Name Takes

What are the stories behind certain names? And, what causes do specific names promote? How is it that the meaning of a name changes over time? Do you have a particular story about a name?

Kunstinstituut Melly is pleased to announce a new story-driven podcast called Name Takes, presenting stories and cultures of naming, from the names of streets and buildings to people and beyond. The podcast’s host, Kay Em, features artists’ voices and cases from the art field, emphasizing ways in which art promotes meaning-making. Names Takes’ pilot season includes four episodes about name giving, name taking, name changing, and name saying. All four are now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Anchor, Google Podcasts, and our institutional website. 

Participate
Kunstinstituut Melly invites the public to share a story about a name—or even about the culture of naming in general—to consider for future episodes. Interested public can email their note or contact information to: podcast [​at​] kunstinstituutmelly.nl. The storyboard for upcoming Name Takes episodes is in development, and will combine findings of academic and field research with personal stories shared by the public. 

Pilot season
The first four episodes of Name Takes tells of personal stories and historical references, and encompasses readings and interviews. Local and international artists from Hong Kong to Buenos Aires, and from Rotterdam to Stockholm, participate in its pilot season: Ayreen Anastas & Rene Gabri, Benvenuto Chavajay, Anais Duplain, Nicoline van Harskamp, Sasha Huber, Sara Rajaei, Wong Kit Yi, Fernanda Laguna, Every Ocean Hughes, and Andrea Valencia Aranda. Produced by Kunstinstituut Melly in Rotterdam, thanks to a grant from a donor who wishes to remain unnamed, the pilot season episodes of Name Takes were written by Sarah Demeuse and Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy. For summaries and information about each episode please visit the dedicated podcast page on our website. 

Collective learning in practice
Names Takes is narrated by Kay Em, who is performed by Aqueene Wilson, Kunstinstituut Melly’s Collective Learning Programs Fellow. The image cover of Name Takes is designed by Wooseok Jang from Orange Slice Type, who participated in the third annual edition of Kunstinstituut Melly's CLIP program in 2020 and 2021, co-organized with Werktplaats Typografie in Arnhem and Wkshps from New York/Berlin.

Accessibility 
The episodes are scripted in English and available with subtitles in English on our YouTube channel. Dutch subtitles will be available soon.

Name change initiative
Kunstinstituut Melly in Rotterdam, which was formerly known as Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, has a history of publishing timely, innovative, and award-winning publications, ranging from artist’s books to exhibition catalogs to online journals. The podcast Name Takes stems from this publishing history, and it develops from research conducted since 2018, to date, as part of its multi-year name change initiative. Participants of the public-input phase of our institutional renaming process in 2020 asked Kunstinstituut Melly to advocate for historical learning through its contemporary programming. You can read more about the institution's name change initiative here.

About Kunstinstituut Melly
Kunstinstituut Melly in Rotterdam was originally conceived as an art-house with a mission to present and discuss the ideas and work created today by visual artists and cultural makers. The institution first opened its doors to the public in 1990. To fulfill the core mission of presenting contemporary art and theory, Kunsinstituut Melly organizes exhibitions, commissions art, publishes and develops educational and collaborative initiatives. 

Kunstinstituut Melly is supported by the Municipality of Rotterdam and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.