Contemporary Collecting

This is the blog of the ICOM-COMCOL Working Group on Contemporary Collecting. We welcome contributions by anyone who likes to participate in our exploration of this fascinating museological phenomenon.

[contemporarycollecting]

[contemporarycollecting]

Die Musealisierung der Gegenwart

Einladung

zur Buchpräsentation mit Vortrag

am 9. Mai 2014 um 17 Uhr

im Haus der Geschichte, Bonn

PROGRAMM

Begrüßung

Dr. Dietmar Preißler, Stiftung Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Bonner Gesellschaft für Volkskunde und Kulturwissenschaften e. V.

Vortrag

Prof. Dr. Paul van de Laar, Museum Rotterdam, Collecting and connecting. Rethinking contemporary heritage.

Buchpräsentation

Gespräch mit den Herausgeberinnen Dr. Sophie Elpers und Anna Palm M. A.

Sektempfang

Moderation: Verena Lammert M. A., WDR

Veranstaltungsort: Haus der Geschichte, Willy-Brandt-Allee 14, 53113 Bonn, ÖPNV: U-Bahn Linien 16, 63 und

66, Haltestelle Heussallee/Museumsmeile

Anmeldung bitte bis zum 5. Mai 2014 bei Anna Palm: [email protected]

[contemporarycollecting]

First Dutch Vehicle Registration Card Becomes Heritage on Day off Issue

The Netherlands change to a new vehicle registration card, plastic instead of paper. The first card was issued for the Toyota 200GT in the collection of the Louwman Museum in Den Haag. That way it became part of the collection right away and can be considered cultural heritage. A fine example of contemporary collecting.

The Toyota 200GT is a remarkable car, only 337 were manufactured and it can be considered a turning point in the self esteem of the Japanese automotive industry. The Toyota 220GT featured in the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice which is an interesting anecdotal fact in this case. The Louwman Toyota 200GT was taken out of the world of motoring by turning it into a museum object. Now the Louwman Toyota is licensed to be driven again on the public road. Heritage as the second life of objects. Museum objects getting a second life in real life. Very much to the point, especially considering that Mr. Louwman made his fortune by importing Toyota's.

[contemporarycollecting]

Bitcoins

Bitcoins, a virtual currency, are booming business. Invented in 2009, they are now a hype, spurred by the uncertainties of the banking crisis. Read Kevin Roose in the New York Magazine about his acquisition of a bitcoin. Interestingly enough the British Museum collected a 'coined' version of the bitcoin, made by Mike Caldwell. Doe the BM have a real bitcoin in the collection? Or is that to difficult to collect and keep?

[contemporarycollecting]

Bitcoin, reverse side, made by Mike Caldwell. British Museum, Coins & Metals department  inventory number 2012,4040.4. Donated by Mike Caldwell.

[contemporarycollecting]

Bitcoin, solid version, front side, made by Mike Caldwell. Collection British Museum, Coins & Metals department. Registration number  2012,4040.4. Donated by Mike Caldwell.

[contemporarycollecting]

already the removal is commented. No misunderstanding about how the collectors action is judged.

[contemporarycollecting]

The Banksy mural was not just a thing the neighbourhood valued and treasured. It attracted people from everywhere. It was an example of art putting a place on the map. In that way it was far more then a simple gift from Banksy to the community. Banksy did something that changed the image the people had of themeselves.

[contemporarycollecting]

Who's art is this? Banksy mural removed and put up for sale.

Banksy is probably the most famous graffiti artist and a very daring, provocative and creative opinionator. In the Netherlands graffiti is nominated for listing as intangible heritage, the city of Eindhoven campaigning to be the Dutch capital of graffiti. However, graffiti can be just as material as any fine art, as is demonstrated by the online auction of a Banksy mural in Miami, estimated at a 450.000 pounds. The piece came from Wood Green in London and was 'robbed' by an anonymous collector, much to the grief of the neighbourhood. "We want our Banksy back", says councillor Alan Strickland, "the community feels that this art was given to us, for free, now it's been taken away to be sold for huge profit." Graffiti as art, owned by the community, cherished and appreciated. And sought after by international collectors. Is this the corrupting force of collecting?

[contemporarycollecting]

Banksy, 'Slave Labor (Bunting Boy)' 2012, mural created on the occasion of the Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, unexpectedly removed and put up for sale. 

[contemporarycollecting]

Selling Barbed Wire from WOII Camp Amersfoort stops after protest

WOII camp Amersfoort, in use by the Nazi's from 1941 - 1945 as a 'Durchgangslager' presents an exhibition of archeological finds. The camp has been demolished (almost) completely after 1945, so archeological finds are the only remaining authentic objects from this dark period, in which more than 35.000 persons have been transported to concentration camps. Camp Amersfoort features in the work of the Dutch painter and poet Armando, who coined the name 'guilty landscape' for places that 'accomodated' crimes against humanity.

At the occasion of the exhibition the management of Camp Amersfoort issued 50 memory boards with a piece of barbed wire mounted on it. The barbed wire was one of the archeological finds in the recent excavations. Every board was to be sold for 10 euro to support the conservation of the collection. However, numerous protests on the day of release have made the management withdraw the memory boards for general sale. Now they can only be bought on special request.

The management of Camp Amersfoort is puzzled by the reaction of the public. "I don't understand it", says the director, "earlier pieces of wood from the baracks of camp Vught have been sold, just as pieces from the Berlin Wall. We did not expect it to be so touchy."

[contemporarycollecting]

[contemporarycollecting]

Theaster Gates created an impressive art work by recreating the Huguenot House in Kassel, Germany, at the documenta 13.

[contemporarycollecting]

Theaster Gates

Theaster Gates is an artist, curator and urban activist whose work aims to galvanise communities and act as a catalyst for social change. For this exhibition, Gates has created a multi-faceted installation that investigates themes of race and history through sculpture, installation, performance and two-dimensional works exhibited both inside and outside of the Bermondsey site. The exhibition furthers the artist's interest in a critique of social practice, shared economies and the question of objects in relation to political and cultural thought.

[contemporarycollecting]

[amamblog]

Join us for our next “First Thursday” evening hours on November 1, for a very special evening. Starting at 5:30 pm, Audrey Flack, a pioneer of Photorealism and a nationally recognized painter and sculptor will give a lecture titled: 

Women  the Passion and the Sorrow  in conjunction with the exhibition, “Religion, Ritual and Performance in Modern and Contemporary Art.“ Afterwards, the galleries will remain open until 8pm, and light refreshments will be served. Oberlin College student docents will be on hand to answer questions about the exhibitions and works from the collection.  This talk is sponsored by the AMAM and the Art Department Ellen Johnson Fund. 

[vicemag]

Every tattoo tells a story and has a story—that’s two stories per tat! So every month we stop someone on the street and ask them to “tell us ’bout them tats!” We even say it just like that, with a southern accent. It gets people to open up. This month we stopped Gordon Penniweather in Park Slope, and he filled us in on the story behind a few of his many tats. Thanks, Gordon—for the great stories and the cool tats! THE SUSSMAN BACK TAT “Basically, I was drunk and made a bet on a baseball game with some guy in a bar. Can’t remember his first name, but his last name was Sussman. Funny story—we almost got into a fight because he was talking shit about my beloved White Sox, and in the course of stepping outside to hammer each other, we started laughing because I realized he was talking shit about the Red Sox, who I also hate. There and then we decided to bro down by getting tats and spent the whole night in an all-night tattoo parlor with me getting his face on my back. We were supposed to meet up again the next night to get my face on his back, but… never happened.” THE “START TODAY” ARM “These three tats are actually connected. First, the bird happened. I was drunk and won a bet—this was at a poker game held in a tattoo shop. Anyway, some asswipe didn’t have the cash to cover his raise so he used his credit card to reimburse me for my win and let me pick any tattoo I wanted from a certain section. I wanted the Dude from Lebowski, but that cost too much. My girlfriend at the time was kind of cuckoo, so she chose the bird. Below that is the girlfriend—I can’t remember her name. It might have been Birdy or… Bethany? Something. She HAD a name, I know that much. I got it so I’d always remember who had picked out the bird tattoo. The “Start Today” thing on my wrist is a reminder to start saving to have tattoo-removal surgery done on most of my body. Pretty funny, if you think about it. I try not to think about it.”

CONTINUE