From Something Left Behind: The Process of Archaeological Illustration

Archaeologists rely on visualization to record excavation data, interpret their findings, build narratives, and provide specialist and public audiences with richer visions of the past. Archaeological illustrators, in turn, must draw on often fragmented and incomplete material culture to visualize this archaeological research. In this talk, illustrator Kathryn Killackey discusses the process of creating an archaeological reconstruction. This iterative process provides researchers and illustrators a space in which to explore and test hypotheses, helping to flesh out ideas, uncover contradictions, and identify gaps in knowledge. At the same time, the illustration process is one of elimination, the whittling down of alternative hypotheses, and making concrete one of many options. With examples from her fifteen years of experience, Killackey shows how drawing can lead to greater understanding of particular objects and places and how fragmentary objects can illuminate past lives.
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Kathryn Killackey is a freelance science illustrator and artist. She has a BA in anthropology from University of California, Berkeley; an MA in field and analytical techniques in archaeology from University College London; and a certificate in science illustration from California State University, Monterey Bay. She specializes in archaeological illustration and creating engaging scenes of past peoples. She was illustration team leader from 2007 to 2020 for the Çatalhöyük Research Project and was recently awarded an NEH-Mellon Foundation Fellowship in Digital Publishing for a visualization project on the Late Formative occupations at Tiwanaku, Bolivia.