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Past
Filming Antiquity Screening
22 November 2017, UCL Institute of Archaeology
A special screening of recently digitised films in the Institute of Archaeology collections showing excavations and conservation at the Roman site of Verulamium, St Albans, Hertfordshire in the 1950s. Amara Thornton and Caitlin O'Grady will introduce the films.
Sightsations: Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) conference
19-21 December 2016
University of Southampton
Two Filming Antiquity narrative films, "Discovering Pathe Baby" and "Introducing Gerald Lankester Harding" were screened as part of this audio-visual exhibition at the conference.
Filming Antiquity: Moving Images of 1930s Excavations (Amara Thornton & Michael McCluskey)
Friday 23 September 2016, 5.30 pm-7.30 pm
Society of Antiquaries of London
An introduction to the project and a screening of newly digitised footage.
World Archaeology Festival
Saturday 11 June 2016, 12-3 pm
G6 Lecture Theatre, UCL Institute of Archaeology
Filming Antiquity screened a series of excavation films, based on digitised footage in the IoA collection.
Excavations, Exhibitions, Archives: a seminar series sponsored by FILMING ANTIQUITY (2015-2016)
A series of talks surrounding the excavation, exhibition, and archiving of objects and information. From the artefacts of ancient cities to films of everyday life to digital curation, these talks centred on the overlapping activities of researchers working on early twentieth-century Britain.
Digital Curation (Jenny Bunn)
22 March 2016, 5pm-6pm, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UCL
Jenny Bunn (UCL Department of Information Studies) will discuss the complexities of looking after digital material. From the digital photos on our phones, to the contents of our national archives, libraries and museums, how can we ensure that what we leave future generations does not end up being a giant mass of unreadable and unrecoverable bits in pieces? This talk will offer encouragement to face up to our collective digital responsibilities and practical advice towards taking some first steps.
Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire (Lee Grieveson)
Tuesday 23 February 2016, 6pm-7pm, Room 209, Institute of Archaeology
Over 6,000 films were made about almost every corner of the British Empire and activities including local crafts, transportation, religion, and revolt. This talk looks at the construction of the online database of these films and the myriad issues they raise about colonialism, postcolonialism, and film history. Films produced by the Empire Marketing Board, Colonial Film Unit, Nigerian Film Unit and many others track multiple stories of the encounter between colonizer and local cultures, central administration and activities on the ground. Come and hear about this interdisciplinary project and the fascinating films available for viewing.
Excavating the City: Reginald Campbell Thompson's Moving Images of Mosul (Amara Thornton & Michael McCluskey)
Tuesday 26 January 2016, 6.30-9 pm, Royal Asiatic Society
Amara Thornton (UCL Institute of Archaeology) and Michael McCluskey (UCL English) will introduce this footage from 1930s Iraq captured by the archaeologist Reginald Campbell Thompson. Campbell Thompson's archaeological life will be explored alongside his work as a writer and as an amateur film-maker documenting cities in transformation – both ancient and modern.
Ghostly and Ghastly Antiquarian Fiction (Gabriel Moshenska)
Tuesday 8 December 2015, 6pm-7pm, Room 209 Institute of Archaeology
This talk will explore the connections between ghosts and antiquarians in late 19th to early 20th century supernatural fiction. Focusing on the works of M.R. James and E.F. Benson it aims to highlight and examine distinct themes that emerge in the literature. One such common theme is the concept of ghostly guardians of buried or forgotten antiquities. Another is the tension between relics and ghosts of Christian, non-Christian and pre-Christian pasts, particularly when the latter are depicted as demonic. Finally I want to consider the fictional ghost as subject of scholarship by the antiquarians depicted in the stories – sometimes leading to their dooms.
Local Production - Amateur Film and Interwar Britain (Michael McCluskey)
Tuesday 3 November 2015, 6 - 7 pm, Room 209 UCL Institute of Archaeology
In their 1932 book Culture and Environment F. R. Leavis and Denys Thompson lament the loss of local crafts and personal connections. But at the time they were writing there were diverse attempts at revitalising local communities and mining local materials for experiments in writing, art, and film. This paper looks at such instances of local production through amateur films made throughout the interwar period. Filmmakers from the time capture village fetes, pageants, excavations, craft making, and emerging industries. As examples of local productions themselves, they offer further evidence of what Jed Esty calls the ‘anthropological turn’ that marks this period as well as material to contribute to emerging studies of the current ‘Maker Movement’
22 November 2017, UCL Institute of Archaeology
A special screening of recently digitised films in the Institute of Archaeology collections showing excavations and conservation at the Roman site of Verulamium, St Albans, Hertfordshire in the 1950s. Amara Thornton and Caitlin O'Grady will introduce the films.
Sightsations: Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) conference
19-21 December 2016
University of Southampton
Two Filming Antiquity narrative films, "Discovering Pathe Baby" and "Introducing Gerald Lankester Harding" were screened as part of this audio-visual exhibition at the conference.
Filming Antiquity: Moving Images of 1930s Excavations (Amara Thornton & Michael McCluskey)
Friday 23 September 2016, 5.30 pm-7.30 pm
Society of Antiquaries of London
An introduction to the project and a screening of newly digitised footage.
World Archaeology Festival
Saturday 11 June 2016, 12-3 pm
G6 Lecture Theatre, UCL Institute of Archaeology
Filming Antiquity screened a series of excavation films, based on digitised footage in the IoA collection.
Excavations, Exhibitions, Archives: a seminar series sponsored by FILMING ANTIQUITY (2015-2016)
A series of talks surrounding the excavation, exhibition, and archiving of objects and information. From the artefacts of ancient cities to films of everyday life to digital curation, these talks centred on the overlapping activities of researchers working on early twentieth-century Britain.
Digital Curation (Jenny Bunn)
22 March 2016, 5pm-6pm, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UCL
Jenny Bunn (UCL Department of Information Studies) will discuss the complexities of looking after digital material. From the digital photos on our phones, to the contents of our national archives, libraries and museums, how can we ensure that what we leave future generations does not end up being a giant mass of unreadable and unrecoverable bits in pieces? This talk will offer encouragement to face up to our collective digital responsibilities and practical advice towards taking some first steps.
Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire (Lee Grieveson)
Tuesday 23 February 2016, 6pm-7pm, Room 209, Institute of Archaeology
Over 6,000 films were made about almost every corner of the British Empire and activities including local crafts, transportation, religion, and revolt. This talk looks at the construction of the online database of these films and the myriad issues they raise about colonialism, postcolonialism, and film history. Films produced by the Empire Marketing Board, Colonial Film Unit, Nigerian Film Unit and many others track multiple stories of the encounter between colonizer and local cultures, central administration and activities on the ground. Come and hear about this interdisciplinary project and the fascinating films available for viewing.
Excavating the City: Reginald Campbell Thompson's Moving Images of Mosul (Amara Thornton & Michael McCluskey)
Tuesday 26 January 2016, 6.30-9 pm, Royal Asiatic Society
Amara Thornton (UCL Institute of Archaeology) and Michael McCluskey (UCL English) will introduce this footage from 1930s Iraq captured by the archaeologist Reginald Campbell Thompson. Campbell Thompson's archaeological life will be explored alongside his work as a writer and as an amateur film-maker documenting cities in transformation – both ancient and modern.
Ghostly and Ghastly Antiquarian Fiction (Gabriel Moshenska)
Tuesday 8 December 2015, 6pm-7pm, Room 209 Institute of Archaeology
This talk will explore the connections between ghosts and antiquarians in late 19th to early 20th century supernatural fiction. Focusing on the works of M.R. James and E.F. Benson it aims to highlight and examine distinct themes that emerge in the literature. One such common theme is the concept of ghostly guardians of buried or forgotten antiquities. Another is the tension between relics and ghosts of Christian, non-Christian and pre-Christian pasts, particularly when the latter are depicted as demonic. Finally I want to consider the fictional ghost as subject of scholarship by the antiquarians depicted in the stories – sometimes leading to their dooms.
Local Production - Amateur Film and Interwar Britain (Michael McCluskey)
Tuesday 3 November 2015, 6 - 7 pm, Room 209 UCL Institute of Archaeology
In their 1932 book Culture and Environment F. R. Leavis and Denys Thompson lament the loss of local crafts and personal connections. But at the time they were writing there were diverse attempts at revitalising local communities and mining local materials for experiments in writing, art, and film. This paper looks at such instances of local production through amateur films made throughout the interwar period. Filmmakers from the time capture village fetes, pageants, excavations, craft making, and emerging industries. As examples of local productions themselves, they offer further evidence of what Jed Esty calls the ‘anthropological turn’ that marks this period as well as material to contribute to emerging studies of the current ‘Maker Movement’
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Flying to the Past
Saturday 26 September 2015 1 pm - 4.30 pm, Croydon Airport Amara Thornton and Michael McCluskey will be presenting at a unique event in collaboration with the Croydon Airport Society at the historic Croydon Airport. The afternoon will feature a tour of the airport and a screening of Charles Breasted's 1935 film "The Human Adventure" which charts the voyage to (on an Imperial Airways plane out of Croydon) and excavations of the ancient city of Persepolis, in Iran. RSVP here! |
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Thursday 30 April 2015: "Capturing Light"
6 pm - 8 pm, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UCL
Amara Thornton and Michael McCluskey will be discussing various facets of light in films and photography with special reference to the history of archaeology in this event, part of the Petrie Museum's "Light" season. RSVP here!
Thursday 20 November 2014: Filming Antiquity Launch
Excavating Egypt in the 1930s (Michael McCluskey, UCL English)
6pm - 8pm Room G6 UCL Institute of Archaeology
RSVP here!
The study of film is filled with metaphors pulled from archaeology—from ‘change mummified’ to ‘excavations in history and memories’.
The excavation team at Tell el-Amarna, Egypt shot over three hours of film footage from 1930-1933. These sequences record the work that went on among British archaeologists, local workers, and Cairo Museum officials—as well as leisure activities such as a fantasia and humorous moments among the staff. These images of Egypt on screen help us think about amateur film as social practice and cultural artefact.
The films tell us about several complex and overlapping interactions: between archaeologists and artefacts, British subjects and local cultures, modernity and antiquity. More importantly, perhaps, they capture scenes of interwar Egypt: ships on the Nile, the division of antiquities, and street scenes of Cairo shot from a moving car.
This event serves as the launch of a new collaborative project, Filming Antiquity, and builds on the success of the “Pendlebury at Amarna” screening in March. It offers you the opportunity to view more footage from the Egypt Exploration Society’s Lucy Gura Archive that has never been seen before in public… at least, not since the 1930s.
6 pm - 8 pm, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UCL
Amara Thornton and Michael McCluskey will be discussing various facets of light in films and photography with special reference to the history of archaeology in this event, part of the Petrie Museum's "Light" season. RSVP here!
Thursday 20 November 2014: Filming Antiquity Launch
Excavating Egypt in the 1930s (Michael McCluskey, UCL English)
6pm - 8pm Room G6 UCL Institute of Archaeology
RSVP here!
The study of film is filled with metaphors pulled from archaeology—from ‘change mummified’ to ‘excavations in history and memories’.
The excavation team at Tell el-Amarna, Egypt shot over three hours of film footage from 1930-1933. These sequences record the work that went on among British archaeologists, local workers, and Cairo Museum officials—as well as leisure activities such as a fantasia and humorous moments among the staff. These images of Egypt on screen help us think about amateur film as social practice and cultural artefact.
The films tell us about several complex and overlapping interactions: between archaeologists and artefacts, British subjects and local cultures, modernity and antiquity. More importantly, perhaps, they capture scenes of interwar Egypt: ships on the Nile, the division of antiquities, and street scenes of Cairo shot from a moving car.
This event serves as the launch of a new collaborative project, Filming Antiquity, and builds on the success of the “Pendlebury at Amarna” screening in March. It offers you the opportunity to view more footage from the Egypt Exploration Society’s Lucy Gura Archive that has never been seen before in public… at least, not since the 1930s.
