Life in Old Things

A Collection of Found Artifacts

Sign for keeping track of pig feeding in the store

The word Artifact comes from Latin: arte ‘by or using art’ + factum ‘something made’

During the process of restoration, fascinating artifacts were found in the store and the fishing stage. It is possible to imagine the activities that once animated these buildings through observing and handling these objects.

Our photographs seek to capture their strange shapes, rich patina and various textures in their original setting. We learn that the fishing stage and the store accommodated a great variety of activities other than their main function as fish salting station, including boat building and maintenance, shoe making, pig farming, wood working and net-knitting to name a few.

To identify these objects, we spoke to the architect Kingman Brewster and the builders Freeman, Jeff and Jack who provided the objects’ names and functions.

Freeman holding a broom: “Here we call them Go Witty.”

Left: Freeman demonstrating the use of a hoop for carrying buckets of drinking water. Right: Lever to pump up ocean water for fish cleaning

Left: Handmade sign and kerosene bucket. Middle: Workbench next to the exit to the flake. Right: shoe last for man, woman and baby next to the door frame

Left: Second floor of the Store. Right: Old stove and scale, with weights in the can.

Old iron with detachable handle.

Handle for Stove Lid.

Wooden net needle.

Left: Freeman holding a sling rock for weighting down gill nets. Middle: old key with a spool to keep the keychain afloat. Right: old cork float used with gill net.

Freeman demonstrating the use of a fish prong.

Left: hook with weight. Right: old-fashioned hand cast jigger.

Left: Squid Jigger. Right: Norwegian Jigger

Jack demonstrating the “dip” action using the capelin dip-net.

Left: Berry scoop for berry picking, jigger framework with fishing line, and float. Right: float and an oil funnel made from half of a float

Left: Bait box sitting on a rectangular “Punchin’Tub”. Right: Bait box for hanging on the side of a boat

Fish measuring boards, used for measuring the size of the catch.

Freeman explains how this piece was used to support a whole pig on the roof beam.

Baby Quilt Frame stored between the floor joists of the store.

About Shorefast

Shorefast is a registered Canadian charity based on Fogo Island, Newfoundland, which operates with a mission to build economic and cultural resilience on Fogo Island.

We have committed to preserving and to carrying forward the knowledge contained in Fogo Island’s traditional small wooden boat, the punt. As part of that commitment, we are restoring a fishing premises in the community of Joe Batt’s Arm. Comprising a family house, two fisherman’s lofts, a fishing stage, and a new floating dock to launch and haul up punts, the property will become known as the Punt Centre.

Here on this blog, you can follow the progression of this heritage restoration and learn about traditional outport Newfoundland architecture, and in so doing, explore the balance between heritage and modern restoration, people and architecture, design and purpose, as well as culture and locality.

www.shorefast.org / fb: @ShorefastFogoIsland / t: @shorefastFI / insta: @shorefastfogoisland