EXCAVATING | carving complicated ground
CARVING COMPLICATED GROUND
Excavation is a profane act. It requires the removal of soil. What was once pure and untouched, is now forever altered. Can excavation ever be justified? Is the land truly sacred? The Southern ground, specifically the grounds of Rosewood and Newberry have witnessed profane acts; it is a complex ground. The soil was steeped in blood, it trees were used as weapons; natural scaffolding for an evil deed. The profanity has already occurred, the landscape is sacred no more. The most profane act would be to forget what happened in these places. So, can we carve? — On a site visit in February, I wanted to get a sense of the scale of Lynching Hammock in Newberry. Not owning a tape measure long enough to measure the site, I used the only thing I always had with me: my body. I started at the northeast corner of the site and paced from one landmark to another, marking the journey and the measurement on a sheet of watercolor I brought with me (see figure 6). In the end, I had a complete map. Whatever I was to do, at least I knew how big it would need to be.
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