Harristown 1939

I was delighted to see a new article about Jacquetta Hawkes’ archaeology by Martin Mullen on the Prehistoric Waterford website (click on the articles link to find it).  It is good to have her 1939 excavation of Harristown described in the context of the region and the other archaeological work that has been done there.

 

Jacquetta and J.B.’s Rainbow Journey

This week’s entry in the 100 Objects exhibition is one of Jacquetta’s most interesting publications: Journey Down a Rainbow (1955).  In this account of a visit to New Mexico in 1954, she shared the narration with her new husband J.B. Priestley, who visited Texas.  The couple wanted to examine the impact of technology on society via the surviving prehistoric cultures of New Mexico and the growing consumer society of Texas: the fascinating results make for a highly readable and thought-provoking book.  More detail and pictures via the exhibition link above.

A Writer’s Haven

Not about Jacquetta herself, but check out this fascinating piece by her biographer Christine Finn.  It tells the story of Paris bookseller George Whitman (who has just died) and the extraordinary bookshop, Shakespeare and Company.

“No-one has ever written more beautifully …”

Nice to see A Land by Jacquetta Hawkes chosen by writer Adam Nicolson as one of the five best books about England in this short piece from yesterday’s Daily Telegraph.  He suggests an interesting comparison with a book new to me, Taylor on English Building, which he says see buildings (and stone) as the “autobiography of the country”.  Interesting stuff.

Focus on Figures

This week the 100 Objects exhibition looks at another fascinating aspect of the work of Jacquetta Hawkes.  The featured object (no. 39) is a 1953 film scripted by Jacquetta: Figures in a Landscape, a poetic documentary about the sculptor Barbara Hepworth.  Find out more on the exhibition website, which includes a link to see an excerpt of the film online.

Bleached Bone and Living Wood

Not a story directly about Jacquetta Hawkes, yet I think there are echoes of her interests.  Dr Christine Finn recently broadcast about a house transformed into a work of art.   The poet Wilfred Owen wrote his last letter to his family  in the cellar of a forester’s house in Ors in Northern France on 31 October 1918.  He was killed on the 4th.  The house is now a tribute to Owen’s life and poetry.  For pictures and more, see the Radio 4 page about the broadcast, which is currently available on the iPlayer.

 

Trip and Talk, Brimham Rocks and the Hepworth

An exciting event from the Hepworth Wakefield will highlight Jacquetta’s writing about landscape in a Yorkshire context.  On 12 November 2011, take a guided tour of the amazing Brimham Rocks, followed by a talk by Jacquetta’s biographer Dr Christine Finn at the Hepworth itself.  The event links with the Hepworth’s current display of the huge and stunning paintings of the Rocks by Clare Woods.

Full details about the day.

 

 

 

Jacquetta Hawkes and the Festival of Britain

Jacquetta Hawkes’s role in creating the Festival of Britain is one of her greatest achievements, recognised by the award of an OBE in the 1952 New Year Honours.  As archaeological advisor to the Festival, Jacquetta created exhibits which were correct in detail (as far as could be ascertained) and which captured the imagination of visitors with a “sense of mystery and drama”.  Find out more about this challenging project in Number 31 in our 100 Objects exhibition.

Figures in a Landscape goes to Wales

There is so much interest in Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, and post-war British sculpture at the moment!  Very much reflected on this blog, as Jacquetta Hawkes had many connections with these artists and was also inspired by British landscapes and geology.   The latest event takes place in Powys: Dr Christine Finn will show Figures in a Landscape, Jacquetta’s 1953  film about sculptor Barbara Hepworth, and discuss the British post-WW2 arts scene at the Bleddfa Centre on 8 October.

Thoughts on Jacquetta’s Birthday

Jacquetta Hawkes was born on 5 August 1910 in Cambridge 101 years ago today.

Birthday Cake from Will Clayton's photostream

Her centenary year has seen many exciting developments as archaeologists, writers, scientists and artists discover or rediscover her work.  The revised handlist (now online) will enable people to find out far more about her Archive at the University of Bradford, which captures her life, ideas, personality, style, friends and family in so much rich detail.  We look forward to continuing to work with Jacquetta’s family, Dr Finn and many other interested people to spread the word about this extraordinary writer.  We will be sharing many more stories from the Archive via this blog: there is so much more just waiting to be discovered.