This is a past event
A lecture giving an overview of this project investigating performance at funerals through the ages.
Performative aspects of pre-Christian, early medieval and Viking ritual, including at funerals, is little understood, particularly regarding the practicalities of holding such performances in their historic locations. By re-enacting some of these aspects at historically documented and archaeologically confirmed sites, the Funeralscapes project aims to better understand the music and ritual associated with early historic funerals, as well as the importance of lighting, audibility, comprehension, and the emotional responses (of modern-day participants) to the funerary customs and the landscapes in which they occurred.
The funeralscapes team conducted re-enactments, all of which were audio-recorded, filmed and photographed, with school children and local participants at Kildonan on the Isle of Eigg in August 2014, and at the Whithorn Priory in Galloway in October 2015. This lecture will give an overview of the Funeralscapes project, now based at the Elphinstone Institute, giving details of each of the re-enactments, the choice of locations and music, the participants involved, and the outcomes associated with the project.
Frances Wilkins is a lecturer in ethnomusicology at the Elphinstone Institute, specialising in Scottish and Cree fiddle music and singing traditions. She has worked on a number of research projects in Scotland, Germany, Canada, and England, and regularly gives lectures on her research and develops and leads courses in Scottish music, world music, ethnomusicology, and soundscapes studies at the University of Aberdeen.
- Speaker
- Frances Wilkins
- Hosted by
- Elphinstone Institute
- Venue
- MacRobert Building, MR051
- Contact
-
No booking required