A Research Project in Haarlem and Leuven

In November 2015 M - Museum Leuven and Frans Hals Museum, De Hallen Haarlem (the Netherlands) organised the first part of the joined research project on the notion of 'transhistoricity'.

In Haarlem the colloquium focused on the collection in the transhistorical museum. In Leuven the focus will be on curatorial aspects.

The transhistorical exhibition

The symposium will bring together different perspectives - museological, curatorial, theoretical - on the subject of transhistoricity. The conference aims to answer to the following questions:

Can a transhistorical approach to exhibition making or collection display produce relevant new insights?
Does manoeuvring art objects into unchartered contexts – historically, materially, and ontologically - create different qualities to the objects?
What can we learn from historical artworks, when we study them through the lens of contemporary artistic production, or vice versa?
How can historical and contemporary works of art be combined in new meaningful ways, both for audiences, the museum as an institute and art in general?

Introduction organisation and moderator 10:00 – 10:15
Eva Wittocx, General Coordinator and Curator M – Museum Leuven

The transhistorical: a status quaestionis 10:15 – 10:45
Nicola Setari, Research associate KU Leuven and independent curator
A survey on the notion and concept of ‘transhistoricity’. What are historical examples and is it possible to formulate a (or several) definition(s)?

Keynote lecture 10:45 – 11:30
Ruth Noack

Q&A 11:30 – 11:45

Keynote lecture 11:45 – 12:30
Hendrik Folkerts,

Q&A 12:30 – 12:45

Lunch break 12:45 – 14:00

Case studies
14:00 – 14:20 Penelope Curtis, Director Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian

14:25 – 14:45 Kate Forde, Head of Exhibitons Wellcome Collection

14:50 – 15:10 Emilie Gordenker, Director Mauritshuis

15:15 – 15:35 Ronald Van de Sompel, Researcher and symposium associate at Oslo Pilot

15:40 – 16:00 Hilde Van Gelder, Associate Professor History of Art KU Leuven and Director of the Lieven Gevaert Research Centre for Photography, Art and Visual Culture

16:05 – 16:25 Xander Karskens, Curator Contemporary Art at De Hallen Haarlem

Round Table 16:30 – 17:15
Penelope Curtis, Kate Forde, Emilie Gordenker, Ronald Van de Sompel, Hilde Van Gelder, Xander Karskens
Moderated by Ann Demeester

Round up 17:15 – 17:45
Nicola Setari

Where: Museum M in Leuven, Belgium