The Memory of the Designed Landscape
Het Nieuwe Instituut invites designers, researchers, archive managers and policy-makers to exchange ideas about Dutch designed-landscape heritage. Valuable archival pieces are currently being lost because the Netherlands lacks a national policy and an obvious home for these materials. So what is a workable solution that fits the present time and the available resources? And how can we work towards a National Collection of Garden and Landscape Architecture?
4 March 2021 14:00 - 16:30
The majority of the landscape around us has been designed and shaped by human hands. Knowledge of the design process is of great importance for understanding today's landscape and thinking about future challenges. The materials preserved by the National Archives of the Netherlands, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Special Collections of Wageningen University & Research, and the regional and municipal archives is extremely valuable yet provides only a fragmented picture of Dutch garden and landscape architecture. In order to build on the past and allow it to play a role in future innovation, it is important to preserve and make these valuable materials accessible in a sustainable manner. Het Nieuwe Instituut has therefore begun a study on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science into a possible collections policy for garden and landscape architecture archives. The study will result in a recommendation to be presented to the minister in May 2021.
During this online expert meeting, we invite designers, researchers, archive managers and policymakers to contribute ideas about how to deal with our national designed-landscape heritage. What is a workable approach that fits the current period and the available resources? We will jointly explore a number of subjects, such as the concept of a network archive, the importance of education, research, access and debate, and the role of current design practice. The results of the meeting will contribute to refining the research and recommendations. Read more about the study here.
Programme
In the first part of the programme, we will present and discuss the research and draft recommendations. In the second part, we will explore these subjects in greater depth in smaller groups led by experts. More information will soon be available.