From exhibitions to visions of the future
The first half of 2024 is almost over. A good moment for director Henry Timisela to take you through all the highlights at Museum Maluku so far, and to look ahead to what the year still has in store.
Dear reader,
Summer is finally getting under way and, while the sun shines on the museum, I would like to take the time to look back on a remarkable first half of this year. Our exhibitions have not only brought the collections to life, but have also had a wonderful impact on our visitors. Even if I say so myself. Whenever I walk into the museum café and strike up a conversation with visitors, I often notice a great deal of enthusiasm!
One of the highlights was the exhibition Uitgepakt, in which we reconstructed a Moluccan residential barrack from the 1950s. This reconstruction brought a flood of memories to the surface among our visitors. Grandparents told their grandchildren about life in the camps, which gave them a better understanding of their Moluccan family history. Non-Moluccan visitors, too, gained a striking picture of how Moluccans were received after their arrival in 1951. It was really beautiful, and often moving, to see how this exhibition got conversations going, not only within families but also between different communities. This is, among other things, what Museum Maluku stands for.
The exhibition Uitgepakt: Van kist naar kast, on show earlier this year.
These interactions and memories have left an impression that will hopefully last. In fact, we are receiving more and more requests from Moluccan communities across the country to exhibit parts of our collection. In Deventer, Groningen and Nistelrode, for example. Often these requests are made on the occasion of anniversaries of Moluccan communities in those places. It is therefore an honour to see how our collection builds a bridge between past and present and contributes to celebrating our shared history.
Our mobile exhibition Gedeelde Geschiedenis during the 60th anniversary of the Moluccan neighbourhood De Wijert in Groningen.
Our collaboration with the Moluccas themselves is also going well. We are convinced there is more to discover from each other and to enrich our collections with. Although this is a long-term project, it is good to report that we are investing fully in this collaboration with, for example, Museum Siwalima in Ambon. At the same time we are working hard behind the scenes on digitising our archives, which offers an exciting prospect for the future. I will be happy to tell you more about this later.
Working together with the research team of Museum Siwalima.
But let us also look ahead to what is on the programme after the summer holidays. We have new productions planned, such as a video podcast about intangible heritage called Unboxing. In addition there will be a livestream with Bahasa Basudara Cafe in Ambon, and a brand-new exhibition in which young Moluccan artists reflect on colonialism and slavery in the Moluccas. Here too it is inspiring to see how these young artists share their perspectives and thus contribute to a broader understanding of our history.
During this summer period we proudly present the video installation by Mano Som, entitled MALUKU 2.0. This installation offers a modern view of dance within our culture and history, and we are enormously proud to share it with you.
Still from the video installation MALUKU 2.0.
While we enjoy the warm days, it is clear that Museum Maluku is more than a repository of objects. Truly. It is more than that. It is a lively (digital) meeting place where memories are shared and stories are told. Let us use this summer to reflect on our past, enjoy the present and look ahead with enthusiasm to what is to come.
I wish you all a wonderful summer and hope to welcome you to our museum soon!
Henry Timisela Director Museum Maluku
