Technopoetry by Daan Roosegaarde
Last November I saw an episode of DWDD where a very enthusiastic artist silenced Matthijs van Nieuwkerk with his stories about softening our cityscape. A lot of beta-jargon, but he aims to romanticize buildings with new forms of technology in light and sound. His latest upgrade is to the Hotel school, with a high-tech garden called Boo. The grey complex is now enlightened with green pillars who echo your and their own Asian-inspired voice. Still a bit futuristic; time for some questions. (..more)
Concerto combines coffee and more
Did you already discover the coffee mansion hidden behind Concerto‘s large windows? This glorious music shop now serves coffee and sandwiches during the day as well. Founded in 1955, this LP Valhalla had the best of most genres and thus served as a meeting place for musicians and other hippies as well. This nostalgic vibe is still present, since John Lennon whispers through the speakers while I’m enjoying my cappuccino at the reading table. Imagine all the people that hanged here and it'll become your new favourite spot on the Utrechtsetraat too. (..more)
Tragicomedy with Tsjechov in Frascati
Anton Tsjechov? Who? Even though I like to read I just can’t shine up his Russian snowy stories, where the combination of happy and end seems rare. Most of his tales contain a lot of sad looking farmers and the weather’s bad, especially for the harvest. You might think a play based on his work is the worst idea on a February weekday, but theatre group Oostpool proved me wrong. They’ve mixed up tragedy and comedy, which I promise is also amusing when you’re not into Northern literary heavyweights. (..more)
FOAM is calling for your photography
When I turned 21 my mother gave me the best present in years: a Nikon D5000. This camera became my new best friend and even a pillow during my bus tours in Asia. Some Australian backpacker even gave it a name, Cornelis, because he thought it was a bit odd I talked to a lifeless apparatus. Why do I love him so much? Because when I had the idiotic idea to climb a 3726 meters high Indonesian mountain, he kept the view. Or when I thought a was an artist and made a series about my friends having terrible hangovers, these pictures can still make me laugh. (..more)
Shopping for stories at Trash to Treasure
Some phenomenon’s you respect but you don’t completely understand. For me that’s fashion week. It truly intrigues me how a Red-Cross sister from 20th century can translate a silhouette on the street these days or how comfort and clothes seem to fear each other. So when it comes to season my wardrobe I stick to the ever-good vintage shops. Especially the small ones where I can easily wander around and search after unique things that might suit me. Within this feminine world I present to you my newly popped up favourite: Trash to Treasure. (..more)
Revival of the Readers: Take a bath and join Literaturfest IX
Convinced reading books isn't just for the aged and bored? If not, this ninth gig of a loose literature evening will make you switch. The young bunch behind this Berlin dialectal feast hosts a live talk show where their invitees can chat about their favourite novel. At least that’s the set-up. Last December edition proved again that this rabble doesn’t like to follow a stiff format. Spiced up biscuits from Dutch Santa Claus were tossed through the air and Jort Kelder mostly talked about rich kids. Time for a meet-up with one of the initiators, Tim de Gier. (..more)
Hutspot 2.0 translates as hotspot
What happens if four young folks feel that there´s not enough room for their ideas? Pieter, Reinier, Nils and Nick prove that completing all your ECTS isn’t the condition for success. With the recent opening of the no-longer-pop-up-store their hodgepodge adventure is still growing strong. They fill up the space with handmade lamps, cappuccinos and canvas from De grote 8. This triangle of careful chosen products, a coffee bar and the official desks of PUPconcepts is the base of the powerful mix and mingle which is much more than just another shop around the block. (..more)
Find the frequency at Borderlight in Het Bethaniënklooster
Some Indian tribe may have predict the end of an era just before Christmas, Amsterdam residents use this Maya mystery as the ultimate inspiration for another unforgettable night. If you’ve not yet bought tickets for an evening with an apocalypse character, I highly recommend you save it for the home of the holy this Saturday. In the Bethaniënklooster the theatre collective Nepco will serve you a light searching play, but also finger food and the green risk namely absinthe. With our night mayor, Mirik Milan, opening this ‘psychedelic musical’, it has everything to be some carols to remember. (..more)
Jandergrouwnd brings Moscow to North
Am I a naïve child of Romanticism? Maybe, but I’m convinced some mysterious times need their retell, like the illegal art scene of Moscow in the ’70s and ’80s. When massive censorship was Russia’s second name creativity tried to escape from it by meetings off the map. In smoky kitchens and ice cold lofts Soviet rebels showed each other their paintings, manuscripts and poetry while keeping themselves warm with vodka. With no prospect on publication, this outburst still has a shady image. Oostpool and De Warme Winkel sealed the deal by bringing this subculture back on an underground stage. (..more)
Revival of the Readers: Books & Bubbles in our moveable feast
Have you ever heard of the epic bookshop Shakespeare&Co? The one where the literary magic happened in the 1920s in Paris? Where Ezra Pound high-fived with Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce’s controversial ‘Ulysses’ was published and drinking whiskey made the Anglo-American generation feel a little less lost? This legendary bookshop has intrigued me for quite some time now. Last Tuesday Steffy Roos du Maine opened her Amsterdam version, where good stories will definitely be written and made: Books & Bubbles. (..more)
