Freedom, Feuds, Purgatory
Fries Museum, Leeuwarden (NL), 2022
The Fries Museum’s medieval archaeological collection isn’t well known to the general public. ‘Freedom, Feuds, Purgatory’ reveals what Friesland’s early medieval society looked like.
The outlines of a lost world
In the early Middle Ages, Tota Frisia was many times larger than the contemporary Dutch province of Friesland. Along with that area, it also encompassed parts of modern-day Groningen and Germany. No central power ruled over this vast region, and the result was interclan feuds and a proliferation of castles and cloisters. The exhibition reveals the outlines of this lost world.
Tota Frisia
Medieval Tota Frisia’s rise and fall is depicted in a series of galleries, each with its own atmosphere and spatial visual language. Small wooden houses called stinzen scattered through the space provide a glimpse of the interclan power relationships of the day.
Rats in the museum
A replica of a cloister containing religious objects bathed in contemplative light explores the role of faith more deeply.
The exhibition concludes with the dismal final years of the Middle Ages. Rats scurry across the museum’s walls. The end of Tota Frisia is in sight.
A voyage of discovery
Guided by a treasure map, kids can embark on a voyage of discovery. In hidden areas of the exhibition, they'll discover how heavy a coat of chain mail is and get a chance to write on slates.
Students from the ROC Friese Poort vocational college in Sneek have built a replica of a historic structure for this exhibition, as they did for 2019’s ‘We Vikings’ – this time, a working medieval catapult.
A day of inspiration
Before starting to work on developing the concept for the exhibition, we took a field trip with museum staff. During our day of inspiration at Ter Apel Monastery, we answered the journalist’s questions: who, what, when, where, why? It was the ideal first step toward recreating a lost world.
Photos: Ruben van Vliet
“The Fries Museum’s exhibition Freedom, Feuds, Purgatory shows the fascinating world of the free Frisians, which is worthy of its own TV series.”
Paola van de Velde, De Telegraaf — 13 September 2022
Press
Historiek — 10 October 2022
“vertelt het speciale verhaal van de Middeleeuwen in het Noorden.”De Telegraaf — 13 September 2022
“Middeleeuwen herleven in ‘Vrijheid, Vetes, Vagevuur’”Friesch Dagblad — 10 September 2022
“Het verhaal van de Friese vrijheid is razend spannend”NOS.nl — 2 September 2022
“Friezen gingen al fierljeppend over het slagveld in de middeleeuwen”
Credits
Client
Fries MuseumContent Design
Studio LouterSpatial & Graphic Design
OPERA AmsterdamAudio Production
KlevR sounddesignConstruction Catapult
ROC Friese PoortHardware
PTH3D Medieval Landscape Impression
Ulco Glimmerveen