Test
The reciprocal mix Bringing heritage to the streets Presentation at the conference Superdiversity in Dynamic Cities New Challenges for the Cultural Sector Lantaren/Venster, Rotterdam ‐ October 11, 2011
Nancy Jouwe, director Kosmopolis Utrecht
today’s talk •intro •our working method when doing cultural heritage projects: Lombok Linkages and China festival Utrecht •results: what do the examples tell us
intro (1) •Kosmopolis is a cultural platform, set up November 2006 in NL •The context: Western fear of the Muslim ‘other’ had obtained a Dutch
face through the murder of Dutch opinion maker Theo van Gogh. •The reason: counter the rise of polarization between ethnic groups through the power of art/culture. Hence, Kosmopolis was set up, and now operates in Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. •Our corebusiness: create artistic productions that display the current real life and diverse dynamics of present‐day larger Dutch cities. •Our core value: diversity = quality
intro (2) • concept of Intersectionality (Krenshaw 1989, Wekker 2001) • premises: • diaspora communities are important stakeholders but often do not have control over
their own (tangible) heritage and how it is presented
• A more open view of tangible heritage is needed (dynamic usage, with multiple meanings, not
just on display, but with a story to tell)
• Both tangible and intangible heritage are important • Cultural heritage is a way of historicizing culture but also works as a display of current‐ day dynamics of Diaspora communities, esp. through intangible heritage (song, dance, lifestories). A shared albeit dynamic cultural identity is celebrated and strengthened, it reinforces our cultural identity or sense of who we are as a people. Thus cultural heritage works as an empowerment tool.
Intro (3) Stakeholders that we work with on heritage topics •Museums/heritage organizations • Universities/research institutes: scientists/scholars • representatives + talents/artists of migrant/diaspora communities • Artists • Curatorial platforms eg. Framer Framed, Unfixed These different positions can be intermingled
work method When working on cultural heritage projects, our working process involves: • involving diaspora communities as stakeholders, co‐curators, working in a co‐creative working process; • working in neighbourhoods in the city, that are in some way historically connected with the heritage topic as well as linking up with the city centre; • working with a mixture of intangible and tangible heritage as well as mixing high and popular art, and vernacular culture.
Lombok Linkages, 2009
Lombok Linkages Factsheet • Partners: Kosmopolis
Utrecht, foundation Papua Cultural Heritage,
Museum Maluku • Aim: bringing the his/stories behind the streetnames in neighbourhood Lombok to life. Referring to the colonial past of the Netherlands and current postcolonial dynamics . • partners included key figures of the postcolonial communities involved: ie Indo European, Moluccan and Papuan communities; visual artists; inhabitants and entrepeneurs of the neighbourhood, the Central Museum, the city library, Utrecht‐based choirs, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, debate centre Tumult, activists • activities: a literary festival, a community art project, film +debate, an art route and a GPS tour, a homecooking event; poetry performances, webmovies, a photo exhibition and a website • 4500 visitors, 500 participants, local and national media coverage • spin off: GPS route is taken over by café Kopi Susu, a photobook on Papuans in the Netherlands is being made; discovery of mispelling of a streetname in Lombok, namely Sapoeracourt (Sapoerahof), instead of Saparoeascourt. The streetname committee was notified who then apologized for the mistake. It was a case in point of being out of touch with our own shared colonial history.
Lombok Linkages, 2009
Lombok Linkages, 2009
China Festival Utrecht, 2010
CFU Factsheet • partners: Kosmopolis Utrecht, foundation Lay Yin, community museum WIJKC • aim: celebrating 100 years of Chinese community in the Netherlands • partners included key figures of the chinese community; visual artists (Chinese, Dutch and Korean); inhabitants of the neighbourhood, the Municipal Theatre, Chinese School Utrecht, theatre makers. • we used important milestones in Chinese celebrations to set up the program • activities: Chinese New year celebration, cooking and lampion workshops, exhibition of Chinese boarding house, photo exhibition of Chinese businesswomen, Moonfest; performances predominantly Chinese • 9000 visitors (50% Chinese), 500 participants, local, regional and Chinese TV coverage • spin off: many of the individuals involved started organizing their own cultural events both in Utrecht and other cities, RASA centre for World music and dance took over the annual Chinese New Year celebration, GPS tour taken over by the community museum
Linken Leggen Lombok, 2009
China festival Utrecht, 2010
China festival Utrecht, 2010
China festival Utrecht, 2010
China Festival Utrecht, 2010
results (1) As a result, the projects show that cultural heritage can simultaneously be shared, contested, unknown and even be considered ‘hot’
results (2) shared because it is actually something that we literally share in the Netherlands, involving at least a geographical, infrastructural or time/space connection;
results (3) unknown, because in the Netherlands we know little of or have a limited conceptual framework to understand migrant histories, colonial and postcolonial history, and current‐day urban (superdiverse) dynamics
results (4) contested because how the story is told or framed really depends on who tells the story (position, powerrelations, interpretation, interest), often resulting in colliding frames
results (5) Hot, because forms of vernacular culture (karaoke, storytelling, cooking events, tattoos) display current‐day cultural dynamics or trends, that are appealing to different publics.
Conclusion: a reciprocal mix that works Through working with a mix of partners, who have equally important roles the sum becomes better than the parts and the content more dynamic. On an organizational level we also get something out of it: individual partners • develop working experience and broaden their networks, getting noticed is key • get more business opportunities, other cultural organizations hire them • develop more self‐confidence to actually create + realize their own creative ideas
• institutions and platforms such as ourselves • learn new stories, broaden scopes, broaden networks, reach new/mixed public • learn what is important in terms of topics, how to address and organize them
• Together we’ve created a more inclusive project, which gives room to multiple perspectives; cultural heritage = layered, complex, empowering
For example
Symposium Gedeeld Erfgoed (Shared Heritage), May 20, 2011, Museum Maluku, Utrecht
Slavery: the Utrecht connection?!
Lantarenconsole Oudegracht 18, Utrecht
Test Thanks for listening! www.kosmopolisutrecht.nl +join our monthly newsletter http://kosmopolisutrecht.blog.com/ www.linkenleggenlombok.nl www.chinafestivalutrecht.nl Twitter: @Kosmo030 @NancyJouwe