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History Rising

– sculpture, book, public programme, residency
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History Rising was a study of museum display systems developed by artist Marjolijn Dijkman and myself. By distancing museum objects from their support structures the project critiqued the assumptions that are made about how things are positioned, who chooses to display them, and how the social, political and aesthetic choices that are made in the process dictate the language of display.

A contemporary art exhibit featuring clear glass cloches of various sizes on a table, backed by white minimalist shelves and a red rectangular artwork.
On the Enclosure of Time, Marjolijn Dijkman. Installation in the Hudson Room, Wisbech & Fenland Museum, Nov 2013 - Feb 2014. Photo Thierry Bal.

New work by Marjolijn Dijkman was installed in two public museums in East Anglia (Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery and Wisbech & Fenland Museum) and an artist run space (OUTPOST, in Norwich). Dijkman's sculptures proposed strange and fantastical juxtapositions, alleviated objects from the weight of history and created links with modernism, the heritage industry and the aesthetics of sci-fi.

A vibrant abstract mobile with geometric shapes hangs from a wooden vaulted ceiling.
The Grand Release, Marjolijn Dijkman. Installation, Norwich Castle Museum. History Rising, 2013 - 14. Photo: Thierry Bal.

The project began in 2013 and continued into 2015 with installations, events and book launches in The Netherlands, Brussels, New York and London.

Light blue book titled "HISTORY RISING" by Marjolijn Dijkman & Jes Fernie, featuring a circular black and white image of a minimalist interior on the cover.
History Rising book, published by Onomatopee 2015

History Rising, the book, is designed by Salome Schmucki and published by Onomatopee. It is made up of visual and written essays, an interview between the artist and curator, an inventory of works, and documentation of Dijkman's installations in museums and galleries in the UK.

Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery acquired Marjolijn Dijkman's The Grand Release for their collection with funding from Arts Council England / V&A Museum Purchase Grant Fund; The Norfolk Contemporary Art Society; The Friends of Norwich Museums; and The Art Fund.

A large mobile sculpture composed of various brightly colored geometric shapes hangs in a stark, empty gallery or industrial space.
The Grand Release, storage unit, The Netherlands. 2014.

History Rising partners included Wysing Arts Centre, Aid & Abet, Norwich Castle Museum, Norwich University of the Arts, OUTPOST and FeliXart. This project was funded by the Mondriaan Fund and Arts Council England.

Art gallery with olive green walls, concrete floor, displaying a grid of 12 small black and white works and a text inscription on the left, two large black and white photos and ascending green shelves on the right, and two white display cases in the foreground.
Marjolijn Dijkman's History Rising work What We Know of Them on show at the Hessel Museum of Art, NY, CCS Bard 2016

A selection of work made for the History Rising programme was included in an exhibition at the Hessel Museum of Art, NY We are the Centre for Curatorial Studies' at CCS Bard.

Related

Light blue book cover with a central circular grayscale photo of a modern interior display with abstract elements and spotlights, and the text "HISTORY RISING Marjolijn Dijkman & Jes Fernie."
History Rising,
White text "ARCHIVE OF DESTRUCTION" on a black background.
Archive of Destruction, —ongoing