Writing Time
with Rebecca Sharp
Sun 19th May

Falkland Centre for Stewardship, Fife
10.00am-4.00pm
£30 (+booking fee)
Booking required.

Enquiries: info@rebeccajoysharp.com

How can poetry be like archaeology? In this workshop, we will explore time and lives lived in the landscape through imaginative writing (mainly poetry, but all forms will be supported). We will handle archaeological objects and replicas, as well as looking at examples of writing that explore ideas of archaeology. By arrangement, we will visit the current dig site on Falkland estate, becoming ‘poet-archaeologists’ – giving voice to found objects and absent inhabitants; mimicking archaeological techniques in our writing.

This workshop will also connect with the visual artwork produced by the group attending Frances Law's 'Making Archaeology' weekend (4-5 May at Falkland Centre for Stewardship). If you wish, your written work will join the artworks to make a display at the Centre for Stewardship later in the summer. Work does not have to be finished by the end of the day – you can develop your final piece/s at home and return them for the exhibition when you’re ready.

Bring a notebook and any preferred writing materials. For true authenticity, we will also work with 6H pencils, as used by archaeologists – these will be provided for the day. Some other materials will be supplied.

Please bring packed lunches. Tea and coffee will be available; there is a café at the Centre for snacks. Please wear suitable outdoor clothing and footwear, and bring a cushion or mat for sitting on, as a portion of the day will involve working outside. For warmer weather, please consider sunscreen and insect/tick-repellent.

Rebecca Sharp is a writer whose work includes poetry, plays, prose, visual and collaborative projects. Her play The Air That Carries The Weight (Traverse theatre, Edinburgh: Stellar Quines theatre company, 2016) explored the life and work of Argyll writer and archaeologist Marion Campbell; set alongside a contemporary, fictional story about friendship and time. In 2018 Rebecca completed the Art and Archaeology postgraduate course with the University of the Highlands and Islands in Orkney. She is especially interested in finding out what happens when ideas and practices come together: Rebecca’s other workshops include Poetry Apothecary (writing and perfume-blending) and Creative Cartographies (writing and imaginative map-making). Her recent project The Beginners with sound artist Simon Whetham, uses written and spoken text with sound recordings to explore a series of earthworks in Fife. www.rebeccajoysharp.com