Kess Vandermeulen (°1998) is an archivist specialising in archives relating to, about and located within the Brussels-Capital Region. He focuses on mobility, urban development and the industrial past, and investigates how these themes are shaped and utilised within archives.
In doing so, he also looks at what is missing: which voices or traces fall outside institutional archives and what that means for our understanding of the city. He uses the term ‘public archivist’ to describe his approach: opening up archives, bringing underrepresented stories to light and sharing expertise. His practice combines research, critical reflection and making archives accessible as a shared space.