 | Welcome to our second Sharing Heritage Expertise newsletter! This time we will explore the quick scan method, a useful instrument for professionals working with historical urban contexts. We will introduce you to the Archaeology Discipline of the University of Western Australia, a busy department working on several projects with international and multidisciplinary partners. And to finish off – stay up to date with our recent and upcoming projects and activities happening around the world. We wish you a good read!
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 | | The quick scan method for Historical Urban Landscapes |
| In November 2017, the Japan-Netherlands Architectural Cultural Association, together with the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) and Space and Matter, organised a workshop on the revitalisation of the historical core of the city of Hirado, in Japan. The workshop was requested by the Municipality of Hirado, and was carried out with a group of students from local universities, with the support of the Netherlands Embassy in Tokyo. Based on the Historic Urban Landscape approach, this workshop aimed to define the development potentials of Hirado’s historical core. In order to do so, it made use of a method known as quick scan. Our feature article explores this practical method to explain when and how it is applied, and why it is a useful instrument for professionals working with historical urban contexts.
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 | | Meet our partner, the Archaeology Discipline at the University of Western Australia |
| In March, Martijn Manders (head of the Maritime Programme of the RCE) met with Alistair Paterson from the University of Western Australia (UWA). Alistair works within the UWA’s Archaeology Discipline (School of Social Sciences) and is involved in several archaeological and museological projects. The UWA is an important partner for those working on Shared Cultural Heritage because, on the one hand, Western Australia has had significant contact with the European world; on the other, the UWA is very focused on the Indo-Pacific region and thus has diverse expertise related to this area as well as vital connections with countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan.
The UWA’s Archaeology Discipline carries out multidisciplinary research on different topics, which often involves collaborations with national and international partners. An example of that is the project ‘Shipwrecks of the Roaring Forties: A maritime archaeological reassessment of some of Australia’s earliest shipwrecks’, of which Alistair Paterson is overall project leader. It aims at re-investigating early European wrecks on the Australian West coast, through new methods and techniques. Four of the shipwrecks are Dutch – Batavia (1629), Zeewijk (1727), Zuiddorp (1712) and Vergulde Draak (1656) – and thus the RCE is a partner in this project through its Shared Cultural Heritage Programme. If your institution could benefit from such a collaboration, contact details can be found on the UWA's website. The University hopes it can continue to establish such collaborations with more international partners.
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| Development of training for museum professionals on the presentation of contested histories \\ 2018 – 2020 \\ The Reinwardt Academy (Paul Ariese and Ruben Smit) and the RCE (Arjen Kok) are developing a training for young museum professionals from the Shared Cultural Heritage (SCH) partner countries and the Netherlands on the (re)presentation of contested histories. Developed in collaboration with the SCH partners of the RCE, the first module is planned for the second half of 2018. The training will consist of a three-year trajectory, in which participants are supported in the development of a layered museum display where difficult aspects of shared histories are presented in a way that aims to enable a space for dialogue and the integration of multiple perspectives.
Pilot Project – Heritage of Slavery in the RCE Art Collection \\ April - October \\ Hanna Pennock and Simone Vermaat (RCE) \\ One of the RCE’s key points of interest is the National Collection, part of which is supervised by the RCE and kept in their department in Rijswijk. One of the themes of the SCH policy of the Dutch government is the identification of mutual historical perspectives, which are also associated with the history of colonialism and slavery. In museum collections, objects related to colonialism and slavery are not easily identified – historically, this information was seldom included in the object descriptions. The collection will be investigated on specific terms. This project also aims to recognise connections with slavery and colonialism that are not to be found in the digitized descriptions of the artworks. This will facilitate future research and exhibitions on the topic of slavery heritage.
Work trip to New York City and Albany (USA) \\ 4 – 8 March \\ Jinna Smit (RCE) travelled to New York City and Albany to discuss the collaboration with New York State Parks on Understanding Dutch Material Culture and Risk Management. Furthermore, the focus of the Netherlands Consulate-General in New York was discussed in relation to Shared Cultural Heritage, and options for collaboration with the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience were explored.
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| Heritage & Spatial Planning |
| Tectonic Wilhelmiens programme (South Africa) \\ April \\ Kees Somer and Marieke Kuipers (RCE) will travel to South Africa for this research programme. Led by South African scholars, it aims to discover the concealed history of Dutch involvement in South African architecture in the first half of the 20th century. This cooperation is a continuation of the earlier executed and successfully published programme on the South African-Dutch connection in 19th century architecture. RCE contributes to the programme by request of the South African scholars.
#AZA18: WeTheCity (South Africa) \\ April \\ Marieke Kuipers (RCE) will attend the workshop on the future perspectives for the contested shared heritage around Pretoria’s Church Square, the country’s most central public space. This project is matched by RCE by request of the University of Pretoria, to be considered a follow-up to the lasting cooperation regarding the revitalisation of Pretoria’s historical core, as started in 2009.
Supporting the Bandung-Studio (Indonesia) \\ 2 – 9 April \\ The Bandung-Studio is carried out by the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB-Bandung) together with Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), a collaboration initiated by the Dutch Embassy in Indonesia. Jean-Paul Corten (RCE), in collaboration with the Bandung Heritage Society, will host one of the workshops during the studio, aimed at defining the development potentials of Bandung’s historical features.
Work trip to Sri Lanka \\ 10 – 15 March \\ Requested by the Ministry of Megapolis and the Urban Development Authority of Sri Lanka, Jean-Paul Corten (RCE) travelled to Sri Lanka to discuss the outline, content and case studies for the Course on Urban Heritage Strategies for Sri Lankan professionals, to be executed in August this year, in the Netherlands.
Russian film makers visit fortress cities in the Netherlands for inspiration for upcoming documentary \\ March \\ The Russian film makers Anton Polevoda and Ivan Sidelnikov have taken the initiative to make a documentary about the fortifications of Rostov Veliki and the role of Dutch fortress builders in Russia in the 17th century. In March, they visited fortress cities in the Netherlands to get inspiration for their documentary which is expected to be released in October this year.
Intern at RCE – Mahrukh Munir \\ March – June \\ Originally from Pakistan and currently studying at the University of Amsterdam, Mahrukh will be carrying out research on UNESCO’s Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach. Her research questions include: what does the HUL mean? What are best practices? And how is the HUL applicable in the Netherlands and the SCH Programme’s partner countries?
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| Documenting the Huis te Warmelo shipwreck – meetings on methodology (Finland) \\ 17 and 18 April \\ The documentation of the Huis te Warmelo shipwreck site will continue this summer. Meetings between the RCE (Martijn Manders and Robert de Hoop), the National Board of Antiquities and SubZone will first take place in Helsinki to discuss the non-intrusive/non-destructive documentation methods (e.g. filming and photographing) that will be used for the full 3D mapping and modelling of the site. Discussions will also involve issues of conservation, depositing finds, responsibilities and budget.
Shipwrecks of the Roaring 40’s (Australia) \\ 17 – 25 March \\ Research within this project continued in March with fieldwork on Beacon Island (Australia), the location where, in the 17th century, the crew of the Dutch East India Company’s (VOC) ship the Batavia stranded. Martijn Manders (RCE) joined this fieldwork.
Maritime Stepping Stones (MaSS) application now accessible online \\ 16 March \\ The MaSS application, developed by the RCE (Robert de Hoop and Willemien van de Langemheen) is a database of stories about wrecks and sites underwater. Following tests, the application can now be accessed online on http://mass.maritime-heritage.com.
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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 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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