The excavation and incavation of dance

The excavation and incavation of dance: combining clay and contemporary archaeological approaches to unearth a palimpsest of experience in 100-year old ballroom

Dancing is an act of great social significance, and yet it leaves little to no material trace. Using contemporary archaeological approaches, this thesis attempts to both excavate and 'incavate' the experience of dance by creating and exposing material records of dance in built environments that go otherwise unseen.

Working with Aberdeen's famous Beach Ballroom as it undergoes renovation in the approach to its centenary celebrations, I propose to work with local communities to capture experiences of the ballroom in physical form. For this we will primarily use clay: an accessible material used to express and record experience throughout human history.