Finished first part of project

  After four months of collaborative work with the visitors of the museum, the initial part of the project is now closed. We did several activities with different groups of people: families, school groups, university students, adults, elders, etc. We collected a great amount of material that now is being organizing and studied. The experience of working with the people visiting the museum was not only satisfying but also enlightening, in the sense that they revealed to me ways of thinking and acting that I wouldn't have imagined. Now I realize, more than anything, this project was a learning process where play, trust and curiosity were the basic motivation to explore our own others.
   The second part of this artistic research will consist on exploring the artistic possibilities of the material produced in the first part. I will be reflecting on the images made by the visitors, and creating art works with them.
   Finally, I would like to thank all of the people who helped me during this months, especially the participants and the people of the Tropen Museum, who were essential in the whole process.

Video "Notes on the project: Our own other: An Archive for the Future"

This is the video was made to present the project in the context of an art fair. It represent my current reflections on the material and the experience of working with the visitors of the museum. It is not the final result of this research, but an attempt to organize and share the process with the public.

Please feel free to leave your comments. Also, if you want to participate in the project, contact us in the email ourownother@gmail.com

Second open day of activities!!! Monday 25th of April, from 13:30 to 16:30

If you are interested in participating in this project, just ask at the museum entrance where to find us.
You can also find the official invitation in English and Dutch at the desk.
If you need more information, just email us to ourownother@gmail.com

We will be waiting for you!

First open day of activities!!! This Sunday 10th of April, from 10hrs. to 14hrs.

If you are interested in participating in this project, just ask at the museum entrance where to find us.
You can also find the official invitation in English and Dutch at the entry.
If you need more information, just email us to ourownother@gmail.com

We will be waiting for you!

Welcome to the artistic project Our own other: An Archive for the future

Be part of an art project in the Tropenmuseum!

The Tropenmuseum hosts the art project ‘Our own other: An Archive for the future’ by visual artist Paula Salas from Chile. This is an artistic collaborative project between the artist and the visitors of the Tropenmuseum. Paula is currently undertaking an Artistic Research Master at the University of Amsterdam. She would like you to participate and gives you some background information about the project.

What would we look like to people unfamiliar with us? Imagine, in 150 years time: what would people see looking back at us? Can you imagine that your looks and behavior, which seem self-evident to you now, might appear strange to others? How would we represent ourselves to such strange eyes?

How long does the activity take?

15 to 30 minutes

Can everybody participate?

It’s free of charge and no special skills or tools are required.

You can work individually and also in small groups (5 max.).

Families with children are welcome to participate.

The minimum age for individual participants is 15

What am I going to do?

You are invited to portrait yourself and the people around you in different ways, using images available in the museum as a source of inspiration and starting point

Which materials do I use?

A photo camera, video camera, or paper and pencil will be provided as your materials

Is someone helping me?

Coordinator Paula will help you find your way, answer any questions you may have, and assist you where needed

What is the story behind the project?

This is an invitation to look at ourselves as if we were strangers. It is also an invitation to play with the ways we can represent ourselves. These issues occupy Paula Salas, and she invites you and other museum visitors to explore them with her in this project.

According to Paula Salas the Tropenmuseum provides a unique context to engage with modes of representation, since the museum has a long tradition of portraying people and cultures, and also a history of questioning how such portrayal is done.

What will happened with the images?

The images you and other museum visitors produce will be collected on an archive that will presented online in this blog (here, you can also see what other visitors produced, and you can post your own comments).

If you need more information, just email us to ourownother@gmail.com

The project has been set up as part of her Artistic Research Master at the Universiteit van Amsterdam. By participating you will agree with possible publication or/and exhibition of your image(s).

http://www.tropenmuseum.nl/art