To whom it may concern
Dear Sir or Madam;

I write to express my great disappointment that the outstanding rock art site of Vingen and its surrounding landscape is under threat from the Aksla quarry and Inste Bårdvikneset quay developments that recently were given the green light to proceed. Vingen is of World Heritage value and one of the largest and best ancient petroglyph sites in Europe. Vingen’s rock art imagery is diverse, numerous and unique and the site is one of the jewels in the crown of Norway’s rock art heritage. But Vingen’s surrounding natural landscape is also very important as it is integral to Vingen’s context and one of the reasons ancient peoples marked the area with rock art thousands of years ago. Worldwide, rock art sites do not sit in isolation. Rather, they are integral parts of landscapes with both cultural and natural values.

I have been studying rock art for 44 years in many parts of the globe and until now had always been impressed with the way Norway cared for and conserved its rock art landscapes, especially Vingen and Alta. Norway has also been known for the sensitive and caring way it conserves natural landscapes so it is deeply disturbing that the Aksla quarry and Inste Bårdvikneset quay developments were approved. If the developments do proceed not only will Vingen and the Vingen landscape never be the same but so too will Norway’s reputation as a country that values its cultural and natural heritage. Indeed, the irreparable impact from the developments for short-term economic gain is both short-sighted and miserly. I am not opposed to such developments outright but am strongly against such developments proceeding in sensitive cultural and natural heritage areas of global importance.

If the developments must proceed I urge you to help find another location. If they are allowed to proceed around Vingen the pristine natural views from the site will be destroyed and replaced with a visually disfigured landscape. Dust contamination will both visually obscure and hasten deterioration of the petroglyphs as the dust will provide a medium for lichens and other biota to thrive. Noise and light contamination will impact on visitor experiences and reduce tourism because a fully immersive and authentic natural and cultural heritage experience will no longer be available.

Besides being Chair in Rock Art Research at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia, and a former Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow (2016-2022) for rock art conservation, I also direct Griffith University’s Place, Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit (PERAHU). As well, I am a founding member of the international Rock Art Network that promotes awareness about the importance of rock art landscapes and the need to develop new ways to conserve them for future generations. I also helped develop the Rock Art Network mission statement:

Rock art – ancient paintings and engravings on rock surfaces – is a visual record of global human history. It is a shared heritage that links us to powerful ancestral worlds and magnificent landscapes of the past. It tells the story of the birthplaces of art, the dawn of artistic endeavors. It creates connections to significant places and depicts encounters with the surrounding living world. Through its existence nature and culture are connected in the landscape. It resonates with our individual and collective identity while stimulating a vital sense of belonging to a greater past. Rock art illustrates the passage of time over tens of thousands of years of environmental and cultural change. It incarnates the essence of human ingenuity and facilitates contacts today between cultures and aspects of spirituality. Rock art is artistically compelling and full of meaning. This fragile and irreplaceable visual heritage has worldwide significance, contemporary relevance and for many indigenous peoples is still part of their living culture. If we neglect, destroy, or disrespect rock art we devalue our future.

The fourth and fifth sentences emphasise rock art connections to natural landscapes, something very important at Vingen: ‘It creates connections to significant places and depicts encounters with the surrounding living world. Through its existence nature and culture are connected in the landscape.’ If the developments proceed this will no longer be the case for Vingen.

The last sentence of the statement is very pertinent for Vingen, Norway and the world given the Aksla quarry and Inste Bårdvikneset quay development plans: ‘If we neglect, destroy, or disrespect rock art we devalue our future.’

Please help stop the Aksla quarry and Inste Bårdvikneset quay developments near Vingen. If they are absolutely necessary from an economic viewpoint then please find another location that will not impact priceless and precious heritage. The heritage legacy your ancestors passed down to present Norway needs to be protected so that it can be passed on to future generations intact and so that future generations know that their rock art and associated natural heritage was not neglected by the present government.

Yours sincerely,

Distinguished Professor Paul S.C. Taçon
Former ARC Australian Laureate Fellow (2016-2022) and Chair in Rock Art Research
Place, Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit (PERAHU), Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research & School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science, Gold Coast campus, Griffith University, QLD 4222

→ Discover more about the Rock Art Network
→ Members and affiliated institutions of the Rock Art Network