Amsterdam Museum Journal Edition #3
Reproductions are omnipresent. The music we listen to consists of reproductions of symphonic legacies, whilst architectural styles synthesize the cityscapes we walk through. As people we share memes, copy trends in fashion, design and speech, and value the reproduction of acts as meaningful rituals and traditions. At the same time, reproductions provoke criticisms on authenticity and originality. From a eurocentric perspective there is still a cultural emphasis on and a preference for the authentic, original, and unique. But what does it even mean to be original? How do authenticity and reproduction influence us as modern-day consumers in and of the city? Can we measure the worth of reproductions? To answer such questions, the third edition of the online, open access, peer reviewed Amsterdam Museum Journal (AMJournal) aims to contribute to the understanding of (re)production as it increasingly becomes a part of our daily lives.
Reproductions challenge Amsterdam Museum to further explore how they (may) affect the way we encounter and perceive the world around us. Reproductions are crucial for ensuring preservation in material and social terms. Additionally, chronicling the city and her inhabitants is our duty as the city museum of Amsterdam, making reproductions integral to our work; we are dedicated to collecting, displaying, and communicating our city’s significant objects and stories. The emergence of new reproduction methods that enable immersive and interactive experiences, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), as well as 3D printing and artificial intelligence (AI), help us mediate materials and experiences in new ways and across different platforms. These advances make it possible to extend museums beyond their walls, whereby digital museums become increasingly common. However, they also pose challenges regarding authenticity, appropriation, and ethics. AMJournal Issue #3 aims to present multifaceted research on this complex and urgent theme.
To ensure a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research, we invite researchers from all disciplines to contribute. From research on cultural significance, inclusivity and accessibility, to studies on the (technical) possibilities and dangers of new reproduction technologies. From research on art, music and fashion reproductions to studies on how reproductions of cultural norms or trends may give us a better understanding of who we are as societies. This multivocality in research aids us in gaining new perspectives, a mission we see as part and parcel of representing an international city such as Amsterdam. As such, we invite scholars from all stages of their careers to contribute – including junior scholars, ambitious students, and freelance researchers – to examine the role of (re)production in cities, society, art, heritage, technology and culture (published open access in 2024).
With guest editors: Liselore Tissen and Tom van der Molen
Table of Contents
The Dialogue
An expert dialogue on art reproductions (Adam Lowe, Carlos Bayod, Liselore Tissen and Tom van der Molen)
The Short Essays
Museums, Education and Cultural-Sustainability (
The Plaster Trace: Plaster Copies Tracing Creative Processes
Why Should We Be Talking About Value Reproduction? (Emma van Bijnen and Rebecca Venema)
Dickinson (2019): Adaptation As a Vehicle For the Visual Exploration Of the Life and Poetry of Emily Dickinson
Reproducing Traces of Trauma: Towards Transformation Through Contemporary Art
Olfactory Reproductions: a Methodology of Interpreting Heritage, History, and Art Through Scent
The Visual Essay
Drawn to Old Masters: Copies in Carel Joseph Fodor’s Collection (Tom van der Molen)
Long Essays
Reproductions and Belarusian national identity
Gang Signs and Prayer: Reproduction of Christian Religion in Black British Rap Music (Lola Abbas)
Imagery’s Role in Cross-Cultural Heritagisation: A Case Study of Peking the Beautiful, 1927
Freedom in Assassin’s Creed II - Assassin’s Creed II: Exploring the Boundaries of Freedom in Video-Games
The Polyphonic Object
The Kabra Mask explored through the eyes of different disciplines (Annemarie de Wildt, Martje Onikoyi)
The Polylogue
A round table conversation on reproduction in music (Peter Peskens, Darek Mercks,
With artistic interventions by:
Jeroen van der Most
(table of contents may be subject to change)
Want to know more?
Do you want to know more about this edition? Do you want to keep in touch with AMJournal? Do you want to be the first to receive new editions?
send us an email: journal@amsterdammuseum.nl
Edition Editors
Editor-in-Chief
Emma van Bijnen
Edition Guest Editors
Liselore Tissen
Tom van der Molen
Board of Editors
Emma van Bijnen
Judith van Gent
Vanessa Vroon-Najem
Norbert Middelkoop
External Board of Editors
The editorial board is supplemented by an extensive international external editorial board comprised of scholars from various academic fields and disciplines:
Pablo Ampuero Ruiz; Rowan Arundel; Sruti Bala; Markus Balkenhol; Christian Bertram; Stephan Besser; Carolyn Birdsall; Cristobal Bonelli; Pepijn Brandon; Petra Brouwer; Chiara de Cesari; Debbie Cole; Karwan Fatah-Black; Wouter van Gent; Sara Greco; Laura van Hasselt; Gian-Louis Hernandez; Pim Huijnen; Julian Isenia; Paul Knevel; Gregor Langfeld; Mia Lerm-Hayes; Virginie Mamadouh; Julia Noordegraaf; Esther Peeren; Gertjan Plets; Menno Reijven; Jan Rock; Noa Roei; Steven Schouten; Irene Stengs; Eliza Steinbock; Dimitris Serafis; Sanjukta Sunderason; Rebecca Venema; Tim Verlaan; Daan Wesselman; meLê yamomo; Mia You; Emilio Zucchetti
Tom van der Molen
Edition Guest Editor Tom van der Molen is adjunct head of collections at Amsterdam Museum, an accomplished researcher and curator, and adjunct head of collections at Amsterdam Museum. The subjects he deals with range from seventeenth-century painting to nature; he is ever critical and always keeps with humanity at the center of his research. He is currently a PhD-candidate in Art History, set to get his doctorate in 2024.
Liselore Tissen
Edition Guest Editor Dr. Liselore Tissen is specialised in conservation and restoration theory and ethics. Her main interests lie in technical art history – a branch within art history that focuses more on the material and scientific aspects of artworks - and the crossroads between modern technology and art. Her PhD research (2024) focuses on the applicability of 3D printing and 3D reproduction for the conservation of paintings.
