As an archaeologist, I have been characterised in a variety of ways; a colleague has branded me as a “reactionary archaeologist”; an anthropologist portrayed me as “an archaeologist but not so much it becomes a problem”; a colleague working in contract archaeology described me as “not a real archaeologist”; another colleague from the museum sector labelled my work as “art – not research”.

While flattered by such overwhelming accolades, I tend to frame my work a tad more humbly as belonging within the field of contemporary and temporary archaeology with a rooting in feminist theory, taking a particular interest in epistemology and aesthetics. The empirical context for my work is our contemporary ecologies, that is, ruinous, post-industrial architecture and anthropocene landscapes, in addition to random everyday epiphenomena encountered in highways and byways.

As I have to admit to not quite understanding the current academic excitement about ontology - or the fuzz over interdisciplinarity for that matter - I guess my research is neither ground-breaking, innovative, original, progressive, avant-garde nor revolutionising. Rather, I seek to hold on to questions that have marked archaeology since its origins in the 19^th century: in what form is knowledge possible when archaeological traces are categorically characterized by epistemic and aesthetic uncertainty, marked by absence, fragmentation, vagueness, and even tracelessness?

My ongoing research focuses on neglectable objects that seem to be culture historically insignificant; they are inconsequential, impotent, or meaningless, but that are present, nevertheless. Such objects are normally disregarded as irrelevant or without context, and they do seem to have little or no information value. In archaeological terms, such objects are ‘stray finds’, ‘out of context’, or ‘miscellanea’. My ambition is to recover a form of archaeology offering a space for the encounter with incidental objects. To this end, I explore forms of representation that do not aim for systematic, objective documentation, but instead accept that chance observations must engender subjective, speculative fabulation.

This work has resulted in the opening of The Hub for Speculative Fabulations upon Incidental Observations. The Hub is an unfinanced network of researchers with an interest in the modest, the ignored and that which leads thoughts astray. With no preceding hypothesis, the aim is to explore the topography of the neglected and the shy by pursuing such unplanned trails. Hesitation and doubt are the primary methods of The Hub. So far, activities in The Hub has led to the Insignificants series (2019-2020) and the anthology Miscellanea: A cabinet of curiosities (2023).

Also, I have been working – for longer than I like to admit – on a book that develops the notion of ‘the trace’ as a core concept for the archaeological. A grant from the Carlsberg Foundation will give me the opportunity to focus exclusively on completing the book..

Current position

Associate professor of contemporary archaeology and archaeological theory, The Saxo Institute.

Member of the Research Committee, The Saxo Institute.

Director of The Hub for Speculative Fabulations upon Incidental Observations.

President for the national corps of censors for archaeology and heritage Studies

Board member of Dialogues with the Past (the Nordic PhD school in archaeology)

Prizes, distinctions and awards

Einar Hansen's Research Foundation: 2024 Award for Outstanding Humanistic Research

Membership of Societies / Fellowships

None

Grants

As main applicant (PI) I have submitted applications for external research funding for a total of 89.649.926 DKK. This has resulted in grants worth a total 950.264 DKK (success rate: 0,94%)

Education

2020 Leading Research - a leadership course, University of Copenhagen.

2013 University teaching methods for assistant professors and postdocs, Aarhus University.

2010 PhD, Aarhus University, Institute of Anthropology, Archaeology and Linguistics, Department of Prehistoric Archaeology. For my PhD research I enjoyed an internationalisation grant from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, allowing me to spend 18 months at the University of Cambridge as part of my PhD research.

2003 MA, University of Wales Lampeter, Landscape Archaeology (with Distinction).

1999 BA, University of Copenhagen, Near Eastern Archaeology.

Former employment

2014-2017 Assistant professor, University of Copenhagen, Department of Archaeology, The Saxo Institute.

2012-2014 Assistant professor, Aarhus University, Department of Society and Culture, Section for Archaeology.

2010-2012 Postdoctoral researcher (Marie Curie Fellow), University of Cambridge, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. Research Associate at St John’s College, Cambridge (2011-2012).

2009-2010 Academic assistant, Aarhus University, Institute of Anthropology, Archaeology and Linguistics, Department of Prehistoric Archaeology.

2006-2009 PhD fellow, Aarhus University, Institute of Anthropology, Archaeology and Linguistics, Department of Prehistoric Archaeology.

Participation in projects

2022-2023 Participating in the project The Timeline: Applied archaeology in Køge Nord (directed by Anna S. Beck), funded by The Velux Foundation.

2019- Director of The Hub for Speculative Fabulations upon Incidental Observations.

2016-2018 Co-director of the pilot project Breaking Glass: The archaeology of financial crisis with Anna S. Beck (Museum Southeast Denmark / Aarhus University).

2014-2015 Participating in the project Concrete Heritage Lab: Rethinking the Port of Aarhus as industrial heritage (directed by Mads Daugbjerg), funded by Aarhus University.

2011-2014 Employed on the project Death, Materiality and the Origin of Time (directed by Professor Rane Willerslev), funded by the Danish Research Council.

2010-2011 Employed on the project Forging Identities (directed by Professor Helle Vandkilde), funded by the EC FP7 programme.

Fieldwork experience

2020-

Amager Fælled (survey and deposition)

2019-

Incidental observations of insignificant objects, Denmark and Sweden

2014-

Ruin research, various locations, Denmark.

2016-2018

Holmegaard Glassworks (interior).

2007-2013

Cemetery research Odsherred, Copenhagen, Aarhus, Denmark.

2011
Borum Eshøj, Denmark (excavator; directed by Dr Mads K. Holst).

1998
Gavurkalesi, Turkey (excavator, illustrator; directed by Dr Stephen Lumsden).

Kaman Kalehöyük, Turkey (excavator; directed by Dr Sachihiro Omura).
Rose Cottage Cave, South Africa (excavator; directed by Professor Lyn Wadley).

1997
Gavurkalesi, Turkey (excavator, illustrator; directed by Dr Stephen Lumsden).

Peer reviews for

• Antiquity
• Archaeological Dialogues
• Arkæologisk Forum
• Cambridge Archaeological Journal
• Current Swedish Archaeology
• Danish Journal of Archaeology
• Emotion, Space and Society
• Estonian Journal of Archaeology
• European Journal of Archaeology
• Folklore
• Forum Kritische Archäologie
• Gefjon
• Geografiska Annaler
• HEROM. Journal on Hellenistic and Roman Material Culture
• International Journal of Heritage Studies
• Journal of Aesthetics and Culture
• Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory
• Journal of Archaeological Science
• Journal of Contemporary Archaeology
• Journal of Irish Archaeology
• Journal of Material Culture
• Journal of Social Archaeology
• Material Culture Review
• Mortality
• Norwegian Archaeological Review
• Open Archaeology
• Open Philosophy
• PLos ONE
• Primitive tider
• Qualitative Sociology
• Slagmark
• In additon to several book chapters and book proposals

Organisation of seminars and conferences

2020

Archaeologies of Dwelling and the Built Environment. PhD seminar, organised with Marianne Hem Eriksen (The University of Oslo) for DialPast (the Nordic PhD school for archaeology). 24.2.2020-28.2.2020, Rome, Italy.

2017

Antinomies of Vagueness: Exploring obscurity, vacancy and ambiguity as cultural resource. Conference at the University of Copenhagen, co-organised with Martin Demant Frederiksen (University of Copenhagen). 20.4.2017-21.4.2017. Copenhagen, DK.

2016

Materialities of the Pressing Past: Challenges in post-medieval archaeology and the archaeology of the recent past. PhD seminar, organised with Þóra Pétursdóttir (UiT The Arctic University of Norway) for DialPast (the Nordic PhD school for archaeology). 31.4.2016-4.11.2016, Copenhagen, DK.

On the Trace: Passing, presence and the persistence of the past. Conference at the University of Copenhagen, co-organised with Þóra Pétursdóttir (UiT The Arctic University of Norway). 22.9.2016-23.9.2016. Copenhagen, DK.

2015

Technologies of Disposal: The archaeology of waste, burial and removal. Session at Nordic Theoretical Archaeology Group XV, co-organised with Vivi Lena Andersen (University of Copenhagen), 18.4.2015, Copenhagen, DK.

2014

Concrete Heritage: Industry, Inclusion, Intervention. Conference at Aarhus University, co-organised with Casper Andersen and Mads Daugbjerg (AU). 13.11.2014-14.11.2014. Aarhus, DK.

Crisis: Cultural responses to collapse, conflict and emergency. PhD workshop at Aarhus University, co-organised with Felix Riede and Annette Højen Sørensen (AU). 6.11.2014-7.11.2014, Aarhus, DK.

Technologies of Time: The temporalities of ethnographic and archaeological research in the digital world. PhD workshop at the IT University of Copenhagen, co-organised with Steffen Dalsgaard (ITU), Christopher Gad (ITU) and Michael Eilenberg (Aarhus University). 2.10.2014-3.10.2014, Copenhagen, DK.

Travelling Temporalities. Workshop co-organised with Mette Løvschal, Morten Nielsen and Rane Willerslev (Aarhus University), 6.4.2014-7.4.2014, Aarhus, DK.

2013

Ruination and Conservation: Practical perspectives on the management of architectural heritage. Seminar co-organised with Rainer Atzbach (Aarhus University), 26.9.2013, Aarhus, DK.

Materialities of Passing. Workshop co-organised with Peter Bjerregaard and Anders Emil Rasmussen (Culture Historical Museum Oslo), 20.4.2013-21.4.2013, Oslo, NO.

2012 

Collecting and Recollecting the Past: Heritage at the intersection of practice and analysis. Seminar co-organised with Mads Daugbjerg (Aarhus University), 29.11.2012, Aarhus, DK.

Materialities of Time: Ritual, death and the practice of archaeology. PhD seminar, organised for DialPast (the Nordic PhD school for archaeology). 14.6.2012-16.6.2012, Aarhus, DK.

Understanding Atmospheres: Culture, Materiality and the Texture of the Inbetween. Conference co-organised with Mikkel Bille (University of Copenhagen), Peter Bjerregaard (Culture Historical Museum, Oslo) and Anne Line Dalsgaard (Aarhus University), 16.3.2012-17.3.2012, Aarhus, DK.

2011

Let the Metal Flow. Workshop co-organised with Maikel H.G. Kuijpers (University of Cambridge), 30.9.2012, Cambridge, UK.

2010

Ethics and Politics. PhD seminar co-organised with Maikel H.G. Kuijpers and Marie Louise Stig Sørensen (both University of Cambridge), 28.11.2012-29.11.2012, Cambridge, UK.

2009

The Affective Properties of Architecture. Session at Theoretical Archaeology Group 31, co-organised with Serena Love (Stanford University) and Oliver J.T. Harris (University of Cambridge), 18.12.2009, Durham, UK.

2008

The Presence of Absence: Materiality and Beyond. PhD seminar and conference coorganised with Mikkel Bille (Univeristy College London) and Frida Hastrup (University of Copenhagen), 19.4.2008-20.4.2008, DK.

2007

The Art of Destruction: Phenomenology, Fragmentation and Material Culture. PhD seminar and conference co-organised with Mads Dengsø Jessen and Troels Myrup Kristensen (both Aarhus University), 6.12.2007-7.12.2007, Aarhus, DK.

Intentionality, Dysfunctions and Unintended Consequences. Session at Nordic Theoretical Archaeology Group IX, co-organised with Søren Sindbæk (Aarhus University), 12.6.2007, Aarhus, DK.

I teach theoretical courses at BA and Master's levels, and contribute to a host of other courses on both educational levels. Also, I supervise BA projects and Master's dissertations.

PhD supervision

Main supervisor for:

• Sandie Holst (The National Museum and the University of Copenhagen)
• Stefanie Langaa Jensen (Museum Southeast Denmark and the University of Copenhagen)
• Margaréta Hanna Pintér (University of Copenhagen)

Co-superviser for (graduated)

• Mathias Christiansen Broch (Holstebro Museum and the University of Copenhagen)
• Anna Severine Beck (Aarhus University and Museum Southeast Denmark)
• Pernille Desirée Peiter Pantmann (University of Copenhagen and Museum North Zealand)
• Julie de Vos (Aarhus University)
• Trine Borake (Aarhus University and Museum Western Zealand)
• Linda Boye (University of Copenhagen and Kroppedal Museum)
• Sebastian Becker (as external advisor, University of Cambridge)