The House of the Beautiful Courtyard at Herculaneum and the House of the Cryptoporticus in Pompeii will each be the site of a new installation by artist Catrin Huber, as part of a Newcastle University project designed to create a new dialogue between contemporary art, Roman wall painting and archaeological remains. The first site-specific installation opens to the public on 17 May at Herculaneum, with the second beginning in Pompeii on 14 July.
Huber, a senior lecturer in the university’s Fine Art department, has assembled a team of experts in archaeology, digital technology and contemporary art from across the university, in order to explore the relevance of Roman wall painting and artefacts for today’s fine art practice, and to test how artists can respond to the histories and complex nature of these archaeological sites within a contemporary context. The project combines archaeological investigation, 3D digital scanning and printing to further explore and understand the houses. The research process also informs Huber’s new artworks, which explore the relationship between wall-painting, archaeological objects and contemporary art. Find out more about ‘Expanded Interiors’ from Newcastle University’s website.
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Casa del Bel Cortile (1st century AD), Herculaneum. Courtesy of Parco Archeologico di Ercolano and Expanded Interiors
Textured Face Jug, Pompeii. Courtesy of Parco Archeologico di Pompei and Expanded Interiors
A replica in Catrin Huber’s studio for Expanded Interiors (2018). Photo: C. Davison; Courtesy of Parco Archeologico di Ercolano and Expanded Interiors
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