Today’s young people are tomorrow’s decision-makers. Their opinion matters, which is why we want to give them a platform within Musea Brugge. They will decide which heritage buildings they find relevant enough to hand down to future generations.
Young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 years of age will be involved in the museum’s activities in a participatory manner. The youth crew will weigh in on the Musea Brugge’s collections, adding their own interpretation to this rich past and updating the stories and objects in our various locations. They will set to work with them, in their own way, bringing their own talent to the table, under the supervision of young artists and creatives.
The reopening of the Gruuthusemuseum, which closed for a five-year restoration, proved an excellent starting point for this participatory project, which has received financial support from the Flemish Community.
Musea Brugge recruited a group of young adults for an artistic project, in collaboration with the non-profit organisation De Batterie. The young people worked alongside the organisation and four artists, to determine how heritage has relevance for them today. They spent a few months immersing themselves in the renovated museum’s collection and story. Their task was to develop a contemporary interpretation of the building, the collection and the story of the Gruuthusepaleis (Gruuthuse palace).
The result of this process, a Gesamtkunstwerk, is shown in Studio +, the attic of the renovated Gruuthusemuseum.
The young adults presented their project results to the public on 24 May 2019 during the Exclusive Opening Night.
The process that these young adults applied during the project is just as important as the result they are showing in the museum. Their process, ideas and experiences have been captured in four short documentaries, that are linked to one part of the project.