ABSTRACT
Archaeologies of the present demand new forms of practice and experimentation. This chapter focusses on experimental mapping, and explores how this might form an important practice for contemporary archaeologies of the present and recent past. Two case studies from recent projects in Orkney, the Papay Gyro Nights contemporary art festival and Map Orkney Month, are used to demonstrate how experimental mapping can form a critical tool for archaeologies of surface survey. This represents a significant departure from the traditional archaeological reliance upon maps and science-based experimentation and, it is argued, is an exciting new area for exploration. The discussion concludes with a series of provocations designed to get archaeologists out there, experimenting and mapping.
