Video testimonials from museums and ICH-practitioners

This collection of video testimonials from museums and practitioners of intangible cultural heritage, includes information about different types of collaborations, linking intangible heritage to museums in a multitude of ways and from a multitude of perspectives. 

Luc Rombouts, on carillon culture and his collaboration with museum PARCUM (BE)

"There is not one formula that always works. Every local situation is different. But with creativity and open-mindedness it should be perfectly possible to unite the world of the museum and the world of the intangible cultural heritage. And to let them reinforce each other."

Fatima Oulad Thami, henna artist, looking for ways to connect with museums (NL)

"I would love to work with a museum where I could demonstrate the tradition: play the songs so that people can hear them and can feel and experience what the henna tradition is like. I could show the material things that are related, but all the more I would like people to experience this living heritage."

Cassa Lussu, organisation comitted to transmitting traditional handweaving, on their work with the Armungia Museum (IT)

“Inside the Armungia Museum, a weaving workshop is set up. The idea is to create a museum that is not only a place for exhibitions and for the conservation of objects, like in the most classic approach of museography, but a place of initiative, transmission and safeguarding of knowledge.”

Patrice Schlatter, on his knowledge of avalanche risk management, and his collaboration with the Swiss Alpine Museum (CH)

“With the Alpine Museum I collaborated on an exhibition on avalanche knowledge management. The exhibition was practical: visitors could test and do things, as a way to try and share this knowledge and incorporate the visitor.”

Paul Terral, committed to transmitting maritime musical heritage, on his collaboration with the Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires (FR)

“The dream that I have for all the museums in France, Europe or the world, is to always be linked to the identity of the territory where they are located. And to be connected to a practice that makes sense for the community in relation to that territory. We are all bearers of a culture, and this culture exist of practices. There is a difference between museums that we only visit with our eyes (to consume and receive), or one where there is a practice in which we can really give something of ourselves. And there are thousand ways to do this.”

Marijke Wienen from Museum Hof van Busleyden, about the role of the museum in achieving inclusiveness, participation and sustainability through intangible heritage (BE)

The collaboration with ‘Reuzen Mechelen’ and the museum is a good example of how we work with intangible cultural heritage. The historical giants are part of the museum’s collection, they only go out every 30 years in the ‘Ommegang’. In collaboration with the organization ‘Work Care’ raincoats for the giants were made from fabric of old tents that were left at summer festival. The people from ‘Work Care' got to get a glimpse from a completely unknown tradition to them, and our giants got better care and were able to go out more often even when the weather wasn’t so good.”

Céline Chanes, from the Fédération des Ecomusées et des Musées de Société about a travelling exhibition about intangible heritage (FR)

“What seems very important for a society museum, a museum that is rooted in the practices and territory of today, is to really make the link with contemporary social issues and thus to work closely with the communities that claim this intangible cultural heritage, that bring it to life, that transmit it, and finally, that make it evolve.”

Marjan Ruiter from the Zeeuws Museum, on the way in which the museum supports the transmission of craft knowledge (NL)

“When we started the CRAFTS project, we immediately created a crafts area in the museum. A place where people can practice crafts themselves, but where people can also see how things are made. Because in this way, a visit to our museum is not only a visual experience, not only a passive experience, but it becomes an active experience. It gives you much more respect for what crafts really are.”

Allessandra Broccolini and Claudio Gnessi, from the Ecomuseo Casilino ad Duas Lauros (Rome), on the interconnectedness of all heritage types (IT)

"The Ecomuseo Casilino is not a traditional museum. In fact we are not in a museum right now. We are not in a box with collections and showcases. Instead we are in a fairly innovative project: a diffused museum. It assumes the territory as the heritage. With guided tours we try to connect the different ‘heritage points’ of this territory, whether they are material or intangible. From our point of view, it makes no sense to organize a tour within the ecomuseum-territory if the heritage that we connect through our itinerary isn’t recognized immediately by the citizens. It is not a dividing but a common heritage. We try to connect what seems distant from each other, like a work of street art and a plate of pasta. We highlight how they are connected like a palimpsest of senses and meanings that are changing over time."

Diana Tenconi (Museo di Leventina, Giornico) on how they involved the local inhabitants in an exhibition on winter sports culture (CH)

“The exhibition was born from the idea of involving the people of the valley from the first phase of set-up. For this reason we interviewed several people who practice winter sports and are involved in this sports culture. Besides gathering valuable information from them, we asked them to participate with interviews and also lending us their objects. All this material was used to create the exhibition. Here you can also find a ‘Stammtisch’, a place where people come after the ski days to discuss. It's a very important place for the valley’s social life.”

Videography: ©️Pien van Grinsven