Breaking Ground

Introduction

The story of this exhibition starts well before the idea itself. Felicity Handford, member of Viewfinders – the photography club of Brussels – was seen photographing the archaeological dig being done by “Waterloo Uncovered” at Waterloo. “Waterloo Uncovered” needed a photographer of suitable experience to document the finds at the site, and a match was quickly made.

With an experienced photographer on hand, the idea of bringing an additional dimension to the experience of the “Vets” (as the military veteran participants are fondly called) by letting them document their activities at the historic battlefield in Waterloo was but a short step. With some borrowed cameras of usable quality and with some guidance from a team of volunteer photographers from Viewfinders, the work was started.

This selection of the images taken by the “Vets”, expressing what this experience means for them, complemented by photographs by the Viewfinders volunteers takes us through the various steps of the archaeological work, and gives an impression of the deeper experiences of the photographers concerning this major historic event along the way. We hope you enjoy it!