Identification and inventorying

Trajectory

PARCUM, the expertise centre for religious art and culture in Flanders, carried out the 'Ora et labora' trajectory about identifying and inventorying monastic crafts in Flanders.

Craftership in monasteries and abbeys is highly diverse: from baking communion wafers or making soap, to making wax figurines, to making cheese or brewing beer. These practices are carried out by monastic orders that live by the Rule of Benedict, where there is a strict daily routine of alternating prayer (ora) and labour (labora). 

Context

The full case study consisted of 8 locations (monasteries) and was filmed over a total of 12 production days.

This included field visits, documenting the 8 monastic crafts and 1 interview with Julie Aerts, the PARCUM intangible heritage professional who supervised the process.

In order to use observational filmmaking methodology, it was necessary for the monastics to be as undisturbed as possible in carrying out their practice before and during the filming itself. This is also in line with the beliefs of the monastics themselves: often these orders exist as a secluded community.

Therefore, it was important to prepare the documentation process well and make clear agreements with the heritage community involved: which community was willing to record their practice and which professional knowledge could be documented?

Approach

Julie, PARCUM's intangible heritage professional, first contacted monastic communities after preliminary research.

The information received was put on a longlist which listed:

• which crafts are practised
• at what time of day they are practised
• who exactly practices them
• the corresponding contact details

This made it easy to make decisions on who would be filmed and to plan the filming well in advance.

Each monastery that was willing to participate in the audiovisual documentation process was visited personally to discuss the intention and method of the documentation process. A total of 2 exploratory field visits were made: 1 without and 1 with the filmmaker. Each field visit took one half to one full day.

The location visit is an important step in the process:

• It allows everyone to get quietly acquainted and everyone involved can get used to each other.
• You can take reference photos of the workplaces.
• You can already record outdoor images (e.g. also with a drone):
  • This requires a different mindset from the 'real' shooting days
  • You can make use of the weather conditions (in good weather)
  • You don't disturb the communities (immediately)

  • You have saved time (often not time on real shooting days)

     

After completing the longlist, a first selection was made based on the reference photos after the first location visit.

This was followed by further work according to the recommendations mentioned above. 

Filmmaker's experience

"Filming closed communities can feel like an intrusive experience for them. This topic came up regularly during the preliminary field visits and made it clear that proper consultation beforehand was necessary. On one occasion, feedback came from the monks after filming that it was felt too intrusive to be filmed up close during prayers/vespers, despite prior consultation. They had expected the camera to keep more distance." (A. Kerkhof, filmmaker)

Recommendations

• Take enough time for location visits and do so as thoroughly as possible!
• Watch out for squeaky shoes! "At Tongerlo Abbey, my shoes made squeaking noises when making contact with the church floor. I could hardly move without disturbing the sound during Vespers." (A. Kerkhof, filmmaker)
• Shooting days can be very intrusive for communities; they may have to 'recover' from each visit. Be sure to take sufficient account of this.

Conclusion

The method of observational filming worked very well for documenting monastic crafts. Wide shots were used to capture the practitioners and their surroundings. Close shots made it possible to get detailed images of the making process.

Above all, thorough preparation was the key to success in this process. It ensured that the further documentation process could proceed clearly and smoothly. 

Trajectory

ETWIE (the Center for Industrial Heritage in Flanders) took on 2 of the 10 case studies within the Focus Craftership project. One of them was the craftership of taxidermy.

You used to only see them in a museum or on grandparents' chimneys, but nowadays mounted animals are all the rage again. From a wild boar to a fox and from a marten to a more exotic species. Even immortalising a beloved pet has long since ceased to be an exception.

The underlying craftership evolved with the times. Whereas taxidermists in the 17th century were still advising to regularly pan a stuffed animal to kill pests, today very different techniques are in use.

Context

Taxidermy literally means 'moving the skin'. In practice, it is much more than that. As a taxidermist, you need to have knowledge of anatomy, biology and chemistry. Woodworking, skin sewing, modelling and tanning and sculpting techniques complete the list of essential skills.

In short: craftership from head to tail. Some learn it from an experienced artisan, others follow specialised training. In the absence of long-term training, interested parties flock to the Forest and Fauna Training Centre in the Netherlands.

That is why ETWIE is now working on a video about the versatility of taxidermy and even an escape game. Not a set-up game, but a playful way to discover the technical tricks of the craftership.

The results of this case study will be shared later on.