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Ellen Wixted

@ewonbainbridge

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Today, I visited the Unstan Cairn on the Orkney Mainland, which dates from ~5,300 years ago and was used as a tomb for hundreds of years. To get there, I took a bus, then walked down a long driveway to a path that leads out to the cairn by the water. The place is on a promontory surrounded by sheep and beyond their field, salt water; I had it to myself which is not unusual: three or four sites are on the tour bus loop and see wave after wave of visitors, but the vast majority of the Neolithic sites here see very little foot traffic.
One thing I didn’t expect is that I have had such a wide variety of responses to the prospect of entering these tombs. I’ve learned to spend some time poking around to sense whether it is a place I should enter or not. This one felt welcoming, so I crawled in through the tiny and very low entry passage, which was maybe 10 feet long. One of the other tombs I visited felt like I was peering into the void, or an entrance to the underworld.
During the initial excavation in 1884, the bones of many people were found in this tomb—both disarticulated bones and at least two “crouched” remains. We’re used to individual graves; Neolithic cairns typically contained the remains of many people added (and sometimes maybe removed) over many generations of a community. A huge amount of pottery was found as well, and artifacts of this type are now called Unstan Ware after this tomb.
Anyhow, the site was left open after this first excavation, and in the 1930s the predecessor to Historic Scotland added a protective concrete roof (with skylights and vents) and the mound was re-covered to something like its original shape. The skylights make the interior of the cairn quite bright, maybe even cheerful. But it’s not hard to imagine the spaces as they were originally built: entered through a low and tight passage, and then opening into a much bigger space—some of which are just MASSIVE—lit with something like candlight. That sense of spatial compression and release is palpable even now, along with a sense of the mysteries of life and death. taken in Unstan Chambered Cairn by @ewonbainbridge

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2 months ago

Hello! It’s been a while. I’m embarking on a new adventure and welcome you to join me. I’m currently in the Orkney Islands where I am starting an MA program (mostly remote!) exploring the overlaps between Contemporary Art and Archaeology. I'm here for Induction week, and I'm spending as much time as I can drawing some of the Neolithic sites the archipelago is known for. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been thinking about what landscapes mean, and how we change them over time. What started as curiosity about why so many monumental structures were built at the end of the Neolithic period in the UK and Ireland has morphed into this new chapter. I’m not sure where it will take me, but I’m thrilled to be diving in! This is the Ring of Brodgar, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site here; it's one of the largest stone circles in the UK and absolutely enormous. Weather was dodgy so wasn't able to draw. taken in The Ring of Brodgar Stone Circle & Henge by @ewonbainbridge

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2 months ago

My amazing team @ewonbainbridge @julie.bennett.7374 and I won 1st place at the @refashionbainbridge fashion show last night. Our category was Rotary remix challenge. We were given a collection of furnishing fabric and yarn left over from the large rummage sale held on Bainbridge Island each year. It has been wonderful creating this outfit together with two of my best friends. What a joy! Thanks to @julie.bennett.7374 for being a fantastic model! And thanks to @refashionbainbridge for the challenge! taken in Bainbridge Island, Washington by @ewonbainbridge

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6 months ago

Fall surprise, Port Blakely by @ewonbainbridge

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a year ago

Congrats to all our ReFashion Sewdown Artists! A wonderful job by all! taken in Bainbridge Island Museum of Art by @ewonbainbridge

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a year ago

Federal Building, Seattle. Stood solo with my sign for half an hour, then delighted to be joined by a @seattleindivisible group from the east side. #abregogarcia #ruleoflaw by @ewonbainbridge

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a year ago

Bainbridge Island came out strong for the #handsoff rally today. Moving statement from a senior staffer at USAID about the impacts of shutting down int’l aid; inconceivable how many things are being willfully broken. by @ewonbainbridge

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2 years ago

Light on the horizon. by @ewonbainbridge

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2 years ago

Current mood. Photo from pre-election walk at Stottlemeyer. by @ewonbainbridge

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2 years ago

#northcascades by @ewonbainbridge

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2 years ago

#mazama by @ewonbainbridge

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2 years ago

Hancock Creek, Mazama by @ewonbainbridge

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3 years ago