In archaeology, photography is mainly used as a technique aimed at gathering data and evidence. The current research project is an attempt to redefine in a theoretical as well as in a practical manner the traditional relationship between archaeology and photography in order to produce new forms of image-making more adapted to contemporary visual culture. The project considers photography a “mode of engagement”, i.e. a practice in which a picture is shaped and constructed by the photographer, not a practice in which a picture is mechanically taken. Thanks to this shift it becomes possible to take into account an artistic input, for archaeological photography will be able to establish a dialogue with new forms of presentation and interpretation, and to make them profitable for both art and science. The concrete output of the project will be twofold: publication of theoretical research and exhibition of the practice-based photographs (the latter in collaboration with the city of Leuven and the Photo Museum of Antwerp).

A three year project lead by Bruno Vandermeulen (University of Leuven) and Danny Veys (Hogeschool Sint-Lukas) and partners Sagalassos Archaeological Research Project, Lieven Gevaert Research Centre for Photography and Visual Studies, Fotomuseum Provincie Antwerpen and the City of Leuven. The project is funded by the Institute for Practice based Research in the Arts of the Association KULeuven.