This film surveys the truly stunning rock art still visible in Sweden, carved by Neolithic artists beginning around 4,000 years ago. The vast number of these rock art sites is threatened with accelerating erasure by weathering. This film describes the ongoing efforts to preserve this artistic heritage by techniques ranging from rubbings on paper to digital reconstruction. Laser recording even captures the detailed and microscopic depth of field of these engravings, and, by repeated re-scanning over time, tracks their erosion from weathering. Why did these ancient Neolithic people make these elaborate, ornate rock carvings? A lot of information lies hidden in the rock art images, but we still lack the key to decrypt it.
Length: 10 min
Country: UK
Language: English
Director: Edward Owles
Producer(s): Edward Owles Richard Tacon