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MetaMedia Lab |Every since the early antiquarians traipsed across the European countryside and less than gingerly applied their picks, spades and shovels to any number of large prehistoric barrows, the locus of where archaeologists apply their trade has been a rigidly defined space separate from that of their own daily lives. In the 1970’s this separation was opened to debate, contestation and redefinition. Lines were redrawn in the work of Bill Rathje and other Shiffer disciples. In tandem with Binfordite proselytizing of 'ethnoarchaeology', historical archaeology, especially in the states, was progressively challenging the standard, professional '50-years old or more' dictum of past-present divide. The cumulative effect was for the present to became more than a 'baseline' for old Cultural-Historical retro-projections in the Direct-Historic approach. The present was becoming interesting for archaeologists in detailed, explanatory ways. It was becoming valuable as more than just the counter-definition to clarify what archaeology wasn't. More recently an archaeology-propelled material culture studies seem to consolidate the opinion that the 'present' and 'contemporaneity' were valid subjects for an archaeological eye. More lines were crossed with the 'abject' work of Gavin Lucas and Victor Buchli in an abandoned Council Flat in London. It seems that the ‘field,’ where archaeologists applied their trade, was becoming less exclusive to a separate, demarcated and distinct past. We could conduct the archaeology of us. Working within this vein several archaeologists took an afternoon and documented an abandoned building which would soon be transformed into the new archaeology center at Stanford University. In this paper we discuss the archaeology of the study, the center, the locus of where archaeologists produce knowledge. This is an archaeology of Building 500 - the tranformation of archaeological space.
-body background - Chris-multiple fields precis?
- Tim-abandonment studies, reflexive analysis
-Ashish-under our archaeological gaze - anthropology of us-our practices as academicians?
Just suggestions...let's keep movin'