Recipient organisationUlster UniversitySource-published name: University of Ulster
Funding£7K
PeriodJan 2026 — Apr 2026
In plain English
AI plain-English summary
A sumo wrestler’s footprint pressed into clay is not just dirt—it is a living record of human movement that archaeologists are learning to read. This research tackles a blind spot in heritage preservation. Traditional archaeology treats the past as a finished, distant object. But intangible heritage—dance, sport, performance—exists in motion and vanishes the moment it ends. The project uses the Japanese *dohyo*, the clay sumo ring, as a test case. By combining excavation with “incavation” (documenting marks as they are made), the researcher treats the ring as a dynamic artefact shaped by each bout. Comparisons with dance floors and stages will broaden the method. If successful, this work could give heritage professionals and policymakers new tools to preserve ephemeral physical culture—not by freezing it in a museum, but by capturing the traces of action as they happen. The approach is exploratory and interdisciplinary, bridging art, archaeology, and human geography. It is fundamental research into how we document movement and space. There is no immediate practical application, but a deeper understanding of how physical activity leaves material marks could eventually inform conservation of performance spaces, sports venues, or any site defined by use.
View original technical description
This research uses artistic and contemporary archaeological methods to capture cumulative human movement in material form as a means of preserving intangible cultural heritage. Combining excavation and incavation (Holtorf, 2004), the research explores new ways to preserve and document traces of physical activity while acknowledging their ephemerality and future transformation. Addressing gaps in archaeology and cultural heritage preservation — which often treats ‘the past’ as a distant, distinct entity (Harrison, 2011) — the study offers innovative approaches to recording human movement as an ongoing, living phenomenon. A key focus is the Japanese dohyo (the clay sumo wrestling ring) which serves as a dynamic record of unchoreographed movement. This art-archaeological research examines the dohyo's construction, maintenance, and the marks left by wrestlers upon and within it, exploring it as both a functional space and a cultural artefact. To contextualise this, comparisons will be made with other physical spaces shaped and marked by activity, such as dance floors and performance stages. During a three-month placement at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken), this project will incorporate contextual research, archaeological surveying, artistic outputs, and, if feasible, interviews with sumo practitioners. This interdisciplinary research offers new perspectives on documenting and preserving intangible cultural heritage relating to ephemeral, physical action such as dance, performance, and sport. Relevant to policymakers, heritage professionals, and the wider public, it bridges archaeology, art, and human geography to enhance understanding of the relationship(s) between movement, space, and place. Research outcomes will be shared through both academic and public engagement channels.
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