Unknown Chanukiah – Researching Blind Spots in the Collection

There are objects in a museum collection that for different reasons are obscured by other objects. These can be objects that are considered irrelevant, objects that have a problematic content, or objects that are simply not visible. There are also stories that are obscured by other stories which are considered more important to tell. Perhaps these stories once were visible, but for different reasons they have become invisible and left as blind spots in the collection. Here, there are rooms to be opened and fascinating time travel for us to embark on.

Join us as we delve into the depths of an unknown chanukiah from our collection and learn about the methods we use to discover and reveal forgotten objects that has been hidden, forgotten or made invisible over time.

With the chanukiah, a story unfolds that deals with Jewish history, identity, and the management of a minority’s cultural heritage in a museum, a story that has not previously been told here. But also, about the optics we use when we build history in museums and what is chosen to be preserved and who chooses what is to be told. The display case that holds the chanukiah will serve as a changeable exhibition space. Here, you can follow the project and how it develops over time, surely in both expected and unexpected directions.

Over the period of one year, we invite different experts who work with questions related to archives, memories and heritages; and how stories and diversity can be preserved in a museum collection.

The research project is curated by Malin Forssell and was initiated in collaboration with the Jewish Museum in Stockholm in February 2023.