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March 7 - Pilot projects intervision day, Ghent

On March 7, we convened with other legacy pilot projects at the Virginie Loveling building in Ghent for a fruitful second intervision day. The day began with an update on the trajectory around art heritage and the progress of the pilot projects. An employee from the Jef Geys legacy pilot project shared important insights into conducting artist interviews, followed by an interactive session in which participants exchanged experiences and discussed potential collaborations.

After a networking lunch, the masterclass on describing and digitizing legacies began. Two interesting cases were presented: The Arvo Pärt Centre (Estonia) and the Philippe Vandenberg Foundation (Belgium). Subsequently, TRACKS guided us in services by providing guidelines and tools for inventory and description standards. This session offered valuable perspectives, both for us and for the broader cultural sector.

The intervision day not only provided an opportunity to learn from each other but also to strengthen the interaction and collaboration within our pilot projects.

The feedback from the intervision day was unmistakably positive and confirmed that we are on the right track. This day not only enriched our knowledge but was also particularly useful to exchange ideas and thus continue our work effectively.

March 1 - status update

In the course of February, we continued working in a similar manner as in the previous months. 

For the physical archive, currently over 2,200 items have been described at the level of folders and books. We are preparing a next step in which we contemplate the description of Wim Henderickx's instrumentation. 

In the digital archive, about 90,000 files have been compiled to date. We have developed a method that allows us to efficiently compare the different backups and create an overview of all unique pieces. This task has been completed for about 15,000 files. 

Currently, only an overview of the compositions is visible on the website. Behind the scenes, we continue to work on the integration of the descriptions of the digital and physical archive into the website.

Januari 28 - status update

At the Groenplaats in Antwerp, a place where Wim often went to compose, a number of family members and cultural partners have come together to reflect on Wim's legacy within the framework of the 'Wim Henderickx Foundation'. 

Lore Binon and Anouk Sturtewagen from Revue Blanche performed two works from the extensive oeuvre of Wim.

January 26 - status update

Over the past few months, we have focused on cataloging both the physical and the digital archive. 

As for the physical archive, we worked at the level of folders and books. The folders are described with a few keywords indicating their content: sketches, annotations, first prints, etc. These are simultaneously linked to a specific composition or project. For the books, the author, title, and ISBN number are listed, as well as whether they have been annotated. 

Currently, over 2,000 items have been described for the physical archive. For the digital archive, about 60,000 files have been compiled to date. These files include those Wim worked with until December 2022, as well as several backups.

December 8 - status update

The end of the year is approaching and our 'Wim Henderickx Legacy' project continues to make progress.

We were delighted to welcome our partners from Cemper vzw and the Heritage Library of the Antwerp Conservatory. They visited the physical archive, where they gained detailed insight into the rich collection of Henderickx’s work and other information sources.

A significant milestone was the development of a folder structure in our digital archive on Google Drive for all of Henderickx's compositions. This structure not only helps us to identify the locations of materials in the current archive but also to systematically organize both physical and digital materials. This includes sketches, analyses, composition processes, handwritten and annotated scores, links to inspirational materials, and much more. The integration of various media, such as articles, video and audio recordings, and interviews, further enriches our documentation.

Another focus point was the inventory of the physical archive in Florisstraat, which forms the central part of our project. With the three regular research associates, we have been regularly updating this inventory, which also includes a large number of books, percussion instruments from around the world, and a collection of final projects from his students at the Conservatories of Antwerp and Amsterdam.

Currently, there are 1,300 physical items inventoried. This process of inventory is crucial for the preservation and accessibility of Henderickx's legacy.

October 31 - status update

We recently had an important meeting with our partner, the Heritage Library of the Antwerp Conservatory. During this meeting, we discussed our methods for cataloging the archive and compositions. This collaboration is crucial in our endeavor to meticulously document and preserve.

Another critical aspect of our work is the development of our foundational documents. We have made significant progress in transforming these documents into a fully-fledged input system. This advanced system enables us to collect and organize information more efficiently, which is invaluable for the accuracy and accessibility of our inventory.

In parallel with these developments, we have started designing a website. The purpose of this is to keep our partners and external stakeholders continuously informed about the progress of our project. This website will serve as a central communication platform and will be regularly updated with the latest developments and milestones.

Finally, we have also made significant technological strides. Our team has worked hard on further developing Google Scripts. These scripts are specifically designed to support us in creating composition fiches and establishing an efficient internal folder structure in Google Drive. Moreover, we use these scripts for managing a works list and compiling an agenda, which is a valuable addition to our website.

5 oktober - Start of the peer review trajectory for pilot projects on artistic heritage legacies, Brussels

In the morning, the various pilot projects will be presented. In the afternoon, there will be a deeper focus on the management of legacies in Flanders.

September 31 - status update

The project officially started with the development of our foundational documents. These documents are crucial for both the inventory of Wim Henderickx's physical and digital archives, as well as for the cataloging of his compositions. They form the core of our work and are indispensable for accurately documenting and categorizing the material.

During a site visit to Henderickx's workspace, we had the unique opportunity to gain a first general impression and collect rough visual material. This visit was essential for creating a detailed description of the various locations and places where the archive is situated. The rough visual material we captured provides us with an authentic view of the current state and organization of the archive.

In a later phase of the project, we will expand this initial exploration by creating a complete digital representation of the workspace in high quality. This will not only aid in more accurately documenting and categorizing the archive but will also provide virtual access to the workspace. This digital representation will be an essential part of our project, allowing stakeholders and interested parties to gain deeper insight into Henderickx's working environment.

Our project fully utilizes the Google Workspace environment. Therefore, we have delved into programming Google Scripts to optimally utilize all functionalities. These scripts automate our work processes, leading to a significant improvement in efficiency. They also form the basis for the development of our website, which will serve as a communication and information distribution platform about our project.

In the context of cataloging the compositions, we have developed specific templates to capture a wide range of relevant information for each composition. These templates are designed to gather various details, including the year of composition, different edition numbers, available editions, the duration of the pieces, genre, instrumentation, and the use of electronics. Additionally, we focus on collecting available recordings, photo and video material, sketches, annotated scores, and digital work files. This list is not exhaustive but gives a good indication of the depth and breadth of the information we are gathering to provide a complete and richly documented overview of each composition.