About the project
The exemplary enquiry of the Frundsberg/ Billitzer collection is a first step towards creating an acquisition network for the extensive East African collections kept in the Weltmuseum Wien. This part of the collections should be prioritized given currently discussed aspects of colonial contexts, while at the same time the number of objects reflects the complexity of ethnographic collections due to its various individual stories. In addition, the focus on the imperial royal navy and their approach to object collections also brings an essential aspect into focus for the assessment of other collectors of the Austro-Hungarian navy.
The project also sheds light on possibilities for curatorial practices when dealing with the collections of the Weltmuseum Wien and expand existing perspectives. In particular, strategies for dealing with difficult and sensitive collection contexts should be derived from the results of the research. By examining this set of objects in an exemplary manner, options for systematising provenance research are also considered.
A short report on the project available here.
Duration
November 2020 to February 2022
Project head
Mag. Nadja Haumberger
Team
Dominik Spörker, BA BA MA