VOTUM

Symbols from Our Past to Shield Our Future

During February and March 2025, I had the immense privilege of taking part in an artist residency at Vindolanda in Northumberland. Vindolanda is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Britain—a Roman fort and settlement that predates Hadrian’s Wall. Nestled within Northumberland’s beautifully rugged landscape, the site has been continuously excavated for decades, revealing an extraordinary collection of artefacts that provide rare glimpses into everyday life on the northern frontier of the Roman Empire.

VOTUM was a temporary artwork developed following the artist residency at Vindolanda.

In Roman culture, belief in the malus oculus (evil eye) was widespread, and protective symbols—such as phalluses, eyes and geometric motifs—were commonly layered to amplify their power and ward off harm. VOTUM drew upon that ancient practice of votive offering through the creation of six contemporary protective symbols, each responding to present-day climate issues.

Inspired by iconography found within the Vindolanda collection, each new symbol was inscribed into the Vindolanda landscape. Constructed from bespoke interlocking mirrored shields (referencing the Roman army’s testudo formation), the symbols were formed through participants working together in collective movement, as well as through static installations.

When assembled, the shields became a signal to the Gods: a collective gesture echoing both ancient Roman superstition and a contemporary act of climate protest. The mirrored surfaces reflected the landscape and sky, while also confronting viewers—holding a mirror up to humanity’s role in climate change, consumption and environmental degradation.

The signals functioned as both warning and offering, acknowledging that climate change not only threatens our shared future on Earth but also endangers the fragile remains of the past.

As the soil shifts and erodes, so too does the knowledge it holds.