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- 9th Sep 2026
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There’s a new contemporary art installation coming to Vindolanda
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This autumn, Vindolanda’s museum galleries are getting an unexpected new resident.
Again and Again and Again, a major new contemporary art installation, opens at the site on Friday 9th October and runs until Thursday 31st December, the latest chapter in the Trust’s ongoing conversation between archaeology and contemporary art.
Created by British artist Susie MacMurray during her 2026 residency at the Trust, the triptych draws on the same materials Roman inhabitants once had at their fingertips: beeswax, Haircap moss, Soay sheep wool and antler. It’s a hands-on response to nearly two thousand years of remarkable preservation beneath the fort.
WHAT’S ACTUALLY IN THE GALLERY
Three sculptural works sit within the museum’s galleries, appearing to grow straight out of the walls themselves. MacMurray hand-spun over a kilo of rare Soay sheep wool for the piece, one of Britain’s oldest surviving sheep breeds and the closest living match to the fleece available at Vindolanda in Roman times.
She worked alongside it with 10kg of beeswax from the Northumberland Honey Company in Haltwhistle, and dried moss supplied by Moss Clerks in Hawick. Rather than copying Roman craftsmanship, the work responds to it, sitting in direct dialogue with the archaeological finds that inspired it.
MADE BY HAND, PRESERVED BY TIME
Susie MacMurray, the artist behind the piece, has built her reputation on poetic, site-specific work in historic spaces, and Vindolanda gave her plenty to respond to.
“I didn’t want to replicate the extraordinary craftsmanship evident in the Vindolanda collection. Instead, I wanted to create a contemporary response using the same materials – materials that are still around us today but which we arguably undervalue. Working with them repeatedly, by hand, gave me a profound appreciation of the time, labour and care invested in every object preserved here.”
That repetition is where the exhibition takes its name. It’s a fitting title for a body of work built stitch by stitch, layer by layer, echoing the slow processes of growth and decay that shaped the objects in the cases around it.
A THREE-YEAR CONVERSATION WITH THE PAST
The installation is the newest commission in The Land We Walk On, Vindolanda’s three-year contemporary arts programme pairing artists with the Trust’s collections and its climate research.
Morag Iles, Contemporary Art Curator at the Vindolanda Trust, said hosting contemporary art alongside the collection lets visitors see it through fresh eyes.
“Through Susie’s artistic research we’re encouraged to ask fresh questions about the people who lived and worked here almost 2,000 years ago.”
Morag added that projects like this also bring entirely new audiences to the site.
TALKS, WORKSHOPS AND AFTER-HOURS TOURS
The installation is included with standard admission, so there’s no extra ticket needed to see it. Alongside it, a temporary display features the archaeological artefacts that directly inspired MacMurray’s work, giving you the chance to compare the original finds with her response to them.
A small events series runs alongside the exhibition too. Textile fans should look out for Introduction to Sprang with experimental archaeologist Sally Pointer on Sunday 18th October, a hands-on workshop exploring the ancient technique at the Roman Army Museum. The Art of Making, a discussion between art and archaeology experts, runs the day before on Saturday 17th October.
If you’re planning a Hadrian’s Wall day out this autumn, this is a good excuse to build one around.
Roman Vindolanda Fort & Museum, Bardon Mill, Hexham, Northumberland, NE47 7JN
Rachael Ellis
Head of Content
After gaining a first in her BA Media and Journalism degree at Northumbria University, Rachael worked at Newcastle’s leading regional newspaper with her stories being picked up in national and global newspapers. She spent two very successful years giving a voice to those communities across the North East who otherwise…
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