Museum news

This article is from Current Archaeology issue 406

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Archaeological soundscape opens at DIG

A new free exhibition inspired by the sounds and sights of a Roman archaeological site has opened at DIG: An Archaeological Adventure in York.

Created by archaeologist and artist Rose Ferraby, and audio artist Rob St John, Soundmarks offers a unique perspective on the remains excavated at Aldborough, once a Roman town known as Isurium Brigantum (see CA 369 and 312). It includes noises captured by highly sensitive recording equipment over the course of six months of fieldwork – from a trowel scraping across earth to the movement of air down a borehole – combined with eight paintings created by Rose, who was co-director of the Aldborough Roman Town Project. Each image has its own ‘soundmark’, or audio track, and the exhibition has a combined running time of just over 50 minutes.

This installation is the first of two Soundmarks projects planned for DIG: in February 2024 it will be replaced by a second exhibition, inspired by the Roman archaeology of York.

For more information, see http://www.digyork.co.uk.

New gallery opening at Maidstone Museum

A new archaeology gallery is set to open at Maidstone Museum, Kent, in early summer 2024.

Lives in Our Landscape will explore how people have lived in the local area over the last 600,000 years, with family-friendly displays of artefacts reflecting the entirety of this span, ranging from stone tools used by early humans hunting in what was then forest to echoes of Maidstone’s medieval prosperity as a market town.

There will be interactive elements, including hands-on activities and touchscreen maps – and visitors will come face-to-face with an individual who lived some 6,000 years ago. Their skull was recently CT scanned at Maidstone Hospital (outside patient hours, with medical staff working voluntarily), and the resulting data will be used to reconstruct how this person may have looked. The scans revealed the presence of a lesion, which had not been visible to the eye, within the frontal bone of the skull; it is not yet known whether this was caused by cancer or a benign growth, but the full story of the research and any further findings will be incorporated into the new gallery.

Artefacts for the displays have been selected in partnership with the Kent Archaeological Society, and funding has come from the William and Edith Oldham Charitable Trust, Maidstone Museum Foundation, and the local council. For more information about the museum, see http://www.museum.maidstone.gov.uk.

Malton Museum seeks new home

Malton Museum is exploring options to find a new home for its nationally significant collection of mainly Roman artefacts, following a grant of £50,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Although the North Yorkshire museum was founded almost 90 years ago, its holdings have never had a permanent home. They are currently located in the Milton Rooms art centre but, thanks to the award (administered by North Yorkshire Council), consultations are now being held to find a more spacious area for the displays.

As part of the planned feasibility study, the museum team are seeking views from residents, businesses, and visitors about the potential location for a new museum, and how it might make a stronger contribution to the market town; people are welcome to share their ideas by emailing the museum at maltonmuseumoffice@gmail.com.

New exhibitions

Fearsome Craftsmen: discover the artistry of the Viking world
North Lincolnshire Museum, Scunthorpe, Until 5 May 2024
http://www.northlincolnshiremuseum.co.uk/event/fearsome-craftsmen

Books and Benefactors
Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery, Leeds, Until 6 April 2024
https://library.leeds.ac.uk/events/event/1900/galleries/669/books-and-benefactors

Buttons, Badges and Blazers
Museum of Gloucester, Until 7 January 2024
http://www.museumofgloucester.co.uk/events/buttons-badges-blazers

Hats Hats Hats!
Bexhill Museum, Until 31 March 2024
http://www.bexhillmuseum.org.uk/event/hats-hats-hats/