Vestigial Matters

Contemporary Archaeology and Hyperart

Bibliographic Data

ID6094918
AuthorsStein Farstadvoll (0000-0001-6162-2063, Foundation for Agronomic Research, corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume52
Issue1
Pages1-19
Publication date2019-01-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueNorwegian Archaeological Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0029-3652 • E-ISSN: 1502-7678
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00293652.2019.1577913
OpenAlexW2913805930
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited49

This article addresses things that can be described as rudimentary and vestigial; for example, an arguably out-of-place snow stake encountered in a derelict 19th-century landscape garden during an archaeological surface survey. How can one approach this stake without removing or overlooking its vestigial character? The term hyperart is introduced to develop the concept of vestigial objects. Hyperart was conceived by the Japanese artist and author Akasegawa Genpei, who defined it as ‘useless but beautifully preserved objects connected to some form of real estate’. That is, things that in one way or another have become vestigial and meaningless. An underlying link is shown between the concept hyperart and an archaeologically inspired approach to the material world. The rudimentary and detached are regarded as an integral part of the anthropogenic environment, and it is theorised that such recognition is important in depicting both past and contemporary human environments

Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Character (mathematics) · Estate · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation · Geographies of human-animal interactions · History · Law · Museums and Cultural Heritage

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