Memorials, monuments and memory in Amsterdam

The political climate in the Netherlands regarding immigration and integration has strongly affected general discussion. Added to the debate surrounding future cuts in cultural funding, current artistic production appears to be reflecting these issues by reconsidering the true signification of memorials, monuments, memory and National identity.

At the Rijksakademie (not) open ateliers, open to the general public on 27 and 28 November, it was stated that the academy’s main topic of consideration were the consequences of severe funding cutbacks in the cultural sector. The open studios brochure also explained that the ‘(not)’ preceding the usual ‘open ateliers’, was inserted to illustrate ‘that it no longer goes without saying that a multitude of worlds of experience, ideas, cultures, work and work in progress can be shown.’ Perhaps more simply described as the local increase in concern over repercussions brought about by freedom of speech.

The Rijksakademie attempted to exhibit each of its 58 participating artists both in their studio environment and in additional spaces throughout the academy. The building is a maze of staircases, corridors and bridging devices and the numbers, names and levels applied ‘on various big maps throughout the building’ didn’t ease navigation.

Amongst the many presentations, only a few stood out. These included a number of installations by Claire Harvey scattered throughout the building. The most effective being in her studio, where an overhead projection of pencil drawn figures clambered and balanced amidst the gradients of a wall applied collage. A video projection by Sara Rajai, presented a family sat perfectly still, while a roving camera, intimately circled their composition. Here the image proved more seductive than the narrative - a story about the selection, delivery and installation of what one was led to presume to be a traditional Turkish or Persian carpet. Next door, Igor Sevcuk’s two-room exhibit of cross-referencing installations definitely intrigued the audience who appeared transfixed by an emotive video of a dog aggressively chasing its own tail.

Moving on to the topical theme of memorials and national identity: Marjolein Rothman’s paintings of ruins and historical monuments, proposed a confrontation between power, decay and the desperation to make memory permanent. Oranje, Amalia Pica’s studio work, where she had painted every object and every part of the room as seen from its open door in vivid orange, was unfortunately eclipsed by a new work of the same name by Jeroen de Rijke and Willem de Rooij. Selected to represent the Netherlands in the 51st Venice Biennial, de Rijke and de Rooij’s slide installation Orange presents a series of 80 orange monochrome slides originally intended to capture the colour of the prisoners’ overalls at Guantanamo Bay, while simultaneously confronting National sympathies and referencing The House of Orange. Orange was on exhibit in ‘Cordially Invited’ at BAK, basis voor actuele kunst in Utrecht, along with another of Pica’s more successful new works Toc toc, a clog wearing performance and video documentation involving Netherlands based foreigners.

Finally at the Rijksacademie, Jeremiah Day’s work Reconstruction set an interesting precedent for the reconsideration of what memorials mean in real time. His installation of photographs, text and sculptural elements used as a reference the events of the summer and autumn of 2004, when most of the major memorials and monuments in Washington DC went under construction. He proposes that this simultaneous reconstruction is no coincidence and that it is a symbolic re-organisation, initiated to parallel the USA’s shift in its political discourse. Upon the photographs Day had handwritten short notes, which crossed over images and factual information, offering a fragmented form of storytelling and a reflection of the limitations of historical description.

In the realm of new media and design a contemporary answer to the convention of graveyards and memorials was proposed by the winning entry for the Internet competition Fusedspace. Initiated by SKOR, Foundation for Art and Public Space, Fusedspace 2004 called for innovative applications of new technology in the public domain, leading to its virtual extension. The competition received 307 international entries and was won by Ulrika Wachtmeister from Sweden.

Wachtmeister’s proposal was to install on the island of Pepperholm, (which is located between the two cities Copenhagen and Malmö), a field of 1.5m high light-poles connected to the Internet via mobile technology. This field would be fully visible to passengers in the cars and trains passing via the island to each city, but would remain, as it is now, physically inaccessible. Each time a pole was lit as a gesture of remembrance it would then gradually fade, to allow access for a new interactive user, leaving a glimmering field of lights, which you pass by on your way to elsewhere.

Ironically continuing this theme of remembrance and mourning is SMART Project Space’s move into a building of monumental proportions that was once Amsterdam’s Pathological Anatomical Laboratory. SMART was founded in 1994 and since inception has developed as a site for cultural production through its strong artist studio program. Now SMART is developing its activities and enlarging its premises by ten, to 5000 square metres.

The new building’s features retain a cold edge but offer an incredible range of spaces, which once redeveloped will include 700 square metres of exhibition space fuelled by work produced on site in the 12 studio spaces; 6 cinemas, each seating between 20 and 60 guests who can select their film of choice in advance via the internet; a production support and new media lab; reference library; media café, club and restaurant accessible by boat, Smarties, an onsite kindergarten run by studio artists; and in the hollow clock tower, accommodation for visiting critics and lecturers. The new SMART spaces open on 21st May 2005 with ADAM (short for Amsterdam), an exhibition of works by 30 artists including Dave Allen, Otto Berchem, Johanna Billing, Phil Collins, Dirk van Lieshout and Susan Philipsz.

While the Rijksakademie and the De Ateliers studio progamme are both concerned about future funding, the Stedelijk’s exhibition program has also deteriorated during its temporary transitional phase at its waterfront location. Amidst this general feeling of unease and stagnation, SMART has moved forward regardless and its directors’ Thomas Peutz and Una Henry’s positive perspective could provide the potential to reposition SMART as Amsterdam’s main centre for contemporary culture.