During a 2013 residency in Atina, a site-specific response to the historic old town was developed through active engagement with the local community. This immersive experience led to the creation of several works, including a museum-style cabinet titled Excavation 3013 Atina, realised in collaboration with James Bell.
Imagining themselves as future archaeologists, a thousand years from now, a fictional excavation was constructed, uncovering fragments of life from the early 21st century. The cabinet presents a carefully curated—yet knowingly irreverent—selection of objects gathered from three significant sites in Atina: a disused police station, San Marco Cemetery, and Santo Stefano Park. Rather than presenting a polished or romanticised archive, the work embraces the quirks and contradictions of everyday life, encouraging viewers to reflect on the imperfect, messy traces left behind.
The assemblage combines man-made artefacts with elements of the local flora and fauna, reflecting the intertwined human and natural histories of Atina in 2013. Through this piece, Whalley and Bell invite viewers to explore the layers of time, memory, and daily reality—blurring the lines between preservation, decay, storytelling, and playful irreverence.