to be placed - then and now

 about being placed in care - then and now

Placed in Care
The Danish Welfare Museum
2023

Awards:

Placed in Care
The Danish Welfare Museum
2023

Over the past 150 years, 150,000 Danish children have been – or are now – placed outside their homes in orphanages, institutions, or foster families. The stories are mostly told by the official child protection system, but only very rarely it is put in the children's own words. The exhibition "Placed in care" puts the children, now grown-ups, in charge to tell their life stories and experiences through interviews, as well as archive materials and various, often very personal artefacts. Thoughts on the public welfare history and development are shared in filmed conversations about the very same objects that are in the exhibition. They are often things from past generations, but the conversations and the similarities in experience connect the now to the past.

The exhibition design emphasizes the powerful and emotion filled stories with simple, but at the same time atmospheric spaces. Slanted furniture and odd angles represent the feeling of the unknown and the chaotic. The display cases with everyday objects merge with the old furniture to give the exhibition a homely look – but with a twist. Digital stations in each room encourage the visitors to take a stand on dilemma-filled questions about emplacements, and to write down their own comments and reactions, that are displayed in the last room of the exhibition – the so-called dialogue room.

"Placed in care" has a children's section as well, where objects, photos and short animated films convey life as placed in another home then and now. The films are authentic stories of four children in foster care, where they talk about themselves and their everyday lives, each film with its own visual style.
The content of both exhibitions was developed in collaboration with De Anbragtes Vilkår (organization working for the rights of children in foster care).

Over the past 150 years, 150,000 Danish children have been – or are now – placed outside their homes in orphanages, institutions, or foster families. The stories are mostly told by the official child protection system, but only very rarely it is put in the children's own words. The exhibition "Placed in care" puts the children, now grown-ups, in charge to tell their life stories and experiences through interviews, as well as archive materials and various, often very personal artefacts. Thoughts on the public welfare history and development are shared in filmed conversations about the very same objects that are in the exhibition. They are often things from past generations, but the conversations and the similarities in experience connect the now to the past.

The exhibition design emphasizes the powerful and emotion filled stories with simple, but at the same time atmospheric spaces. Slanted furniture and odd angles represent the feeling of the unknown and the chaotic. The display cases with everyday objects merge with the old furniture to give the exhibition a homely look – but with a twist. Digital stations in each room encourage the visitors to take a stand on dilemma-filled questions about emplacements, and to write down their own comments and reactions, that are displayed in the last room of the exhibition – the so-called dialogue room.

"Placed in care" has a children's section as well, where objects, photos and short animated films convey life as placed in another home then and now. The films are authentic stories of four children in foster care, where they talk about themselves and their everyday lives, each film with its own visual style.
The content of both exhibitions was developed in collaboration with De Anbragtes Vilkår (organization working for the rights of children in foster care).

samarbejdspartnere

samarbejds-partnere

Torden & Lynild

Torden & Lynild

fotos, website 

fotos, website

Lisa Svelmøe (film director)
Goodwill Film (film production)
Kurtzweil (construction)
Lystek (lightdesign og A/V)
Graflab (graphic design)

Lisa Svelmøe (film director)
Goodwill Film (film production)
GRAFlab (graphic design)
Lystek (lightdesign og A/V)
Kurtzweil (construction)

Behind the scenes

Behind the scenes