We communicate the importance of carved stones through their presentation. The use of high-quality designs and materials and well-maintained settings subliminally conveys the value of stones. Good physical or (virtual web-based) access shapes engagement. It allows viewers to experience and respond to the intrinsic qualities and materiality of stones. People are invited to explore and enjoy them on their own terms, creating their own values and significances.
Carved stones offer a ready sense of place both in and out of a landscape context. Presentations that link stones, sites and landscapes (either physically or virtually) so they become part of a journey increase understanding and access (see for example The Cradle of Scotland: Case Study 19; Faith in Cowal: Case Study 12; Elgin Cathedral: Case Study 21; the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe European Cemeteries Route). More detailed studies are needed into the ways presentation influences people’s experience of heritage and the implications this holds for displaying stones in different contexts or using different media. What happens, for example, when new spaces and new activities are created for carved stones in terms of increasing viewers’ accessibility and knowledge (see e.g. Figure 21)?
