Virtual presentation provenance research (INTERNSHIP)

  • Position: Intern virtual presentation provenance research Allard Pierson i.c.w. 4D Research Lab
  • Profile:
    • (Research) MA student with background in Mediterranean Archaeology, Museum Studies, Heritage and Memory studies
    • Familiarity with (or interest in) provenance issues of archaeological objects in museum collections
    • Affinity / practical experience with digital visualization / virtual reality techniques
  • Duration: October 2024 – January 2025
  • Duration/scope: 15-22 hours per week (4 months)
  • Internship allowance: €200-300 per month
  • Supervisors: Rogier Kalkers (head of provenance research archaeological collections Allard Pierson), Laurien de Gelder (curator of Archaeology of the Greek World and Western Asia Allard Pierson), Jitte Waagen (coordinator 4D Research Lab), Tijm Lanjouw (3D technician/modeler 4D Research Lab)
  • Language: Dutch/English
  • To apply: Send a motivation letter and CV to Rogier Kalkers (r.a.a.kalkers@uva.nl) before October 1 2024. Describe in max. 700 words why you are the right candidate for this project and how this project fits in with previous (work) experience and/or research interest.

Assignment:
The Allard Pierson is conducting research into the provenance history of the archaeological collections over the period 2023-2027. There is little or no information on the provenance of many of these approximately 19,000 artefacts. The Allard Pierson intends to investigate these gaps, gather as much information on the items as possible and make it available to the public. The Allard Pierson takes responsibility for combatting the illegal trade in and violence against objects from antiquity and intends to participate in the societal debate on heritage ownership. The Allard Pierson has recently received requests for the return of a number of archaeological artefacts, and these will form part of the broader investigation. These are the reasons for launching a provenance research project. Provenance research yields greater insight into the history of an artefact’s owners after it has been taken out of its original context.

The Allard Pierson is currently making plans to organise a temporary exhibition in 2026 on the subject of provenance research and the illegal trade in antiquities. In this exhibition, our own archaeological collection is critically examined and we want to make the complexity of the problem transparent to a wide audience. This comprises stories about the journey of objects through space and time, networks and interactions of people and institutions, and the associated archival documents. To present this entanglement of diverse data in a comprehensible way to the visitor, we would like to use virtual applications.

Within this internship you will carry out a design assignment for the development of a virtual application that can be used in an exhibition context on provenance research and the illegal trade in antiquities. In collaboration with the provenance research team of the Allard Pierson and the 4D Research Lab, you will select a suitable case study and work out a storyline. You will then make a plan for visualizing the storyline and data of this case in a virtual environment and work on its design. Over the course of the internship, you will conduct a (qualitative and quantitative) audience survey by testing the virtual application in the museum.

The specific tasks consist of:

  • Selecting and developing a case study based on the provenance research
  • Designing a virtual application
  • Qualitatively and quantitatively evaluating the virtual application
  • Writing a blog about the research project