In the first place it is a trace; a mark of human presence, an impress as dramatic and poignant as a footprint in sand or a petrograph found on a desert rock. That its hollowed shape - so like that of a musical instrument - can sound with implications, however muffled and distant the reverberations may be, is a marvellous accident; for it is a found thing, its message not intended for us; like the markings on the walls of a sealed tomb it was meant for other eyes than ours to see. What we see is what archaeological recovery makes possible: we look into a hidden chamber of the human imagination.
Lastly there is the image of a ship, beautiful and characteristic in its construction, fit for its purpose as a vehicle for travel in the physical world and in the spiritual. (The vessel that was towed up the Deben was lifted and entrenched on the escarpment above it in order to make another final voyage into the darkness.) Its hollowed and curved form is shaped to work in harmony with its congenial elements, to move with grace and speed through water and air, rather than built and angled like a house to counteract the wind and rain.- Mel Gooding July 1986
