I have not posted as often as I'd like recently, even though I have several new posts working on, as I have been bogged down with project and publication deadlines (and a nasty bout of flu) - not complaining about anything, except for the latter. So instead of a new post, I am presenting another... Continue Reading →
Notes on Jamaica’s Art Histories # 2: African-Derived Sculpture from the Colonial Period
My previous post in this series, which can be read here, was aimed at rekindling the critical discussion on Jamaica's art histories. As I argued then, the problematic of Jamaica’s main art historical narrative cannot be addressed by merely identifying and correcting the obvious gaps and oversights, or simply updating it to the present day... Continue Reading →
Notes on Jamaica’s Art Histories # 1: Critiquing the Main Narrative
Jamaica's art histories have been on my mind recently, as part of broader considerations about the art histories of the Global Caribbean. Most of the recent art-historical work in and about Jamaica (and the broader Caribbean) has consisted of reflecting on but, ultimately, rehashing what was already done with very little new primary research or... Continue Reading →
When It Turns Out That Your Great-Great-Grandmother Was, Sort of, a Museum Curator
A few days ago, I published a post about some aspects of my family history, based on family photos I found, as a tribute to my mother who passed away recently. It can be read here. One of the questions I raised was how the personalities and life choices of our ancestors are. consciously or... Continue Reading →
Roaming Photographically through my Family History
My mother, Maria Roose, passed away recently, on July 22, 2018. Since my father's death in 1989, she had lived alone in our hometown of Bruges, Belgium, surrounded by a mix of family heirlooms and newer things, and she lived an active and fiercely independent life, driving until very recently. We are still in shock... Continue Reading →
On Making Things
My father was a ham radio amateur. His call sign was ON4PU. He was a technical engineer by training and made almost everything for his hobby himself, from scratch. He made his own radios, his own antennas, for use at our home and for his car, buying components from old army stocks and other, more... Continue Reading →