Emma Harrison
United Kingdom
Affiliation: Bog Born Crafts
Member since: 2023
Topics of Interest: Ancient Technology, Ceramics, Communication and Outreach, Iron, Living History
Focus areas: Bronze Age, Iron Age, Viking Age, Early Middle Ages, Late Middle Ages
Having had a keen interest in traditional crafts and living history as a youngster, I went on to study Experimental Archaeology at University, specialising in viking age bloomery iron smelting. I also have a background in arts and crafts having grown up with a potter for a father and worked as a painter for a movie set.
These days I am very interested in ceramics, and run a pottery part-time, partly making replicas and doing experimental open firings of pottery, particularly focusing on the composition of clay bodies and potential methods of firing in British prehistory. I do my own craft work as well as living history displays and selling replica pottery at markets at museums and historical events. I am still keeping my hand in with iron smelting while I can, alongside the pottery, doing some iron smelting displays and education at history events. I did some training in traditional leatherwork and tanning also, and in the past have worked at a living history museum here in Scotland doing crafts such as textiles, pottery etc.
My interest ranges from bronze age to early medieval to later medieval.
I have also illustrated and written outreach education packs for museums to use with schools and young people, based on their museum collections. I have done outreach packs on the topics of the Picts, the Jacobites, and the Vikings in Scotland.
Open For research collaboration In the following topics
Ancient Technology, Ceramics, Iron, Living History
Available for work in open-air museums or at cultural heritage events with demonstration skills in
Art, Ceramics, Fibre, Living History
Happy to mentor and share my experience in the following skills
Ceramics, Living History