When the reins were allowed to loosen again in the summer of 2020 as part of the measures concerning the Corona pandemic, we were happy to be able to open with the Zomerwerf. By spatial design agency Offenders W a multi-functional grid was designed for the Load Out at NDSM. Within this grid, space was created for sports and games, picnics, small-scale performances, not to mention our NDSM citygardens. Another part was the first basketball court of 3X3 Units at NDSM and the tournament they organized this specific summer. Another striking element was the punching bag by Boogieland, so that people could (kick) box outdoors. We, Stichting NDSM-werf, were glad that, with all the space we had 'left over', we were able to give something to the city.
In the summer of the coronavirus year 2020, there was a real potato mountain at NDSM
In June of that year, at the initiative of Jur Jacobs and the Slow Food Youth Network Netherlands in cooperation with Foundation Together Against Food Waste 20,000 kilos of potatoes poured out at the shipyard. Via the Too Good To Go app, Amsterdammers were able to come and make beepers at the Load Out, near Pllek, for a moment. The action was a great success and the mountain was gone by the end of the afternoon. We suspect that a lot of fries, stews and potato gratins were eaten last week.
Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN) is an international youth movement that works for a good and fair food system. The organization believes that young people should play an important role in the future of food production and consumption. That's why they're trying to bring young consumers, producers, farmers, chefs and students closer together. They do this through eat-ins, tastings and events such as World Disco Soup Day. “Together, we need to work on a more resilient food system where less food is wasted, farmers get a fair price and where good food is available for everyone,” says Lianne de Bie, director of Slow Food Youth Network Netherlands.
There was a nice mix of people: from Old Northerners to people with Teslas from't Gooi.
The organization was very satisfied with the turnout of a very diverse audience and estimated that potatoes were sold to more than 600 people in Amsterdam, spread across the day. Co-initiator Jur Jacobs: “What I personally liked the most is that there was a nice mix of audiences, from Old Northerners to people with Teslas from't Gooi. All ages, origins and groups were present.”
Last Saturday's action is not an isolated one. There are many surpluses of food in the Netherlands, it's not just about the potatoes that have been saved from waste. The Samen Tegen Voedselverspilling Foundation wants to create more awareness about food waste in general: “In the Netherlands, there are surpluses due to COVID-19 right now, while large parts of Africa are facing imminent hunger. This is something we need to solve together,” says Toine Timmermans, director of the Samen Tegen Voedselverspilling Foundation.
The NDSM-werf Foundation believes the underlying problem is very important and is pleased that it has been able to contribute to raising awareness about this theme. In addition, the organization has the ambition to become a testing ground with the shipyard for sustainability, circularity and greening, also in relation to the city and a half meter. Over the past few weeks, the foundation itself has been working on an intelligent opening up of the site and has taken the first step with the Yard garden: vegetable garden planters for Amsterdammers who don't have a garden themselves. To do this, the Foundation works with partners such as De Onkruidenier. This way, people can safely grow their own vegetables and herbs on site, provided with a specially designed grid that secures the one and a half meter measures. More actions may be set up in the future.
Multidisciplinary artist Willem de Haan made an airstrip out of the Y slope.
Multidisciplinary artist William de Haan approaches serious issues in a cartoonish, sculptural and sometimes laughable way in order to pay tribute to a certain object, subject or situation. With the site-specific installation 'Landingstrip', he paid tribute to the exceptional spatial environment of the monumental NDSM shipyard and created an alienating situation, blurring the boundaries between script and reality.
The absurdist presentation North Airport addressed the question of what the multi-deployable space, which originally served as the international infrastructure, could be used in the future. The installation Landing Strip on the Y-slope was part of the overarching project North Airport and was an extension of the fictional Departure Lounge, which Willem de Haan and Kamagurka opened at the Patty Morgan gallery.
Toothbrush, earphones, clean socks, passport? Check! The alarm for the first train to the airport was set, but then... FLIGHT CANCELLED. So back home.
Around the installation Landing Strip a final performance took place on Wednesday, August 14: in CANCELLED | A Performance by Willem de Haan Willem showed that no matter how hard he tried, some things were beyond his control. Because when did you have no choice but to surrender to fate? And what did that fate entail?
The installation Landing Strip and the project North Airport following the North-South Line, offered a new fictional connection between Amsterdam-North with the city across the street and the rest of the world.
This project was (partly) made possible by the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts.
Dries Verhoeven approached people and artificiality at NDSM
Until October 20, 2019, the work was Happiness of Studio Dries Verhoeven on display at the NDSM shipyard. The work approaches the area where man and artificiality coincide, where artificial means help us to be human again or more, or just leave that being human for a while. In Happiness Dries explores the world of artificial happiness in the form of drugs, painkillers and antidepressants. There is a small pharmacy building on the street. A humanoid — a human-looking robot — works there as a pharmacy assistant. She tells us about the means by which we can regulate the serotonin and dopamine levels in our brain, and thus adjust our reality and perception. Are we moving towards a world where we are lyrical by appointment, programmable in our feelings?
Now that recreational drug use in the nightlife seems to be becoming mainstream, and the stigma on antidepressants is beginning to disappear, our idea of what emotions are is shifting. We no longer see them as authentic true experiences, but as chemical processes in our brain that we can influence to our heart's content. By controlling the amount of serotonin and dopamine, we are able to create our reality and perception. Politically and socially, there is quite a bit of suspicion about the pharmaceuticals of the influence of consciousness, but how sustainable is this restrained use of the artificial in light of technological developments and growing demand?
To finish, the artist talk “Happiness on Demand” was organized at Sociëteit Sexyland on October 20, 2019, at ADE Hangover. Dries Verhoeven spoke to Machteld Busz (initiator of Poppi: Drugs Museum Amsterdam) and journalist Thijs Roes (De Correspondent and Vice Media) who studied the drug policy of the future. The talk was interpreted by author Marian Donner with appropriate passages from her Self-Devastation Book, that is inspired by 'Happiness'. For the occasion, there was a special artwork by Poppi Drug Museum Amsterdam to admire.
Happiness was a co-production with the NDSM-werf Foundation & SPRING Performing Arts Festival.
In four weekends, young theater makers from the circus, mime and theater schools performed at NDSM.
Step Right Up was a project by the Street Theatre Institute Netherlands (SIN), which was located at the NDSM shipyard. Famous theater maker and winner of the 2018 NDSM Open Call, Pieter Post, coached the talents in the run-up to their performances. On 3, 4, 18 & 19 May, 10 & 11 July and 28 & 29 September 2019, the NDSM shipyard provided space for new street theater artists from home and abroad. Performances were held at the location between 13:00 and 18:00. These were free of charge and suitable for all ages. There was also a terrace where food and drinks were available to enjoy during the performance.
Street Theatre Institute Netherlands and Step Right Up
In contrast to neighboring countries, street theater only played a small part in cultural awareness in the Netherlands. On the other hand, it offered a great school for young talents. By playing on the street, they were able to experiment, interact directly with the audience and thus be trained in creating engagement. Both timing and improvisation were very important!
To introduce young makers to the street theater school, the SIN offered by means of Step Right Up a coaching program and stage for this form of play of action and reaction, challenge and response. The talents rehearsed at the SIN theater under the direction of theater maker and director Pieter Post. The SIN was a playground and meeting place for all genres, types and sizes of international theater makers.
The artists
The first weekend was dedicated to Troubamour (Marrit Bausch and Ursel Braaksma) with the show Groundless. Groundless was a physical street theater performance about borders, limitlessness and the urge to limit. About adapting to others and thus sometimes losing a part of yourself. The central question was: what was left of yourself, of a group, or even of a country, when the borders were blurred?
The second weekend was for Milan Seegers, with the show Cuckoo. Cuckoo was an imaginative circus show that celebrated the differences that gave color to our world. Milan was a crazy and absurd figure who enjoyed showing off art with his eggs. This resulted in an acrobatic choreography about picking yourself up, dusting yourself and, above all, never giving up!
The third weekend was the stage for Julia Campistany, with a show about the fragility of harmony: It happens. Through comedy and movement, a dialogue was created between success and failure, beauty and shame, and serenity and unrest. Just when you thought everything was good, you were worried about what might go wrong.
Before the last weekend, during the NDSM Open on Saturday, September 28, 2019, a surprise performance was scheduled!
Visual artist Navid Nuur is fascinated by how human perception works. His works are therefore an interplay between material, architecture and sensory phenomena. Light and darkness have been a recurring element in this for years. For Navid Nuur, light is anything but unambiguous.
In his series THE AFTER GLOW Navid considered its limitless possibilities. THE AFTER GLOW III here was his latest work of art, specially made for the NDSM shipyard. The art project was shown at three fixed locations, where it blended with the architecture of the old shipyard.
A fourth element of the project was a newspaper, entitled THE AFTER GLOW, issue 3. This could be found scattered around the shipyard at various points.
About Navid Nuur
Navid Nuur (Tehran, 1976) lives and works in The Hague. Major international solo exhibitions have been shown at Trafó House of Contemporary Arts in Budapest, Marta Herford in Herford, Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht, Parasol Unit in London, S.M.A.K in Ghent, Kunsthalle Fridericianum in Kassel and De Hallen in Haarlem. In 2019, a solo exhibition of new work will follow at the Gemeentemuseum The Hague.
Steel, iron, art and performance in one place at NDSM.
Ferrotopia was an art installation in public spaces, a Gesamtkunstwerk A pop-up museum in one. The art installation was an ode to iron (ferrous = iron) and consisted of a collection of characterful buildings, grouped around a central square. During the previous three years, parts of this had already been shown at the Ruhr Triennial in Bochum (Germany) and at the Center Pompidou in Paris (France). A new work was added to this at the NDSM shipyard: the Valhammer House, a place for destruction and recycling. The ensemble was completed with the unique Happy Watering Shed, a fully equipped and ready-to-use metal workshop, forge and foundry.
Cross-over programming
Against the backdrop of Ferrotopia From the opening, a program of visual arts, design, theater, film, music and lectures has unfolded. This linked the romance of industrial heritage to the rediscovery of new industry and crafts in a circular economy. This program was created in collaboration with, among others, Over het IJ Festival, Partizan Publik, MU Eindhoven, EYE Filmmuseum and, of course, Atelier Van Lieshout itself.
The focal point of the installation was the Domesticator, who had caused a stir internationally because of her sexual appearance. Atelier Van Lieshout explained the theme of this artwork as follows:
“Domestikator reflects on the way humans cultivate and domesticate the world by applying their ingenuity and creativity, yet how at the same time they challenge ethical and real borders by new technologies. With the artwork, artist Joep van Lieshout wants to start a dialogue about these positive and negative forces, while playfully addressing one of the last few remaining hypocritical taboos.”
Ferrotopia was commissioned by the NDSM-werf Foundation. The project was made possible in part by financial contributions from the Municipality of Amsterdam, the Mondriaan Fund, the Amsterdam-Noord district, the Doen Foundation, the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts and Fund 21, and with the cooperation of BeamSystems and Pllek.
Monolith was an object similar to the monolith in Kubrick's film. 2001: A Space Odyssey. The big difference was that here, water flowed from bottom to top over the rectangular shape and clatter down at the back. All works by Feigl were driven by a certain technique, which may not even have always been that complicated, but it created an impressive and grand image every time. This work symbolized the mysterious and inexplicable in our world. The origin and power of the object in the film remained unfathomable, and so in the real world, it was still just as impossible to get a grip on everything in the real world.
2001: A Space Odyssey
At the start of Stanley Kubrick's iconic movie 2001: A Space Odyssey a group of apes in their prehistoric, desert-like environment was suddenly overwhelmed by a strange new presence. A huge black rectangular monolith appeared in their midst and thus provided a strong visual contrast. With some suspicion, the monkeys touched this strange object, which was completely unclear where it had come from. The monolith could be interpreted in various ways, but at least it had to be seen as a catalyst for the development of human evolution. The object set in motion a certain intelligence that led to progress, a need that was peculiar to humans even outside the fictional world of film, who always strived to improve through ever-increasing technological and digital tools.
About Zoro Feigl
Zoro Feigl (Amsterdam, 1983) made work that moved. Feigl was fascinated by why things worked the way they did and why things moved the way they did. Much of his work was designed for exhibition in large spaces and could thus be experienced as fascinating as well as intimidating or even threatening. The sculptures moved according to their own, sometimes predictable and sometimes surprising rhythm. That was the trick for Zoro: understanding the material and the movement and being able to orchestrate them.
Feigl's work has been shown at Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam and Museum Voorlinden, as well as at the Verbeke Foundation (Belgium) and exhibitions in China, Japan, Brazil, Russia, Italy and Bulgaria, among others. In 2017, King Willem-Alexander created the artwork ECHO “on” at the opening of the renovated State Office Building in The Hague, which housed, among others, the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Infrastructure and Water Management.
With its expanse, industrial buildings and rugged atmosphere, the NDSM shipyard is a remarkable part of the city. Commissioned by Stichting NDSM- werf, visual artist Jaap Scheeren wandered around the site for a few months and captured the unpolished character in a collection of life-size landscape portraits. In his work, he searches for the hidden stories beneath the turbulent surface of the NDSM. The photo series is therefore an ode to the shipyard as a place for the imagination.
The images were later featured in the NDSM special edition of Mr. Motley Magazine.
ART INSTALLATION MADE POSSIBLE BY ART CITY, KINETIC NORTH FOUNDATION, AND NDSM-WERF FOUNDATION
High between the old steel beams in the back of the monumental Shipbuilding Shed hangs a small white neon light that shows a changing message: one moment the word 'nothing' shines, the next moment the word changes to 'something'. The contradiction raises questions about the huge empty space where the work is on display. What exactly is meant here: what is nothing and what is something? Is it about emptiness, is it waiting to be filled in to become something? Or does emptiness itself also have a value?
In the current building frenzy, where empty plains are quickly filled in all over the city, the artwork asks you to take a moment to reflect on the meaning of empty space.
Untitled (something/nothing) is an initiative by Art City NDSM, made possible in part with the support of Stichting Kinetisch Noord and Stichting NDSM-werf. Thanks also to Bouwbedrijf Van Braam-Minnesma.
The NDSM-Werf Foundation is back with a podcast, but this time with a new look! In this three-part series, The Plotcast, architect Afaina de Jong explores Amsterdam-Noord. The goal: to gather ideas for a design for an empty plot on NDSM.
From a second-hand clothing store to a new coffee shop, podcast creator Jesper Buursink and architect Afaina de Jong explore a lot of interesting places in Tuindorp-Oostzaan in episode 2 of De Plotcast. What would these northerners want to see on this vacant lot, formerly the location of Sexyland and the old shipyard club? A watchtower for people watching? Tree houses or other places to play around? Listen along to some wonderful stories in part two of the triptych, “Cranes and Front Gardens.”
With the ideas from this podcast in mind, Afaina de Jong is making an architectural intervention that will be installed at the NDSM shipyard in 2022.
Interview: NDSM (Come To) Light artists Alice Wong & Crys Leung
tekst:
Editors
This winter, the NDSM-werf Foundation presents (Come To) Light, an exhibition consisting of three light works by international artists. With their works, they shed light — literally and figuratively — on topics and people that are important to them. Who or what should be visible in the public space?
In this edition, we speak with visual artists Alice Wong and Crys Leung. Anyone who recently took an evening walk at NDSM may have already passed their new project without even realizing it: the work Cohesion is because it is so big that it cannot be seen at a glance.
How did this project start for you?
Alice (A): Last August, we were asked to participate in this open-air exhibition. At that time, we were on a summer vacation together. We had never done a project in the public space before, but we decided: “Why not?” This is the seventh project we're working on together, and we were excited to challenge ourselves with something new.
It's always fascinating to work with a new medium. I call myself a “story designer”: I love to embed narratives in my work, and it works well to use different media for that. If a certain story is best told in a podcast, I'll create a podcast. If it needs to be shown with a chair, then I'll push myself to make a chair. If it has to be a circle, we'll make a circle.
What a nice, open-minded attitude! How did a concrete idea come about then?
Crys (C): We had to think deeply about how best to make a work of art for the public space. We wanted to do something that wasn't too technical, with lots of wires and cables.
A: We also focused on the text that explains “(Come To) Light”: it was about inclusivity, visibility, bringing people together, about what is seen and what is not. After that, we sat in a café for a few days and thought about this in the context of NDSM. We agreed that this is a place where everything happens, but also a place that people call home. For many people — from migrants to artists — NDSM has been a kind of gateway. What histories does this area have, how can we bring them together, and what should be visible here after this pandemic? That's when we decided to name the project “Cohesion”.
When you stand next to it, you can't see exactly what it is
C: It was not an option to use high-end technology, such as cables, programming, TV screens, or anything else that is susceptible to damage.
A: We wanted to make something analogous that, as a medium and concept, still manages to bring people together well. At one point, we looked at the NDSM map and asked ourselves, “Why don't we just create one big circle?” The first idea was to create a huge shape, almost one kilometer wide, that would cover the slopes and various buildings such as the Hilton hotel. That was kind of our male ego talking; we wanted to do something really big and paint the walls all over.
C: That's when we were confronted with reality. We couldn't just place a piece of art in so many places, so we made the circle smaller. That's when we started glow-in-the-dark paint to consider, or thermoreactive material, or anything that would invite people to touch the work.
So the goal was to keep it analog yet interactive?
A: Yes, it was supposed to surprise people and make them wonder, “What is this about?” We wanted to make something light-reflective.
C: Next, we spent a lot of time researching materials — a big part of this project. We've reached out to suppliers in many different countries to find material that can withstand wind, rain, and outdoor temperatures. This turned out to be 3M Stamark road marking tape.
A: We needed a lot of help from friends. Making the proposal, writing out the concept, setting up the material inventory; it all took a lot of math. Without the help of all these people, we would not have been able to make this circle.
C: And since the project is called 'Cohesion', it has even more meaning.
Can you tell us more about what 'Cohesion' symbolises?
A: We've created a circle that's too big to see at a personal glance — that's what it starts with. When you stand next to it, you can't really see what it is exactly. A line? A circle? Am I inside or outside? We want people to ask themselves these kinds of things and give them different meanings.
We can't really judge the things we see until we look at them from different perspectives and have the full picture in front of us. Especially nowadays, everyone clings to different information, assuming that what we know is the correct version. But we seldom realize that one perspective isn't always better than the other — it's often just the knowledge that fed us or what we've been told. Together, all these perspectives contribute to our reality, and that is what the circle should symbolize. In addition, by placing the circle in this specific spot, we remind the audience that, despite our differences, we must keep coming together in physical space.
The work already brought people together, even when it wasn't there yet
How do people respond to work?
C: People respond to it in different ways. Sometimes they come to us to talk to us. But today, people also started parking their cars next to the line — something they're more likely to do if the line is a little thinner. That way, it matches their perception of real signage. And when we swept the ground before we could attach the road marking tape, we received compliments from some police officers for keeping the area clean.
A: All these public reactions and incidents made us realize that even though we created the whole circle, it's impossible even for us to see the full picture, and therefore the different ways of dealing with it.
What's it like for you to show work in the public space? What do you find valuable or important about that?
C: This is the first time we've done a project in public space, and also the first time we've talked to so many different people throughout the process. Because we do something with the surface on which people walk, everyone had to cooperate. At one point, a car was in the way, and we had no choice but to go find that person. After all, it's hard to keep drawing a circle if you skip a piece and the lines are no longer connected.
Would you like to work in the public space more often?
C: We could certainly do it again, but maybe on a smaller scale. In the future, we will also take more account of external factors, such as weather conditions.
A: Working in public spaces means working automatically with many different people, and that requires commitment from all sides. That can be challenging, but it also brings cohesion.
By doing this project and talking to a lot of people, we became part of this area ourselves. And our recognisable, bright green suits helped with that, too. The process itself became almost a performance in itself. It's not like people wake up on a Monday morning and work is suddenly there. As we worked on it, ran around and widened the circle bit by bit, people started questioning it. So that's another layer: the work was already bringing people together, even when it wasn't finished.
C: Sometimes, however, we couldn't keep talking to people; we don't have all day, and the project has to be completed! Until last week, this led us to the following conclusion: the circle is the result, but cohesion is the process.
The exhibition '(Come To) Light' can be visited free of charge at NDSM in the winter of 2021 - 2022, with different durations and dates per work.
Credits and references
Lees
Interview: NDSM (Come To) Light artists Alice Wong & Crys Leung
The NDSM-werf Foundation is back with a podcast, but this time with a new look! In this three-part series, De Plotcast, architect Afaina de Jong explores Amsterdam-Noord. The goal: to gather ideas for a design for an empty plot on NDSM.
What another one is it. Jesper Buursink and Afaina de Jong meet a man who has lived in Tuindorp Oostzaan for 80 years, also speak to someone who only came to live there last week, but a tarot reader is also being challenged. In the episode, you'll find out what fantastic and original ideas these people have for the future meeting place on the currently vacant lot. Maybe an adult paddling pool? Learn everything in this 3rd edition.
With this episode, we close the triptych 'Cranes and Front Gardens' and say goodbye to podcast maker Jesper Buursink. But don't worry, because The Plotcast will keep going on for a while! To do this, we are moving from Tuindorp Oostzaan to the plot on NDSM where Afaina de Jong goes out with the guys from Radio Noord Amsterdam. It will be heard in two weeks.
The NDSM-werf Foundation is back with a podcast, but this time with a new look! In De Plotcast, architect Afaina de Jong explores Amsterdam-Noord. The goal: to gather ideas for a design for an empty plot on NDSM.
Drum roll, because episode four of the Plotcast can be listened to. And this time, it was included on the plot itself! Together with the men at Radio Noord Amsterdam, Afaina de Jong searched for the needs of residents, passers-by and people who work at the NDSM shipyard and their thoughts for the currently empty lot. Maybe a park for animals and plants, where once upon a time we are not dominant as humans? Or will it be a place with the role of capturing CO2? On the other hand, a mini festival site isn't such a bad idea either...
In this episode #4, also called “Plot in North”, there is plenty of inspiration that allows Afaina de Jong to get started. One glimpse of the veil; the podcast also features singing here. So it's definitely an episode not to miss!
Interview: program maker and curator Isabeau Keurntjes
tekst:
Editors
Visuals: Randy da Costa, Gert Jan van Rooij
This winter, the NDSM-werf Foundation presents (Come To) Light, an exhibition consisting of three light works by international artists. With their works, they shed light — literally and figuratively — on topics and people that are important to them. Who or what should be more or less visible in the public space? In this interview, we speak with Isabeau Keurntjes, producer, program maker, event manager, and curator for some time now. In collaboration with a diverse selection of artists, she combined the themes surrounding (Come To) Light in an exciting opening program on November 12.
Can you tell us more about your background and your experience as a curator?
My background is mainly in event management and production. I've been circling the hospitality industry for about ten years, but at some point I also started doing events — for example in the A'DAM Tower. I haven't been working as a curator very long; the first major project I did was this one at NDSM. Via Serginho (Stekkel, ed.), I ended up at the NDSM-werf Foundation. The ensuing conversation was about giving opportunities to new curators. That was absolutely right for me, because I've been doing events for a long time, but had never put together a program of this format myself.
However, as operational manager of the Members Club at the A'DAM Tower, I was already involved in community-focused and social events — a big contrast to the commercial events I've always done — and I noticed that I felt very much at home there. I want to devote part of the time I spend in this sector to events that mean something to many different Amsterdammers.
I do my job because I want to create an unforgettable experience
Corona is a big one for many people switch been. Many event managers, including me, had to quit or have a lot downtime had. That makes you wonder: when everything starts up again afterwards, what do I really want to do with this work?
Where do you get inspiration from as a curator? And what ambitions do you have when it comes to curating in the future?
I think that the value of what curators do — bringing people together through events — is underestimated. I've always said I do my job because I want to create an unforgettable experience for people. I want to touch people with a story. In that regard, a program must be right in every aspect and ensure that you are included in a story.
That's why I find it so interesting to combine my work as a curator with my experience as a producer and event manager. If the story and experience are both correct, the program will be unforgettable. I'm constantly looking online for artists and how they've been brought together at events that have already taken place.
You just turn on your Spotify, but what you don't get is the artist's entire process
What aspect of the work and the identity of curators and creators do you prefer to make visible?
In addition to the fact that people and themes were highlighted by the creators of the (Come To) Light artworks, we wanted to highlight not only individuals, but also certain professions and types of work in this program. Anna (Martinova, stage name Tulpa Dusha, ed.), for example, did a performance with live synthesizers. She thus explains the labour and expose the process of making music. Among other things, we wanted to show how many artists can't hide behind one work of art.
It's so easy for us these days. You quickly turn on your Spotify, but what you don't get is the entire process of the artist behind it. That is so understudied today. Actually, we also wanted to work with a scenographer — someone who designs plays with costumes, sets, lights, you name it. At the end of a theater performance, everyone claps and the actors are the recipients of this applause. But the scenographers are actually never in the spotlight, even though they are such a big part of it. A lot of the artists I know are very humble. They do such beautiful work, but are not exposed to enough light.
Would you describe a program as a total work of art that brings together all kinds of artists?
Absolutely. Everything you see in a program contributes to a (hopefully) unforgettable experience. We also tried to show that in this program, and it's something I try to do with every other event.
At the opening of (Come to) Light, you and Serginho Stekkel presented a number of performances about creating light and giving light. This was provided by Gershwin Bonevacia and Alistair Sung (spoken word + cello), Charissa Chotoe and Soortkill, Tulpa Dusha (synthesizers) and Charmaine Wartes (music). A very diverse list. What made you choose these names and settings? What was the main idea behind this?
As a program maker, you make a lot of considerations. I would like diversity — in the sense that all cultures are represented — to be a matter of course in every program. We are talking about Amsterdam's public space here. Of course, NDSM belongs to the North district, but for this program, I also liked to invite Soortkill from the Bijlmer, for example. Normally, he wouldn't come to NDSM so quickly, but I think it's important to bring people from different corners of the city together.
Gershwin (Bonevacia, ed.) is a vocabulary artist. He can tell the complete story so beautifully, and that makes the whole thing even stronger. But especially when a program takes place in the public space, it goes beyond a single artist and must reflect the relationships of the entire city, for example with regard to the participation of men and women and different cultures and backgrounds.
You recently participated in the very first edition of NDSM's Young Curator program, where we annually ask “young” or not so experienced program makers to put together a program or event. Here we are looking for programs that connect to the shipyard as a cultural place, but with an urban and industrial character in which public space, outdoor programming, is the starting point. What is the importance of young people in the field of curatorship for you?
If we want public space to offer space for polyphony (an important spearhead of Stichting NDSM-werf, ed.), it is important that there are curators who also attract younger people to a program. My age group connect not always good with a museum or an exhibition. By putting together a program that is indeed inviting for young people, you contribute to who they are, to their inspiration and their social, cultural and social development. That's why the story should appeal to them, and if the curators themselves are also young, this connecting function is filled more quickly.
Credits and references
Visuals: Randy da Costa, Gert Jan van Rooij
Lees
Interview: program maker and curator Isabeau Keurntjes
The NDSM-werf Foundation is back with a podcast, but this time with a new look! In this five-part series, De Plotcast, architect Afaina de Jong explores Amsterdam-Noord. The goal: to gather ideas for a design for an empty plot on NDSM.
Success not guaranteed
What else can you do as an architect in a market where every creative expression is expressed in monetary value, and area development contributes to gentrification more often than not? In this latest edition of The Plotcast called “Success Not Guaranteed”, we take a step back. We zoom in on the plot for which Afaina de Jong will design an “inclusive public space”. But how do you do that? As an architect, how can you still make an impact in a place where there are so many balance of power and interests?
Together with Veerle and Catherine from the Response Podcast, Afaina reflects on this task and its wider context. In addition, we also get to know the shipyard a little better with Petra Heck (curator at the NDSM-werf Foundation) and Erik van der Paardt (Erik's House).
With this episode, we conclude the series The Plotcast. We thought it was a great adventure and hope you experienced it that way too!
After a number of audio experiments, we're back this year with a brand new season of NDSM X. At the end of 2021, we spoke to Serginho Stekkel and Isabeau Keurntjes (unfortunately by phone): the guest curators of the opening of (Come To) Light.
There must be more space for (new) talent in Amsterdam North
We spoke to them about their inspiration for this program, but also the need for good creative facilities for a young target group in Amsterdam-Noord. They also give a little glimpse into their own plans for the future.
In the second episode of this season, we speak with Peter Scheer, director of SEMilla Sanitation. With them, we are setting up a sustainable toilet block at the shipyard.
Maybe we'll use your urine for a cleaner shipyard soon
Using technology inspired by space travel, they reuse our poop and pee to make the shipyard more sustainable. Peter explains exactly how that works in this new episode of NDSM X.
If you've been walking around the shipyard on Fridays in the past few weeks, you may have seen them standing there. Two friends who are cooking large pots of soup on gas stoves.
The two friends, Jasper Van Den Berg and Roel Wouters, sell this soup for a good cause. Under the name Mirror Soup Kitchen, they mirror the same soup dishes at the shipyard every Friday as those of the activist artist collective. Kukhnia from the Ukrainian city of Lviv.
This collective cooks simple, vegetarian soups from home and distributes them to war refugees or other people in need. They now do this from 7 locations in Lviv.
Because direct access to goods and money is currently very difficult in Lviv, Roosje Klap and her network ensured that, with the proceeds from Mirror Soup Kitchen, among other things, a large truck full of necessary goods and grains and two coaches could be sent to Lviv. They took more than a hundred people fleeing back with them.
The NDSM-werf Foundation strongly supports this initiative and on May 5, 2022, we will host a XL Edition at the Tower of Babel.
Direct remote support
The idea for Mirror Soup Kitchen came about more than two years ago when, in Beirut, Rani Al Rajji, a friendly club owner, started cooking for his community in the devastated center of the city. The explosion in the port was the last push to stop dancing but to prepare and serve hundreds of simple meals a day from his club. To support him, neighbors Jasper van den Berg and Arne Hendriks decided to mirror exactly these recipes every week from their homes and sell them to their friends and people in the neighborhood. This way and regularity ensured that attention was maintained at the place of urgency and did not fly away with time.
Want to cook soup yourself?
Have you become enthusiastic to help yourself, but don't live near the NDSM shipyard? Then you can now recreate the recipes at home. Download here the first recipe and read how you can also find and cook other Kukhnia recipes. Invite your friends and family and let's make sure we pick up as much as possible together for Kukhnia 💙💛
Creative multi-talent Jasper Van Den Berg is one of the initiators of the Mirror Soup Kitchen. With this initiative, he raises money for the victims of the war in Ukraine by selling soup. The money will directly benefit an artist collective in Lviv, which cooks exactly the same meal soup there, but for victims of the war.
A more social world starts with you
But Jasper does much more, and we also talk to him about that in this new episode of NDSM X. A thread running through his projects: collective with a social character. Because Jasper had so much to say, we decided to split this conversation into two parts. From now on, part 1 can be heard, where he talks, among other things, about his involvement in Sexyland and how an initiative such as Mirror Soup Kitchen came about.
The NDSM-werf Foundation strongly supports this project and on May 5, 2022, we will host an XL edition at the Tower of Babel.
From Open Call to multi-functional basketball court
Anyone who walked across NDSM on a sunny day last year saw enthusiastic dunk attempts, spontaneous competitions and professional moves. Since we worked with our partner 3×3 Units, who are committed to empowering young people through street basketball, have created a 3X3 Legacy Court at the shipyard, it is in full use. By young and old, local residents, artists and casual passers-by. By: Ewa Scheifes, program maker Stichting NDSM-werf
After a year and a half of intensive use, the field needed repair, and we also think it's time for the location to get a new, fresh look. The enthusiasm for the field was also so great that we would like to create an additional 3X3 field so that more people can play. That's why we thought it was the right time to make our long-term dream of transforming the spot where the field lay into a visually appealing, multifunctional living space come true. A space that amazes — for example, is the basketball court also a changing canvas for art? A public place where functions intersect, for example, imagine the field transforming into a festival stage or a hang out and meeting point during events.
For example, is the basketball court also a changing canvas for art?
In our search for who would best design a suitable and exciting concept for this — do you ask an architect, designer or graphic artist? — during a conversation with 3X3 Unites, the idea came up with a Open Call to launch. Anyone who felt addressed by the call was allowed to come forward and experience was not required, but a sharp vision was. In this way, we also hoped to reach creatives who are not yet on our radar and discover new names unknown to us.
What's next?
Mission accomplished; in the end, we received 25 applications from individuals, duos, collectives and agencies. The submissions came from the community at NDSM, from Amsterdam and the whole of the Netherlands, but also from Copenhagen and Berlin, among others. Our inbox was filled with original ideas for crossovers, declarations of love to basketball as a metropolitan street sport, and visual references for the location. From these submissions, we have chosen three parties that we are most curious about, they were invited to make a sketch proposal.
Our inbox was filled with original ideas for crossovers and declarations of love
Because we like to be surprised and are looking for distinctive concepts, we deliberately chose three parties with different starting points and expertise, namely from architecture, spatial design and visual arts. With them, we shared a briefing with a number of hard preconditions that the concept must meet, and a set of soft values that can be played with. For example, we think of original ways of greening, circularity and sustainability, how festivals can also make use of the site and the multi-functionality of the space.
In the next phase, they will present their idea in a short pitch to the team at the NDSM-werf Foundation, 3X3 Unites and potential other partners, after which we will see which concept best suits the site. This includes whether the preconditions have been met, but also whether the idea emotionally has the “NDSM factor”, matches the appearance and use of the shipyard, and whether circularity and sustainable use of materials were taken into account in the design. The sketch proposals will be presented at the beginning of June, and in mid-June we will know which designer (s) we will be collaborating with to come to an executable design!
This is the continuation of the conversation we had with multi-entrepreneur and artist (depending on how his hat looks that day) Jasper van den Berg.
A more social world starts with you
Jasper talks about his latest project 'the solidarity housing fund'. An idea resulting from his own realization that, from a privileged position in the housing market, he contributed to the situation as he is today. He wanted to do something about this and — together with friends, of course — came up with a new plan to keep the city livable. He explains exactly what this means in the second part of the conversation we had with him.
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