Wim Hupperetz

Hupperetz (1966) studied Ancient History and Provincial Roman Archaeology at Radboud University in Nijmegen.  In 2004 he  defended his PhD thesis at he University of Tilburg  - on The memory of a street - Eighthundred years of living in the Visserstraat in Breda. Promotores were prof. dr. G.W.J. Rooijakkers and prof. dr. A.J. Bijsterveld.

He is a heritage specialist in the field of digital and new media, museology, (Roman and late medieval) archaeology, castles, housing culture, cultural landscape and urban environment focused on extra value by a multidisciplinary approach.

Specialities

- digital heritage research projects

- development of and research on historical and archaeological exhibitions
- advising on heritage related to museology, archaeology, cultural landscape and urban environment.
- multidisciplinary research: combining archaeology, historical research on archives and architectural history; specialized on museology, digital heritage, archaeology, castles and early modern citylife

Heritage institutions face major changes in the areas of digitisation, narrative, inclusivity, and participation. In this groundbreaking book Wim Hupperetz, an expert in the field of museums, heritage and digital curation, reflects on the challenge of change. How does a museum move from an object or a collection to storytelling, and what is the impact of digitisation on curatorship? How to assess the biography of a collection when you think of museums as a medium of memory? And in striving to achieve a participatory dialogue, what is the difference between collaborating and doing things together?

In six chapters, theory and practice are juxtaposed. Each chapter concludes with practical dos and don’ts. This book is also meant as a tribute to everyone who has contributed to the renovation of the Allard Pierson, the museum and knowledge institute where the collections of the University of Amsterdam are preserved and presented.

Museums, Heritage and Digital Curation is intended for heritage professionals and students who want to gain insight into the debate in a rapidly changing field.

"Wim Hupperetz, The memory of a street. Eight-hundred years of living in the Visserstraat in Breda
Summary [PhD thesis 2004 published by Matrijs (2004)

This research project is aimed at telling the story of the residents of a street located in an historical city centre. For this purpose, the history of the occupants of the houses in the Visserstraat, located in the city of Breda, has been studied. What have been the changes that the Visserstraat has been through in a spatial-fysical matter, in a social-economical matter or in the sense of the housing culture since the establishment of its first residents in the twelfth century, through to the commencement of the twenty-first century? These research questions are to be addressed in this dissertation.

The conducted study did not only yield interesting results with respect to the content of the findings – these will be elaborated upon in chapter seven – but it also led to a methodological quest aimed at answering four main questions. First of all, research efforts were aimed at establishing the size and span of the memory of one specific street, the Visserstraat in Breda. Two aspects can be distinguished for this purpose: the social-cultural proceedings and the spatial-fysical objects. Of both aspects sources are provided that can be used as the fundaments of a memory. In turn that memory can give rise to specific recollections that are closely related to historical notions. Three sorts of historical notions can be specified, which can be linked to three different time-levels, as described by Braudel. In the description of the history of residence in this street I will use this specification for providing structure. This study thus also provides insights into the availability of different sources. Because of the current academic tradition the possibilities of combining research results provided by distinct disciplines remains under utilized.

While establishing the size and span of the memory, the possibilities for gathering information on the micro-level of houses and street facts were also assessed. Following a micro-historical approach, the street and two construction blocks were studied in detail. Limiting the scope of research is an analytical principle that has a special added value if data are collected from different disciplines. Archaeological findings and historical data regarding construction then allow a much more precise dating as well as a more precise meaning. Naturally, these sources regarding the micro-level of houses and streets were not available for all periods. For this reason, the developments in the twelfth and thirteenth century are described at a city-level.

In second place, this study has tried to explore the boundaries of an integrated approach. This refers to the fact that data have been gathered and interpreted from the scope of various disciplines, ultimately yielding to combined results that show the social-economical, living-culture and urban development. It is even one more step to arrive at an interdisciplinary approach which allows the combination of results beforehand. For the ordering of the different disciplines and ways of study a distinction was made between three approaches, namely an object-oriented approach, a society-oriented approach which emphasizes the human being, and an ethnological approach. The distinction between the first two will be evident; the difference between the first two and the last approach lies in the fact that the ethnological approach relates the found data to the current state, thus placing a greater emphasis on their contextual meaning. Besides, it is not likely to state that these approaches could be used independently, as ethnological studies are often based on studies of materials, or on the results of social-economical studies. Conversely, ethnological concepts and interpretations are often tested using the ‘hard data’ of the other two disciplines.

Thirdly, the long-term perspective was studied, as the gathered data refer to eight-hundred years of history. For ordering the data the classification as event-, conjectural- and structural aspects was restored. In the Chapters two trough six, different objects and events are described. Each chapter refers to a time-span of two-hundred years, allowing the surface of the most important conjunctures. These are described in Chapter seven using an integrated approach where possible. In the cultural-historical analysis the structural elements of the studied area were brought to light. With respect to the spatial-physical matters, the parcellation, the structure of the construction blocks and the body of the houses were used as structural elements. With respect to the social-cultural aspects, the usage of the residences is the structural element, which can change of meaning depending on the conjectural state.

The fourth question refers to the possibilities of implementation of the cultural-historical analysis for cultural urban planning of the historical city centres. With respect to this implementation, a gap can be stated between the work of the historians and the specialists from urban development. This gap is the result of a lack of attention for:
- the social-cultural perspective of the inhabitants on the part of the urban development specialists
- the built environment by the historians
The memory of a street and the cultural-historical analysis can be used to aid the enduring debate regarding tradition and modernization, as it is conducted within the sector of  the preservation of monuments and historic buildings and Urban Development, especially with respect to historical city centres. The tasks at the crossroads of these two disciplines, are currently being delegated to the discipline of Cultural Urban Planning. It is important to provide this relatively new discipline with a new content which ensures the conduction of studies from a truly integrated and multidisciplinary perspective.  "

Over the course of this discourse, I have outlined in brief certain significant challenges facing the museum of the 21st century. My predecessor, Ad de Jong, in 2009 queried when the next turning point in the museum domain would arrive. In my view, we still find ourselves on the turning point between modernism and postmodernism. Reflecting on now well-entrenched modernity is crucial, but also problematic when it comes to interpretation into museum praxis. The example of the clay seal with its likeness of Caesar makes clear that an entire world may lurk behind an apparently arbitrary object. The differing value systems of modernism and postmodernism exist alongside each other to a significant extent, but also regularly collide. How do we deal with this: do we want to go back to the past, do we cleave to what we have, or do we go with the times? I hope to have clarified that we constantly create our own past by whatever means, that we link that past to places and objects, and that this is inevitably and irrevocably bound up with collective memory. I have used Caesar’s clay seal as example. It reveals the different types of historical awareness and the difference in evaluation. That awareness is significant because it may be an ordering principle for museums. This chair concerns the study of objects and I have aimed to clarify that objects are the vehicle for our collective memory. Their meaning in terms of dynamic heritage is always in motion. I spoke about ‘going with the times’. That sounds so simple, but it means that we open ourselves to change, that we are curious about the other, sensitive to the biography and diversity locked up in the people and objects around us. We then arrive once more at the many-voiced and layered nature of our own identity. Our amnesia is irrevocable, and the things we do gather up or preserve seems arbitrary. When the temple archive in Edfu burnt down hundreds of documents were lost. The clay seals that remained and were preserved after the fire in my view symbolise the balance that we should strive for in heritage management. 

This publication presents the Early Middle Ages as a period of transformation when cultural exchange was reflected in the development of different regional cultures in Europe from Ireland to the Mediterranean, from the Baltic to Greece and Spain. The overarching themes of connectivity and diversity give shape to individual elements such as the heritage of the ancient Roman Empire, the effects of travel and the impact of war, the representation of identity and the connection of knowledge and faith as Jewish, Christian and Muslim groups coexisted, reflecting the cohesive nature of Europe in the Early Middle Ages.

V-MUST.NET 

is a EU FP7-funded Network of Excellence (Grant Agreement 270404) that aims to provide the heritage sector with the tools and support to develop Virtual Museums that are educational, enjoyable, long-lasting and easy to maintain. V-MUST.NET is coordinated by CNR and it has 18 partners, coming from 13 different Countries and several Associated Members. The project is developed in 4 years (1st of February 2011 - 31st of January 2015) in 8 WorkPackages. The Allard Pierson Museum is leading WP 7 on Virtual Museum Laboratory.

Material EncounterS with digital Cultural Heritage (meSch)

has the goal of designing, developing and deploying tools for the creation of tangible interactive experiences that connect the physical dimension of museums and exhibitions with relevant digital cross-media information in novel ways.

A wealth of digital cultural heritage is currently available in on-line repositories and digital archives. It is however accessed only in a limited way and utilized through rather static modes of delivery. meSch will bridge the gap between visitors’ cultural heritage experience on-site and on-line by providing a platform for the creation of tangible smart exhibits. This platform will enable curators, artists, designers and cultural heritage professionals in general to create smart objects and intelligent spaces and to compose digital content to be embedded in smart objects and spaces without the need for specialized technical knowledge. Smart objects (like a magnifying glass or a replica) are enriched with digital technology while intelligent spaces embed sensors: both react to people, spaces and smart objects. A bespoke application will adapt the content and the behavior of the object or space to visitors, their social context and the environment.

The meSch approach is grounded on principles of co-design: the participation of designers, developers and stake-holders into the process of creation and evaluation as equal partners, and on a Do-It-Yourself philosophy of making and experimenting. Three large-scale case studies in different museums provide test beds for the real-world evaluation of meSch technology with the public and cultural heritage stakeholders.