Introduction: Images in the Making

In the book’s introductory chapter long-held assumptions concerning archaeological art and images are addressed and challenged, particularly representationalism, and new ways to approach and understand them are offered. Specifically, it is argued that art and images continuously emerge in processes of making and engagement, both in the past and in the present. Hence, art and images are always in motion, multiple and unfolding, and the Introduction thus stresses the importance of considering the ontology of images. The chapter introduces the verb ‘imaging’ to underline the point that images are conditions of possibility that draw together differing aspects of the world. It is also demonstrated that images, as ongoing events, encompass and realise affects, and the significance of experimental play in processes of making is equally underlined.