KLAUS WEHNER

The Museum Clausum, Deptford was made for the arts Festival 'Deptford X' in 2007. Deptford is an area of London that is neighbour to Greenwich, both being well known for their maritime history. Contemporary Deptford and Greenwich are also host to some of the poorest communities in London. I lived locally at the time and was regularly scouring the junk market on Deptford High Street, where many items on sale came from house clearances.
I had myself by then the experience of helping to clear the household of a beloved relative after her death, which for me was a moment that made me re-evaluate the relationship we have with our own private ojects irreversibly: This drastic change in an object's status that is of importance to an individual who links certain objects to certain memories of their own life, only to become 'junk' for those who have the task of clearing a household after a person's death. I still love scouring junk markets and I still often feel a huge sentimentality when I do that (and I often think of those who one day will clear my household).

For this installation, I collated a collection of objects, all bought on said Deptford junk market with the purpose of giving these discared objects some meaning or stories 'back'. Whilst I included some details of real life events I knew of or that were my own, the narratives are otherwise completely invented by me and so is is the link to the artecfacts. My emphasis was on individual and very private life chapters and connected anxieties - the kind of stories big national collections don't usually tell.

All objects were staged on plinths which were arranged in a grid. Instead of labels, there was a gallery booklet that guided visitors through the collection by giving some material information about each artefact, together with the story of its significance. Reading hence became a main part of the visit. The booklet could be taken away from the exhibition - and it can be viewed by clicking on the logo above left.
This project was the first time I used the name 'Museum Clausum', here in a clear reference to the fact that I am presenting a completely 'invented' collection.