Werkplaats Immaterieel Erfgoed is an organisation that supports, investigates and documents intangible heritage practices in Flanders. Intangible heritage are those practices that only exist in an action, as opposed to an object: the knowledge of weaving versus a woven piece of fabric, for example. It has been such a joy to work for this organisation on different projects, all highlighting practices and people that have a surprising story and skill.  The videos above are a small selection from the different commissions that I did for them.

I first worked with Werkplaats Immaterieel Erfgoed on the documentation of the process around the performance of spoken word collective A.Kulte in the Africamuseum in Tervuren, where they staged a fictional battle between king Leopold II and the current Belgian king Filip.

I then made portraits of five heritage practitioners in Belgium, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Italy, highlighting the way that they find a place for intangible heritage in the museum environment. I portrayed carillon player Luc Rombouts, Paul Terral of the Cancale museum of marine songs, avalanche expert Patrice Schlatter, Marjan Ruiter of the Zeeuws Museum and the founders of Ecomuseo Casilino, who all have their own way of giving intangible heritage a place in the museum context.

For a conference, I then made video portraits of three heritage practitioners in Flanders, focusing on how they have dealt with the COVID-pandemic. They were artisanal brewer Bourgogne de Flandres, carillon player Luc Rombouts and crafts organisation Handmade in Brugge.

Director, camera, edit: Pien van Grinsven

Sound: Eka Tsotsoria and Arthur Jules