HENGE

HENGE celebrates the lives, landscape, and the history of some of the most important archaeological sites in the country. Where the Thames and Thame meet under the Sinodun Hills are Neolithic monuments, Iron Age earthworks, a cursus (probably a processional way), a double ring henge, a massive iron age earthworks and the site of Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Medieval settlements. These sites have inspired artists, poets, musicians, writers, ecologists and travellers.

On 25 September 2022, the eve of the Autumn Equinox, hundreds of people beating drums and sticks followed a giant mammoth along a processional way to a glowing life-size double ring henge. In the centre, dancers, actors and a performance poet celebrated our earliest Neolithic users of the land, to the haunting sound of an original music score.

Artists created large pieces of Land Art; pupils from seven local schools took part, contributing poetry, masks and collages and in line with ancient tradition, Henge concluded with a community feast.

The Henge exhibition is coming to Cornerstone from 2 to 26 November 2023 to bring a flavour of this special event to a wider audience. It will include a video and photographs of the performance under the Clumps, together with music, sculpture, painting, poetry and a giant mammoth.