rendell
4.45pm Close

Location: Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol, BS1 4QA. 0117 917 2300
email: [log in to unmask]  Arnolfini is a 15 minute walk, or a 5 
minute cab ride, from Bristol Temple Meads railway station. Most city 
centre bus services stop within walking distance of Arnolfini. More 
details: http://www.arnolfini.org.uk

Reference
Bradley, A., V. Buchli, G. Fairclough, D. Hicks, J. Miller and J. 
Schofield 2004. Change and Creation: historic landscape character 1950-
2000. English Heritage. Document online at 
http://www.changeandcreation.org 

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