Starting on 10 October, the exhibition The Pursuit of Knowledge at Museum M looks back on 600 years of KU Leuven. Over the course of six centuries, the university has collected thousands of objects that played a central role in education and research. The Pursuit of Knowledge offers visitors a unique opportunity to discover an exclusive selection from this collection. As a nexus for interdisciplinary research in the Humanities at the university, the Alamire Foundation is also contributing to the exhibition: the Leuven Chansonnier will be one of the exquisite centerpiece objects on display. The original fifteenth-century manuscript will travel from its home at the Alamire Foundation to the heart of the city to be admired by visitors.

At the same time, the public will be immersed in one of the twelve unique songs from the Leuven Chansonnier, the anonymous J’ay des semblans, through an innovative XR media installation. This chanson was captured both visually and auditory by the vocal-instrumental Sollazzo Ensemble under the direction of Anna Danilevskaia, as part of the Strategic Basic Research project New Perspectives on Medieval and Renaissance Courtly Song, funded by FWO. The high-tech volumetric video studio of 4DR Studios (Eindhoven) was used to record the rondeau in all its dimensions. The result is an immersive installation offering a window into the performance practice and acoustics from the time of Margaret of Austria, regent of the Habsburg Netherlands.

The Pursuit of Knowledge is part of a dual exhibition together with Routes to Knowledge. In the University Library, the inspiring stories of students, professors, and other university members from the university’s long history are told through heritage objects, audiovisual and interactive elements. More information and discounted combi tickets for both exhibitions can be found KU Leuven’s website.

Prefer to visit The Pursuit of Knowledge only? Then purchase your tickets on the Museum M website.