memories are expressed in myriad ways by the establishment of museums, or
memorials, Forum does not have a 'site of memory.48
As different media like texts, books, monuments and films will leave their traces
on how and what kind of memory is created, I looked more into the 'contempo
rary' media concerning Forum that are circulating right now. The first important
example is the book Forum 1977-1987: Explorations of Art from beyond the Fringe,
which was edited in 1994 by Maria-Rosa Boezem and Philip Peters.49 Since Fo
rum: The Artist and his Critic (1987) did not issue an evaluation booklet, the board
of Forum decided to take the memorial of Forum a next step further and publish
a book that included the, according to the board, most memorable moments of
ten years of Forum. Next to its role as provider of information, it serves as an im
portant tool in the circulation process of creating cultural or collective memories.
Another important moment of local remembrance was during the opening of
the exhibition on 11 April 2015 that would celebrate the memory of Forum. The
memory of Forum is expressed by Antj e von Graevenitz, a participant in 1978 and
lecturer in 1979, who gave a speech at the opening. The exact text of the speech,
which is part of the Boezem archive, can still be consulted in order to track down
the memory of Forum at that given time and space (Middelburg, the Vleeshal's
Kabinetten). Von Graevenitz started by expressing her gratitude for the manifes
tation, but she also immediately involved the attendees. 'You are a participant in
this day of memories of the Forum Middelburg, which made the most idiosyn
cratic culture manifestations possible for ten years.'50 Von Graevenitz compares
Forum to De Appel in Amsterdam and De Zaak in Groningen and concludes that
the history and memory of the last two have survived longer than the history and
memory of Forum. She observes a long silence of Forum's narrative after 1987, a
silence which, according to her, the manifestation does not deserve.51 The exhibi
tion aimed to give a sense of the dynamic and progressive nature of this important
episode in Middelburg's cultural history by showing a selection of photographs,
video and sound recordings, original sketches, project proposals and documen-
236
The Art of Remembering Forum: the Local Memory
48 Anna Green, Individual Remembering and 'Collective Memory': Theoretical Presuppositions
and Contemporary Debates. In: Oral History, no 2 (2004), 36.
49 See above, note 3. Philip Peters was also one of the participating art critics in Forum 1987: The
Artist and his Critic.
50 Speech Antje von Graevenitz opening exhibition 10 jaar Forum, art from beyond the fringe,
private collection of Marinus and Maria-Rosa Boezem
51 Speech Antje von Graevenitz at the opening of 10 jaar Forum
