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Archiving stories

Wanting a change of pace, I decided for this blog to write about my previous experiences and stories relating to the interesting process of archiving. For me archiving is more than preservation, it bridges time and creativity.

With my primary role as an archaeologist and museologist, I had the opportunity to work on archiving in two renowned museums such as the Agora Museum of Athens, in Greece, and the Musée du Biterrois near Montpellier, in France.


Archiving is often something that passes us by, and in the minds of many people it is something only for scholars and scientists, a careful cataloguing of objects and details to preserve history. But my journey in this field has shown me that it can be far more dynamic and personal, especially when archiving escapes the confines of museums to the vibrant studio of a living artist like Babs Haenen. These experiences revealed how archiving not only safeguards the past, but also shapes stories for the present and future.


When I first began working on Babs’s archive for the ArchivorumArk project, I thought I would simply apply what I had learned during my studies and museum internships. At the Agora Museum in Athens, I focused on making the inventory of pottery, animal bones, and other artifacts, with each piece meticulously recorded and placed in numerical order. Missing items were noted with bright orange slips, databases were carefully updated, and photographs were taken to capture every detail.



Working in the archiving offices of the Agora Museum to preserve printed photographs

A hand written journal of an archaeologist that needed to be digitized at the Agora Museum

Additionally, my internship at the Musée du Biterrois, near Montpellier in France, meanwhile, required that I studied the history of each artifact, assigned retrospective catalogue numbers, and documented their condition and past restorations. Both roles were systematic, precise, and deeply rooted in the idea of preserving history that can be accessible mostly by future researchers.


Physical format of an inventory sheet that needed to be digitized from the Musèe du Biterrois

In the process of digitizing inventories in physical format during my internship at the Musèe du Biterrois

The inventory for the Musèe du Biterrois using the Webmuseo database

More recently I started working with Babs and I found that this was an artist whose archive was not just about objects. For the first time, I was not working with relics of the past, but with a person who could tell me why a piece was made, what inspired it, and what it meant to her. I was not just cataloguing objects; I was capturing the essence of a life’s work.


Materials collected about Babs Haenen's internship at the pottery of Mariane De Trey in Dartington, Shinners Bridge Pottery, in 1978

Building her archive from scratch was unlike anything I had done before. As I have already mentioned in a previous blog, I visited her home and studio in Amsterdam where I was able to archive physical resources, like books and magazines documenting her contributions in the art world and, of course, the artworks themselves.


An Excel sheet with the inventory of Babs Haenen's artworks

What impressed me the most, was how different this process felt compared to my museum work. At the Agora Museum of Athens and the Musée du Biterrois, the focus was on preserving history with strict protocols and detached neutrality. There was no personal connection to the artifacts. But with Babs, every piece came alive with her stories, her memories and her reflections. Despite these differences, some aspects of archiving remained the same. Whether working with centuries-old artifacts or contemporary artworks, the basics still mattered: accurate measurements, detailed documentation and a commitment to structure. But the purpose of each of these types of archives was quite different between them.


The database of the Agora Museum in Athens
The inventory of the Agora Museum in Athens

Museum archives typically cater to scholars, archaeologists and researchers—those who delve into the past to uncover the lives of ancient civilizations. The archives I did for the Ancient Agora of Athens and the Musée du Biterrois were more for precision, clarity and discovery, based on often fragmented pieces. Babs’s archive, however, serves a different audience like the public and fellow artists that can trace her creative evolution, in the most comprehensive way possible. It is not just about preservation but also about connection, storytelling and inspiration.


The various materials collected of a single artwork of Babs Haenen

What makes Babs’s archive truly special is how personal it feels. It is not just a catalogue of objects; it is a portrait of an artist’s life, told through the materials she has created and the relationships she has built. For the public, it opens a window into her creative journey and for Babs herself, it ensures that her story will endure, inspiring future generations.


Materials collected depicting the life of Babs Haenen

Archiving for Babs taught me that this work goes beyond old shelves or fixed systems; it's about capturing and revealing the essence of her art, from creative process to its collection.


Stay tuned! (•‿•)

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