OpenArch

OpenArch is an EU funded Culture project (2011-2015) building on the international collaborative success of EXARC (an international organisation of Archaeological Open-Air Museums and Experimental Archaeology).

The project includes 10 open-air archaeological museums from the Netherlands, Germany, UK, Serbia, Finland, Italy and Spain, plus the organisation EXARC and the Department of Archaeology and History (led by Dr Linda Hurcombe), working together to enrich experimental archaeology among participants and to improve the visitor experience across Europe.

The main idea of Archaeological Open-Air Museums is to present both the tangible and intangible parts of the past to the public. The tangible parts of Archaeological Open-Air Museums are the archaeological remains and the reconstructions of these (houses, ships, complete environments etc.). The intangible and most interesting parts of an Archaeological Open-Air Museum are the stories of the people that once lived there.

The work in OpenArch is divided in Work Packages. All Work Packages are the responsibility of the entire partnership, but one or two partners will coordinate them. The University of Exeter, along with Kierikki Stone Age Centre, Finland, is responsible for the Dialogue with Science Work Package.

The University of Exeter has organised a number of workshops as part of this project.

Workshops

The University of Exeter has organised a number of workshops:

6-11 October 2012: University of Exeter, Practice, and the pedagogies of experimental archaeology

20-24 May 2013: University of Exeter, The life cycle of structures in experimental archaeology: an object biography approach

5-7 December 2013: National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, Touching the Past: engaging the public with the sense of touch using traditional craft replicas and modern technologies

People and OpenArch Partners

Key staff from the Department of Archaeology involved in the project are Dr Linda Hurcombe, Prof Bruce Bradley, Prof Alan Outram and Dr Gill Juleff and a number of postgraduate students.

This project is an EU Culture project.