From March to November 2024 students of the Master Non Linear Narrative collaborated with the Dutch National Archives (Nationaal Archief) to explore the hidden stories behind twelve historical maps from their Navigation and Overseas Expansion collection in order to challenge map-making as an objective process.

The ‘Unmapping Territories’ research project started with a kick-off event on Tuesday 5 March at the Dutch National Archives. Students had the opportunity to meet archivists, researchers and restoration experts for an introduction to the vast cartographic collection, with nearly a thousand years of Dutch history stored in 142 kilometers of documents and 800 terabytes of digital files.

Later in May, NLN students participated in a comprehensive Knowledge Day at the Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam. This day was organised by Non Linear Narrative in collaboration with -1 research space. The activity allowed students and followers of the educational programme to get familiar with cartographic, archival and artistic counter-practices of map making and learn about the social and ethical implications of administrative record-keeping.

Archival F(r)ictions

On Saturday, 9 November students opened in collaboration with the National Archives a small exhibition that brought to light 11 stories of overlooked and long-silenced communities, buried deep in the depots of the VOC maps collection.

The opening event included also an extensive panel talk moderated by Setareh Noorani, project lead Collecting Otherwise at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam. The conversation centred on the relevance of establishing open archiving practices and challenging contemporary memory institutions towards a more resilient, just, and equitable future. The panel members discussing these issues were Juliana Acero (student Non Linear Narrative), Ieva Jakuša (student Non Linear Narrative), Saskia Oranje (Head of Research and Presentation at the National Archives), and Zion Piggott (Education Officer at National Archives).

‘Archival F(r)ictions’ displayed thoughtful narratives exploring topics like the colonial plant trade, the blank spaces in cartography, the provision grounds of plantations, the oral histories of indigenous cultures, the songs of ancestral sorrow, the deterioration of archival material, the concept of an ‘amphibious’ archive, the history of the limbo dance, the fear of getting lost, the legacies of corporate colonialism, and feminist spatial practices. The accompanying programme was put together by students and offered diverse range of collective workshops, performances, coffee ceremonies, and radio broadcasts.

Student participants:
Juliana Acero Castellanos, Rodrigo de Almeida Garrett Viseu Cardoso, Stefano Cattani, Stefano Dealessandri, Gjorgji Despodov, Carmen Draxler, Martin Escalante Robles, Laura Flethe, Rita Horta Correia Figueiredo Gaspar, Ieva Jakuša, and Julia Löffler

Initiative: Nick Ceton (National Archives) and Niels Schrader (KABK)
Project supervision (KABK): Linda van Deursen, Victoria McKenzie, belit sağ, and Niels Schrader
Project supervision (National Archives): Nick Ceton, Floris Janssens-Andrejew, Saskia Oranje, Zion Piggott, and Marjon van Walbeek
Production: Julius Dusch (KABK), Suraya Latul (KABK), and Incisu Dilem Üzüm-Veldhuizen (National Archives)
Exhibition design: Shapeshifters and Spacebenders