Publicomos

Réf.

42258

Type

article

Titre

Vandalism, graffiti or 'just' rock art? The case of a recent engraving in the Côa Valley rock art complex in Portugal.

Langues

English

Auteurs

Fernandes, António Pedro Batarda

Pays de publication

Brazil

Maison d'édition

FUMDHAM

Date

2010

Pages

p. 729-743

Titre de la revue

Fundhamentos IX Global ROCK ART

Vol. & n°

v. 9 n. 3

ISSN

0104-351X

Mots-clés

theory of conservation / rock art / rock art sites / vandalism / prevention of vandalism / graffiti / prehistoric art / prehistoric sites / management / monitoring / economic aspects / social aspects

Pays mentionnés

Portugal

Monuments et sites

Côa Valley, Portugal

N° Patrimoine mondial

866

Résumé en anglais

A vandalism/graffiti/engraving episode occurred recently in a Côa Valley rock art panel in which a hunter from the region engraved a motif (a defecating horse) superimposing two previously existing prehistoric engravings (one from theUpper Palaeolithic, the other from the Neolithic). We shall argue that the contemporary horse aims to question and satirize the value attributed by archaeologists to the prehistoric motifs inscribed by UNESCO in the World Heritage List. We will discuss and to some degree challenge the predominant point of view regarding the need to erase all graffiti, the value of (‘very recent’) contemporary motifs and ultimately how rock art researchers understand not only their discipline of study but also the very concept of rock art aesthetic appreciation. While this may be a highly controversial issue, we intend to question a dogmatic stance in which rock art sites are seen as static manifestations of a dead past, incapable of shaping and establishing dynamic live connections with the present and subsequently the future. We believe this to be a thought provoking case study when considering whether contemporary engraved or painted (graffiti) motifs can be regarded as possessing the significant qualities researchers usually bestow upon older motifs catalogued as rock art, and the feelings of different interest groups on the overall value of rock art heritage.

Document joint

Artigo54_IFRAO2009batardaaestehtics.pdf

Licence

Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (BY-NC-ND)