‘Stonehenge is a place an iconic place, a place to gather and come together; the same today as in early civilisation, It is sculptural, architectural, like an amphitheatre, or a pavilion, a fortress, a tower, a time dial or sun dial. It lives through the circle of life and death and rebirth synonymous with time. It is a meeting point a defence point a place of arrival and departures. Mesolithic people arrived at Blick mead first to continue to Stonehenge.’

Sarah Lakin-Hall MARCA Site Artist, Blick Mead, Stonehenge

 

The history of Stonehenge includes J.M.W. Turner (1727-88) who is credited with founding the English Landscape School of painting. Turner travelled and painted close to Stonehenge across the Salisbury plain. This was known as The Stonehenge school of Art.

I have been working at Blick Mead archaeological site making art works in response to the current Mesolithic excavation. Whilst working at the site, I have been involved in the local community of Amesbury and the team of archaeologists who work there.

It occurred to me whilst talking to final year Fine Art students at University of Suffolk, that we could follow Turner and his legacy of The Stonehenge Art School with an Art exhibition of our own.

The majority of students had been to Stonehenge or reached it virtually using the internet. However by spanning the last one hundred years of our own social history and legacy, students could reach further than their own personal history and connect to time and place with family photographs, post cards, and letters.

It seems to me that Turner’s relationship with Stonehenge was more like a traveller and artist. He explored the breadth of the Salisbury plain and made work from the land.

Each Artist considered social and historical legacy, living and employment, showing our lives and culture today. In keeping with Turner and the Mesolithic people who mapped, gathered and moved across the Salisbury plain.

Whatever the introduction to Stonehenge or age that we visited it, we are unlikely to forget it. We can properly remember the weather on the day that we saw it and even if a photograph wasn’t taken of it, we can see it in our minds eye.

Whether watching or listening to Professor David Jacques Site Director of Stonehenge in person or on Horizon or surfing the internet and coming across the monument, it is first and fore most arguably the crucible of time and place.

What we have is a meeting point which is as visible to our civilisation as it was 8,500-4,000 years ago. By encouraging the artists to work with their own specialised subject of interest; we have applied those patterns, practices and processes to the value of Stonehenge now, because the spirit of it lives on and is kept alive by people today, who make the place.