Abstract

This article discusses two 'dig projects' of American artist Mark Dion, Tate Thames Dig (1999) and New England Digs (2001), in which he advances a critique of classificatory systems by borrowing the methodology of archaeology. While the artist explicitly displays the process of laboratory analysis as an 'object' itself, his critique is not directed to nor informed by any particular theoretical school within the discipline. However, Dion's representation of the archaeological process resonates with some elements of postprocessualism. Knowing the genealogy of the artist is vital to understanding such an affinity. In addition, Dion's classifications have an impact on the audience in terms of the construction and reproduction of historical identity, something apparent in the different reception of his work in England and in the USA. This difference is also apparent in the construction and reproduction of archaeological practice in each country.