In recent months, the Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE) has recorded a new season of the podcast Who What Preserves together with Horens, a collective of audio makers. This time not in the depot of the Collection Center Netherlands, but at several locations across the country. Who What Preserves is a podcast that makes the National Collection accessible in an approachable way.
Country Estates
The three episodes that have now been published focus on three locations where part of the National Collection can be found: in the halls of Castle Slangenburg, in the childrens room of the Hunting Lodge Sint Hubertus, and in the former studio Witsenhuis. Together with the Curator of Old Applied Arts, Yuri van der Linden, the podcast makers walk through these special locations and learn about the collection found there. They go up to the attic, visit a childrens room with special furniture, and go to places where visitors are usually not allowed.
Per Episode:
Castle Slangenburg
Together with his intern Ismel Rahou, curator Yuri is inventorying the estate of the castle. Lists are being sought where the numbers correspond with the inscriptions on the chairs, sofas, and desks. In this episode, listeners are asked to think about why we preserve materials and for whom.
Hunting Lodge Sint Hubertus:
In the Hoge Veluwe National Park stands the Hunting Lodge, a solid stone building in the shape of an antler. Until now, it has always been wholly attributed to the architect Hein Berlage. However, some furniture, such as that in the childrens room, does not seem to be of Berlages hand. During the design phase of the Hunting Lodge, Helene Kröller Müller wanted attention to be paid to the livability of the house. For this, she appointed a female architect, and we discuss her history with her granddaughter.
Witsenhuis:
On the Oosterpark in Amsterdam stands the artists house of Willem Witsen. The first floor of this house is still in its original state, his former studio. In the rest of the house, above and below the studio, talented writers may live for a maximum of five years to work on their oeuvre. The inventory of the studio and the rest of the house is managed by the RCE. This collection is not only managed but is also actively lived with. What does this mean for conservation? Together with Horens, a collective of audio makers, Yuri visits the Collection Center Netherlands and explains how this arrangement works using a desk as an example.
Colophon
The episodes of Who What Preserves can be listened to on all podcast platforms and can be found on the RCE website. This is the fifth season of the podcast series. In previous seasons, topics such as Women in the Collection, artist duos, and artist collectives have already been reviewed.
The RCE is happy to engage in collaborations such as with Horens to increase the visibility of the National Collection RCE. The collection contains over 120,000 (art) objects, of which one third has been loaned to museums, cultural institutions, ministries, Dutch embassies, and governments. The remaining part is in the depot at the Collection Center Netherlands (CC NL) in Amersfoort and is available for loan. The podcast provides accessible insight into the work involved in preserving and lending art: from researcher to transporter and from artist to curator. Who What Preserves is accessible to a wide audience of art lovers and does not require extensive prior knowledge. Horens takes the listener on their search for the hidden stories of the depot.
Editorial Team: Horens consists of Floris van Bergeijk, Daniel Teunissen, Lieven Heeremans, Corinne Heyrman, Joost Van Pagée, and Jozien Wijkhuijs.
Additional information about the RCE can be obtained from Adinda van Wely: a.van.wely@cultureelerfgoed.nl or 0611364810.
More information about the podcast can be found at: https://www.cultureelerfgoed.nl/wiewatbewaart.
Or listen directly at: https://app.springcast.fm/podcast/wie-wat-bewaart