Characters Include: The Visitor, The Narrator, The Archaeologist takes a set of fragments of ancient Roman mosaic flooring held in North East Museums as its starting point. While these fragments speak to Newcastle’s Roman past, they are also dislocated objects originating from distant sites such as Pompeii, Carthage and sometimes unknown locations.
James Epps reconsiders these fragments, reimagining the greater schemes of pattern from which they come and how they find themselves occupying their new homes in the North East Museums. Epps explores the lives of these fragments: how they were made and discovered; the relationships and interactions they experience in Newcastle amongst the other objects and visitors who encounter them.
Like the fragments themselves, Epps’ work moves in time, location and voice. The mosaic fragments are investigated through a variety of contexts and uses such as functional flooring in-situ, to museum artefacts and souvenirs. In doing this, Epps explores the legacies of collecting and the influence of classical antiquity on the history of Newcastle. For this exhibition, the architecture and space of the Lit & Phil have informed Epps’ work. The marble effect lino flooring has been photographed and screenprinted to transform its colour and material, bringing it into dialogue with the ancient artefacts.
James Epps is a PhD researcher at Newcastle University. His project is funded by Northern Bridge AHRC. Access to and documentation of the ancient fragments is kindly supported by North East Museums.
