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.
In this film, the viewer sees how large cargo ships, when depreciated, are sailed to the beach from Gadani in Balochistan, Pakistan, to be disassembled by workers under appalling conditions. The materials extracted in this process are resold or recycled. What does this work say about the consumer society we live in? What happens to “things” when we throw them away? Listen to this special episode of NDSM X now!
As part of the exhibition (Un)monumenting: The Future Should Always Be Better, we will talk to artist Krijn de Koning. His work 'In here, Up There', two works for (Un) monumenting will be shown in the NDSM Loods during the exhibition.
Krijn de Koning (Amsterdam 1963) studied art at the Rietveld Academy (NL), De Ateliers (NL) and the 'Institut Des Hautes Etudes En Art Plastique' (FR). Since the 1990s, he has been creating site-specific sculptures and installations for exhibitions, museums, galleries and public places.
In your work, you discuss the experience of spaces and how, by making various interventions, you can change them for the visitor. How did you work for (Un) Monumenting? What (new) experience of the North Strip in the NDSM Loods did you have in mind?
It's not so much my goal to change a space and make it experience differently for others, it's more of a means and an attempt to 'really' look at a space again, or if you like. Sometimes you have to ruin or even ridicule something for that. For me, art is largely about “watching”. A priori, this is not directly a mental or formal thing. That is why aspects such as' feeling ', intuition and a certain directness are important to me. Rational thinking is certainly interesting, but in my opinion, that comes after it.
For the exhibition (Un) Monumenting, I initially mainly looked at space. It is already monumental in itself and that is mainly due to its enormous volume. But what you actually see is the limit of the volume, which is enormously unsettling, a total cacophony of current and historical details with all kinds of different meanings.
The 'Un-Monumenting' consists in the fact that I attack the objects.
The sparse details and objects that are still part of the original space are somewhat dwarfed in the current situation. My idea and feeling was that it would be interesting to highlight some of the warehouse's original objects. This ultimately happens in two works, one for a large lifting beam that hangs high in the ridge, and one for an old magnetic crane, which also hangs in the air. Both objects are 'framed' by me in a temporary architectural setting.
How do you think the work In Here/up there, two works for (Un) Monumenting relates to the subject of “monuments”?
You can say that the NDSM warehouse is an (architectural) monument and that the few sparse original objects that are now functionless are a kind of reminder of that warehouse's' grand 'past and are therefore also a kind of monuments to it. You increase the attention for a monument by placing a large pedestal underneath it. On the one hand, that's what's in my two works happens, and what you might associate with the idea of 'Monumenting'. The objects and what they stood for are “lifted”. The 'Un-Monumenting' consists in the fact that I attack the objects. For me, this is mainly about trying to rid them of their conditioning and meaning again.
Do you think monuments are still relevant in contemporary society? And if so, what should monuments look like, and who should they be for?
One of the classic ideas for a monument is to link a person to a major historical act and then create an image of it, but monuments are also created as a result of grand, impressive events. Logically, such an image is always exaggerated, serves a social, political or other interest and rigidly appeals to an often not entirely realistic reality.
What you actually and especially see in the NDSM Loods is precisely the limitation of the volume
It's hard to get away from that in more modern versions. Regardless of whether you agree with the reason for a monument or not, I usually find it quite grotesque and kitch, and not immediately very pleasant and human. When it comes to very serious matters, I'm more in favour of very dry and modest monuments, but that conflicts a bit with his own idea.
(Un) monumenting: The Future Should Always Be Better can be seen on the outside of the NDSM shipyard and inside the NDSM Loods until February 18. For more information, click the button below.
Listen now to the NDSM X (Un)monumenting special with Koos Buster.
If you fake something exactly, I don't find it interesting anymore
Minister of Ceramic Affairs himself Koos Buster tells us more about his work in clay and the inspirations that come with it. 'Monument to the departing Amsterdammer' is now on display in the exhibition (Un) monumenting at NDSM. This is the typical red Canta car from the streets of Amsterdam-Noord, but made entirely of ceramic including “I <3 my canta” sticker, beer crate in the front passenger seat, and Ajax symbols. And there's much more on Buster's clay list, hear all about it in this episode of NDSM X!
This is the last episode of season 4 of NDSM X. We're taking a winter break to reflect and get new inspirations. See you in the spring!
As part of the exhibition (Un) monumenting: The Future Should Always Be Better, we will talk to artist Elsemarijn Bruys. Her work Volume 2.0 will be on display at the NDSM Loods during the exhibition.
Elsemarijn Bruys (1989, NL) is a visual artist with a strong curiosity about sensory perception. In her hybrid practice, she alternates between sculptures and architectural interventions, but the spatial experience is always her starting point. She works primarily with inflatables and kinetic mirrors.
My background in fashion has influenced my material and sculptural work to a great extent.
Elsemarijn, how would you describe yourself as an artist? What does your practice look like?
Messy 🙂
Haha check. For the exhibition (Un) monumenting, you are creating a new work, called Volume 20.0. How do you see this work in the context of the (Un) monumenting theme?
I am interested in how space and material influence each other and the effect this has on the existing architecture. With Volume 2.0 I'm creating a cube of air that seems to be bursting at the seams and fighting for space. Trapped between the pillars and the ceiling of the industrial warehouse, the semi-transparent inflatable simultaneously seems to let the environment through while blocking the view. The work is part of my research into how space can be deformed by a temporary intervention that affects human movement. In addition, refers Volume 2.0 about who and what can take up space when there is only limited space and themes such as changeability and temporality, which often form the basis of my practice. This is in line with the theme of (Un) monumenting: who can take up space in public space? Who should feel represented?
To continue “fighting for space”, the architecture and the material you choose work together. Volume 2.0 can be seen in the NDSM Loods, how does it relate to this location specifically?
The work is firmly embedded in the structure of the NDSM Loods. As a result, there is an emphasis on the gigantic scale in which you are when you enter the NDSM Loods. At the same time, the object is also of a large scale, and clasped into the pillars of the Underscate, the space takes on a different character. When you come Volume 2.0 when you walk around, you see the edges of the pillow pressing against the pillars of the NDSM Loods, almost as if it were about to splash. It gives an ominous, but also a soft feeling. The semi-transparent material also contributes to this.
I ask a lot of questions when it comes to “taking up” public space.
You just said that temporality and changeability are recurring themes in your work. Words that also apply to NDSM; a place full of projects that exist in temporality, a place of movement. Can you explain what interests you about these themes?
The inflatables that I make only exist by virtue of the given air: a “material” that always surrounds us without us seeing it. By filling a bag with that material, the object suddenly takes up space. In that sense, my work is temporary; it exists by the grace of air.
With the exhibition (Un) monumenting, we also want to open up the conversation about monuments in general. What are your own ideas about what monuments should be and for whom, or if they should be there at all?
I ask a lot of questions when it comes to “taking up” public space. I like to go to places where supposedly everyone goes, such as a station. What everyone uses for a purpose without interfering too much with differences in cult and culture. They are, as it were, anonymous spaces. I hope those places are not about claiming space, because I think that's a complicated topic. Whose street is it and which monument can rightfully stand there? Who does it stand for? I myself see many sculptures in public spaces as images of time and I am very happy that there are more and more different monuments for many more different people/groups/cultures.
Check out the work Volume 2.0 by Elsemarijn Bruys during the exhibition (Un) monumenting: The Future Should Always Be Better, on view until February 18, Tue to Sun from 11:00 — 18:00 at the outdoor area of the NDSM shipyard and in the NDSM Loods.
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