Behind the scenes: M's exhibition builders

Behind the scenes

M's exhibition builders

Tijmen Bruyndonckx is production manager at M. Once a new exhibition has been given the go-ahead, he and his team start preparing and coordinating.

No touching? For us, touching is compulsory!

Tijmen Bruyndonckx

Production manager at M

“Step one is the scenography, the layout of the rooms in the museum as it were. We use a computer program, Sketchup, where you can move pedestals and showcases, remove or add walls, choose colours that fit the house style and design, place the works... This helps us make sure that each work is shown at its best and that every room tells a part of the story. At the same time, it must be technically and financially feasible, and of course fire-safe and accessible to everyone from children to wheelchair users. That’s a complex process, with a lot of consultation and adjustment to get it just right.”

Puzzle Fun

“Once the scenography is done, the planning begins. We look at what we can do ourselves and what we need to outsource, and to whom. We create technical drawings, order materials, book technicians, lay down the construction schedule... Another complicated puzzle. For example, you cannot paint and saw in the same room on the same day.”

“Only after all that is done can we furnish the rooms. That easily takes three or four weeks. At the end, the artworks are carefully unpacked and hung or put in place, we call this art handling. For very delicate pieces, we work with specialised art handlers. For all other work in the room, we rely on a pool of freelancers.”

Naar een duurzaam museum: het Ecoteam van M — © Elias Derboven voor M Leuven

Being brave for a moment

Two such versatile freelancers are Jeroen Elsen and Bernd Lüttgerding. Every time M organises an exhibition, they are on standby. They are artists themselves: Jeroen is a painter, Bernd a writer.

Jeroen: “Seven years ago, I heard that M was looking for people to build a large collection display. That fitted perfectly with my work as a painter, and I got paid for it too! Since then, I have worked with almost every exhibition.”

Bernd: “I had previously worked as an art handler for M, but in 2018 I took a break to set up an artist residency in Brussels with my girlfriend. I recently returned. It is very easy to combine with writing. A few weeks of staying strong, I always say (laughs).”

Mandatory touching

Jeroen: “We usually work a few weeks in a row. First we finish the previous exhibition, then we build the next one. I usually do three blocks like that a year.”

“First, the condition of the works is checked to make sure there is no damage. Fortunately, that is very rare.”

Bernd: “Then, we can get started. We take the works off the wall or off their pedestal and wrap them up. Visitors are not allowed to touch anything but for us it is mandatory. Very carefully, of course, with white gloves.”

Jeroen: “Once the halls have been emptied, we can start the next exhibition. Making partition walls, painting walls, installing pedestals and display cases ... We have special tools for the heavy pieces. Like mounting cushions that you slide under a sculpture and then inflate, they let you lift even really heavy work.”

Tense looks

“Sometimes it is also a bit of improvisation. In the new collection presentation ‘DOKA’, for example, there is a music box that had to be left open. We had nothing that does that, so we came up with something: a rod that holds the box open without damaging it.”

Tijmen: “For sensitive objects, we work with ‘spacers’ like an extra-wide table, a step... This way, visitors can see the work well, but it makes it difficult to touch.”

Jeroen: “Not that nothing ever goes wrong. When I was new here, I managed to hang a Rubens on the wall crookedly because stupidly, I had miscalculated. Quite embarrassing, because a lot of people were watching: not only the curator, but also a delegation from the museum in New York that had lent the work. Fortunately, it was not damaged. Just a few tense looks (laughs).”

Thinking along with the artist

Tijmen: “We often collaborate with the artist when we do contemporary art. Sometimes we even create new work together. Like ‘The Gulf Project Camp: ‘Drama’, an installation by Wael Shawky. Our people put those together with one of his assistants for the Shawky exhibition in 2022.”

Bernd: “Contemporary artists are usually also on site when we install the works. When you get to put together an exhibition together, that’s what I like best. You then truly play a role in the creative process, you think along with the artist.”

Jeroen: “Plans are sometimes adjusted at the last minute. Like last year at Huma Bhabha’s solo exhibition: when she saw the room, she wanted to hang the works somewhat higher up. I am an artist myself so I get that. That means extra work for us, but I never find artists difficult or demanding. I know how important exhibiting is for them.”