#midden

[crypticmonsieur]

level of difficulty

[altrbody]

Megan Cope, RE FORMATION 2016-19 / Cast-concrete oyster shells, copper slag / 12,000+ pieces: installed dimensions variable.

The word ‘midden’ means simply ‘refuse pile’, but these shell mounds – which have been found in coastal regions all over the world – should really be understood as material archives, which always marked sites of social and ceremonial gathering. Working within the context of Australia's settler colonial history, Quandamooka artist Megan Cope has emphasised the significance of Aboriginal middens as architectural structures. She creates sculptural installations with thousands of cast-concrete oyster shells in meticulously arranged mounds, evoking the ancient middens that were desecrated for use in concrete production. Some of these installations have also deployed copper slag – a glittery black sand that arises as a by-product of industrial copper extraction – pointing to the continuing destruction of sacred Aboriginal sites through contemporary mining practices in Australia.

-Amelia Groom, Beverly Buchanan: Marsh Ruins

[thesilicontribesman]

Oyster and Scallop Shells from a Prehistoric Shell Midden, 7500 to 4000 BCE, Isle of Risga, Loch Sunart, The Highlands, Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow

[legionofpotatoes]

when I fall in love with a videogame I start making destination posters for its setting, that's just how I roll

[feet-of-clay]

Canoe on ancient shell midden.

Broughton Archipelago, BC

[two-headed-septim]

It’s kind of wild that Velehk Sain (Dremora pirate in the Midden) didnt become a fan favorite/sexyman. Like, he’s a demon pirate that’s kind of evil but in a simplistic video game way, all the components are there. I guess it’s mostly that he’s hard to find?

[k-star-holic]

Midden City Steel in 'Dark Hall' Hundun, Kim Ok-bin Could Lee Jun-hyuk Survive

[chaotic-archaeologist]

I'm 100% for recycling, but every time I put a can in the bin I think about the midden I could be creating in my back yard.