Between 7 and 8 October, the Art of Remembrance artists came together in Brussels for a mid-point workshop part of the EU-funded project led by Tempora and developed together with a consortium of six partners. The workshop was held at the LRE Foundation‘s office and brought together the project’s artists, who exchanged first impressions on their host sites and residencies, shared the progress of their artistic explorations, and began shaping ideas for the upcoming traveling exhibition.
All four artists have by now spent the first residency period at their respective host sites and were able to report on their experiences there. Gail Ritchie from Northern Ireland was chosen for the History Centre La Coupole near Saint-Omer in France. Finnish visual artist Juhana Moisander realises his creative project at the Sybir Memorial Museum in Białystok, Poland. Rebekka Bauer, a German artist experienced in installations is working with the Nuto Revelli Foundation in Paraloup, a hamlet serving as a refuge for WWII resistance fighters in Piedmont, Italy. French photographer Raphaël Dallaporta is in residence at the Bastogne War Museum in Belgium.
During the workshop, the artists reflected on their journeys so far and highlighted their experiences engaging with local communities, attending events, and meeting students. Each artist presented the early stages of their work, offering glimpses into the diverse approaches and themes emerging from the residencies. The day continued with collaborative discussions led by Tempora’s Isabelle Benoît, the project’s curator, focusing on the conceptual direction of the future exhibition.
On October 8, after a productive day of presentations and exhibition planning, the group visited the House of European History. There, Professor Pieter Lagrou from Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) sparked a thought-provoking exchange on public history and the importance of developing new narratives to make history more accessible and engaging for diverse audiences. The visit continued with a guided tour of the museum’s temporary exhibition, ‘Presence of the Past – A European Album,’ led by curator Simina Bădică. The artists had the chance to draw inspiration for the traveling exhibition from this display of pictures that takes a fresh and bold perspective on collective memory and its cultural expressions.
