Peter Alexander van der Meijden

Peter Alexander van der Meijden serves as a Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Arts and Cultural Studies at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Humanities, where his work bridges historical avant-garde movements with contemporary museological challenges.

His academic foundation includes:

• Ph.D. from University of Copenhagen (2006-2009)
• MA from University of Essex (1994-1995)
• MA from University of Amsterdam (1987-1993)

Van der Meijden's research centers on avant-garde and neo-avant-garde movements, with specialized expertise in Fluxus, mail art, and performance practices from the 1960s-1970s. He investigates critical challenges in documenting and preserving non-object-based art, particularly examining how bodily knowledge manifests in Fluxus installations and how relational art forms like net art create social connections. His work extends to digital preservation of cultural heritage, analyzing tensions between ephemeral artistic practices and institutional archiving requirements. Current projects focus on art that deliberately avoids documentation (e.g., delegated performances) while developing frameworks for conserving immaterial works through participatory methodologies.

Analysis of his 2019-2023 publications reveals consistent methodological threads: historical excavation of Fluxus networks, economic analysis of art exchange systems (especially mail art's photo economy), and theoretical reexamination of documentation paradigms. His scholarship uniquely connects 1960s avant-garde practices with contemporary digital curation challenges, emphasizing how relational and participatory art forms redefine traditional museum conservation models. Key contributions include reframing Fluxus events as precursors to networked digital art and developing new taxonomies for classifying non-object-based cultural heritage.