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| Sharing Heritage Expertise |
No.11, March 2020 |
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.jpg?v=20200302110320 "Marcus Lodovicus Antonius Clifford (1670/75-1738), Adriana Wilhelmina Burlamacchi (1684-1760), 1730 (image: detail of photo by Margareta Svensson)") | | Welcome
to the first Sharing Heritage Expertise newsletter of 2020! Catch up on the
latest projects and activities of the Shared Cultural Heritage programme of the
Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE). And read about our partner,
the Anton de Kom University of Suriname, with whom we work together on Maritime
Archaeology projects. Some extra news: this year, the feature article has a new
focus! Instead of exploring an expertise of the RCE, the articles will present good
practices resulting from the fruitful and reciprocal work carried out in the
context of the international collaborative projects of the Shared Cultural
Heritage programme. |
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|  | | Feature article: creating a conceptual framework as a guideline for urban redevelopment |
| This article focuses on a good practice that resulted from a long-term
cooperation (2011-2019) between Brazil and the Netherlands in the framework of
the Shared Cultural Heritage programme. The project focused mainly on urban
planning and the redevelopment of Recife in Brazil. Founded in 1537, in the
seventeenth century Recife became the capital Mauritsstad of the colony of New
Holland. Its layout dates to this time, when Mauritsstad was built and provided
with bridges, dikes and canals to handle the geographic conditions: Recife is
situated in the delta of three rivers. This layout constitutes the basis for
Recife’s urban structure today and it embodies a shared heritage between Brazil
and the Netherlands. One practice that revealed itself particularly successful during
this Brazilian-Dutch exchange was the development of a conceptual framework, the
‘Water Tree’ concept, that guided discussions and reflections about Recife’s
urban redevelopment, as well as practical implementations.
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| .jpg?v=20200302110052 "Preparing to dive to investigate sunken tribal Maroon villages in the Brokopondo Stuwmeer 2016, Suriname (photo: Guno Kenneth Phag).") | | Meet our Partner, the Anton de Kom University |
| For several years, the Anton de Kom University (AdeK)
of Suriname and the RCE have been cooperating and developing capacity building
programmes for students and researchers in the Netherlands and Suriname in the
field of maritime archaeology and heritage. AdeK integrates a variety of
cross-disciplinary specialists that contribute with different types of
expertise to the understanding of the maritime archaeological record. Experts
in the geological sciences provide knowledge about historical geology and how
landscape changes might affect the archaeological record. For instance, a
coastal morphologist is currently assisting in a maritime archaeology project
to understand the rate and cycle of coastal degradation vs. growth at an 18th
and 19th century cotton plantation site. Such information allows AdeK to devise
management plans for the preservation of archaeological heritage in locations
subject to climate change.
Moreover, historical and archival experts provide
documentation about early European settlers and the construction of waterworks that
were conducive to the maintenance and proliferation of the plantocracy. AdeK
uses a community management model to gather oral historical accounts from
indigenous and tribal communities to learn about their historical presence and
contemporary uses of the changing maritime landscape. Collectively, this
expertise contributes to the understanding of the history of Suriname’s
maritime landscape. Furthermore, studies in coastal morphology that intersect
with historical and heritage research are translatable to other contexts with
environments affected by climate change. AdeK can provide prospective
researchers with access to government agencies a mandate for historical,
archaeological and maritime research, and basic personal diving gear. For interested
researchers and professionals, please contact Dr. Cheryl White, lecturer and coordinator for
archaeology in the Faculty of Humanities, Department of History. |
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| | | E-Magazine: Traces of Slavery and Colonial History in the Art Collection
RCE // The RCE
searched its art collection for traces of slavery and colonial history. This
research, undertaken within the context of the Shared Cultural Heritage
programme, started as a pilot project and lasted over a year. To avoid
its own blind spots, the RCE installed an Advisory Board with diverse
members. The first results are presented in a digital magazine, which includes a
report of how the research was done, and descriptions of 25 objects (such as
the painting in the header of this newsletter), each by three different
authors. The next step is to sort out the almost 2,000 objects that were
‘found’ in the collection relating to colonial history and to adjust
descriptions where they are incomplete, outdated, offensive, or derogatory.
Museum
Management Course in Gianyar, Bali (Indonesia) //
6-9 April // The Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia
requested this training course, which is a cooperation with the Embassy of the
Netherlands in Jakarta, the Reinwardt Academy and the RCE. Participants will
explore how digital information enables strategic collection management and
functional public exposure. More and more,
museums regard digital media as a structural need in areas such as public
outreach, education, information and conservation. This programme focuses on
four aspects within this topic: digital preservation and collection sharing;
collection identity and marketing; collections and storytelling; and
partnerships for (internal and external) communication. The training will be
given by Bart Boskaljon (RCE) and Simone Stoltz (Reinwardt Academy).
Workshops of the
train-the-trainer programme on Conservation of Museum Collections // 9-12 March // This
year will see the final workshops of the programme for museum professionals from South Africa, a collaboration between
the RCE and the South African Museums Association (SAMA). The workshop in March
will address the conservation of glass, ceramics and metal objects, and the
questions: how to recognise different materials and degradation processes, and
how to prevent and repair possible damages? Two venues will be involved: the
University of Pretoria and Ditsong Museums of South Africa (Pretoria). The
university started a Masters in conservation and restoration in September 2019
and thus is a partner of the programme. A team of experts from the Netherlands
will travel to Pretoria for the workshops: Ineke Joosten and Alexandra van
Kleef (RCE), Esther Meijer (Museum Bronbeek) and Roosmarijn van Beemen (Atelier
Van Beemen).
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| | Workshop on future perspective of Hirado (Japan) // 16-20 March // The town of Hirado was the Dutch East India Company’s
(VOC) first trading post in Japan. The historic town, located on the island of
Kyushu, currently faces a declining and aging population. Earlier cooperation
between Japan and the Netherlands identified the development potentials of Hirado’s
historic features, which can be used to regenerate its vitality. In this follow-up
workshop, the interests of the main local stakeholders will be explored, in
order to find a joint perspective for Hirado’s future. The RCE will conduct
this workshop upon request of the local authority, in close collaboration with
the Japan-Netherland Architects Cultural Association, and with the support of
the Embassy of the Netherlands in Tokyo.
World Urban Forum
2020 in Abu Dhabi
(UAE) // 8-13 February
// For the first time, and in collaboration with TU Delft (Ana Pereira
Roders) and the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies of the
Erasmus University Rotterdam (Remco Vermeulen and Carley Pennink), the RCE
(Jean-Paul Corten) participated in the WUF, a biennial event of UN-Habitat
about current urban developments. One of the main themes was ‘Urban
Planning & Heritage Preservation / Regeneration’, which shows the growing
importance of heritage in this field. The integrated heritage approach in
relation to urban planning and development is well established in Dutch
conservation practices. The purpose of the joint work session by the Dutch
partners was to explore the needs for Integrated Conservation, the potential role
of the Netherlands in this field on an international level, and to reflect on
how the three parties can work together towards that.
Exhibition and workshop on ‘Reuse, Redevelop and Design’ in Jakarta
(Indonesia) // The ‘Reuse,
Redevelop and Design’ exhibition opened on 23 January in the Erasmushuis in
Jakarta and was on show until the end of February. It is based on the homonymous
book that focuses on how the Dutch deal with heritage redevelopment. It shows how historical buildings that lost their initial functions
can be reused for a new purpose while retaining their historical features. The
exhibition and accompanying documentary have already travelled through Brazil,
Suriname, South Africa, Russia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Japan. The workshop on
the redevelopment of heritage in Jakarta took place between 3 and 7 February
and was a joint effort of the RCE and Trisakti University. 15 students delved
into the development potential of the former Mint Building in South Jakarta, upon
request of the property owner, who is exploring future perspectives. Mendel
Robbers from Schipper Bosch also participated in the workshop, at the invitation of the RCE.
Research on shared
architectural heritage in Cape Town (South Africa) // 26 January – 1 February // The ‘Tectonic Wilhelmiens’ project responds to a
request of the South African Heritage Resource Agency (SAHRA). The RCE collaborates
with the Universities of Pretoria and Cape Town, Witwatersrand University
Johannesburg, the City of Thswane, SAHRA, the National Department of Public
Works at Tshwane and the TU Delft. The project aims to identify and raise
awareness of the shared South African-Dutch built heritage in the provinces of
Gauteng and the Cape between 1902 and 1961; to identify potential archival
resources that may support further exploration and preservation of this
‘Tectonic Wilhelmiens’ architectural heritage; and to advise curators on issues
of conservation and selection. The research will result in a publication in
October, a sequel to the book ‘Eclectic ZA Wilhelmiens: A Shared Dutch Built Heritage in South Africa’. |
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| | | Expert meeting on the ratification of the UNESCO Convention on the Underwater Cultural Heritage Protection in
Curaçao // 29 January // Maritime archaeologists Martijn Manders and Leon
Derksen travelled to Curaçao on behalf of the RCE to attend an expert meeting
on the ratification of the UNESCO Convention. Archaeological authorities
and managers of marine parks in Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, St.
Eustatius and Saba were also present at the meeting held at Stichting NAAM (National Archeological Anthropological Memory Management). The
purpose was to discuss how best to ratify and implement the Convention for the
six countries of the Dutch Caribbean. The Netherlands has decided to ratify the
Convention, which applies to both the European and the Caribbean parts of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands. Discussions will be held on how to develop and
implement underwater cultural heritage management according to UNESCO’s
standards, with an emphasis on the specifications of each sub-area within the
Kingdom. The Netherlands is in the final phase of ratifying the
Convention, and its signing is planned for 2021. |
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| | Sharing Heritage Expertise is the newsletter of the Shared Cultural Heritage Programme of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands. This programme follows from the International Cultural Policy Framework of the Dutch government. Other organisations executing the national Shared Cultural Heritage Programme are DutchCulture and the National Archives of the Netherlands, and the Embassies of the Netherlands in the 10 partner countries. For more information on their activities, see their respective websites.
For more information, please visit our website (English and Dutch) or contact the editor, Sofia Lovegrove (lovegrove.sofia@gmail.com). We welcome comments and suggestions regarding the content of our newsletter. |
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