Design-Archaeology: bringing a Pictish inspired drinking horn fitting to life

Maxwell, Mhairi; Goldberg, D Martin; Gray, Jennifer

Design-Archaeology: bringing a Pictish inspired drinking horn fitting to life

Resource type

Book chapter

Creator (person)

Maxwell, Mhairi

Goldberg, D Martin

Gray, Jennifer

Date published

June 1, 2015

Abstract

The Glenmorangie Early Medieval Research Project re-created objects from the period c.300-900AD in collaboration with artists,designers and makers. Contemporary skills and traditional crafts were used, informed directly from the archaeological evidence. This process of re-creation has brought these objects to life again, giving us insights into how they were made, experienced and used.This paper will present the collaborative processes involved in the latest re-creation of a silver terminal fitting for a large drinking horn with researchers and curators Mhairi Maxwell and Martin Goldberg, and designer and maker Jennifer Gray. Digital design and modelling processes were blended with traditional hand-making techniques to re-create the silver zoomorphic fitting. Inspired by a 2D image on an Early Medieval carved stone and contemporary Pictish silver metalwork. The final piece was displayed as a ‘work in progress’ (illustrating its conception from 3Dmodelling and printing through to the final silver cast object) in the National Museum of Scotland’s ‘Creative Spirit: Revealing Early Medieval Scotland’ exhibition, from the 25th of October 2013 to the 23rd of February 2014 (Image 1). Our design-archaeology approach towards material culture allows for a new way to re-evaluate Early Medieval insular art. Jennifer Gray’s work connects the innovative and traditional methods of re-creation used by the Glenmorangie Research Project; there has always been a tension between authentic craft techniques available to the Early Medieval people and new technologies available to us today. In this paper, we will negotiate questions that arose of authenticity, transparency and creativity that our particular collaborative approach to recreation.The process of designing and making has added to our understanding of these types of fittings; highlighting the decisions made by the maker along the way, their aesthetic qualities and probable functional features of Pictish drinking horn fittings. This piece would not be possible without Jennifer’s experience of both traditional and current digital methods. This project demonstrated that new technological approaches can be blended naturally into a piece of work as a means of enhancing what’s gone before –to bring the past alive.