Scott Kennedy

The process of excavation, the found artefact, and the melancholy of the artefact were the primary themes and interests that influenced my work over the past year. Through the process of excavation as thinking, the found object or artefact appeared. The found artefact in this case was the ruin and site of Shane’s Castle on the northern shore of Lough Neagh. As a ruin it became an object of continuous captivating contemplation; regarding place, time and the emotions and experiences of exploring the decaying fragments both above the surface and in the darkness of the labyrinth below the surface of the earth. The ruin remains as an anchor in time and exists as a historical monument to the events, people, life, and culture of the past, and serves as a reminder of our own mortality and finite existence. 

Sverre Fehn’s concept of what he called ‘excavating into the museum of the earth’ led me to propose The Museum of Excavation. To reopen the site to the public and to create a new meaningful, poetic, and atmospheric connection for the exploration of the existing fragments and vaults beneath the ruin, and to facilitate the display of objects and artefacts found in the earth and recovered via the archaeological process of excavation.

The themes, concepts and narratives discussed were developed and explored within the culture of the WaterLands Studio through the process of drawing and making, which continues to inspire and inform my journey within architecture. These practises are timeless, fluid, nourishing and are a central part of our creativity. My aim is to continue to improve and absorb new interests and to develop my own architectural approach, appreciation, and knowledge of place.