Public programme on top of Amsterdam’s oldest building

Oude Kerk -platformThe Garden Which is the Nearest to God by Taturo Atzu (under construction)

From 26 June to 6 September, commissioned by the Oude Kerk, Japanese artist Taturo Atzu (formerly known as Tatzu Nishi) will be presenting a temporary platform on the roof of Amsterdam’s oldest building. He offers visitors a unique vista of the red light district while simultaneously giving access to an architectural domain normally hidden from public view. For ten weeks The Garden Which is the Nearest to God – a summery panorama terrace – transforms the roof of the Oude Kerk into an exhilarating attraction; its unorthodox function offering us new sights and insights. Troughout the summer Non-fiction will be curating a public programme, based on Atzu’s installation.

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By Michiel — Posted May 14, 2015 — 137 Comments

New studio space

Oudekerksplein 9

The Non-fiction studio is now situated in one of the buildings attached to the Oude Kerk, the oldest building in Amsterdam in the heart of the historic inner city. You enter the space from Oudekerksplein. Our back door gives direct access to the church’s main hall. We are happy to share our studio space with strategy consultant and business developer Roel van Herpt and graphic designer Maarten Kanters.

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By Michiel — Posted April 3, 2015 — 158 Comments

Essay in ‘Amsterdam: Anticipating the Future?’

 

Amsterdam mag1

Architect, consultant and tourism expert Stephen Hodes took the initiative to publish a magazine, Amsterdam: Anticipating the Future?, which explores the future of the Dutch capital as a tourist destination. Through a selection of essays, interviews, photos and infographics, the magazine discusses the expected growth of the number of people visiting Amsterdam from around the globe. While this generates new jobs and extra revenues, it also increases the prices of real estate and the costs of living in the city. What to do?

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By Michiel — Posted February 20, 2015 — 303 Comments

Documenting six years of underground culture

photo 3

Situated on the Wibautstraat in the east of Amsterdam, Trouw was a nightclub, music venue, cultural space and restaurant housed in the former newspaper printing facility of several national newspapers. Trouw combined food, music and the arts, and was the first nightclub to receive the 24-hour permit from the city of Amsterdam. After six years of experimenting and over time slowly establishing itself as one of the top nightlife and cultural venues in the city and beyond, Trouw closed its doors on 3 January 2015.

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By Michiel — Posted January 4, 2015 — 469 Comments

New publication

World Heritage Now Launch-new

On Sunday 9 February we launched World Heritage Now. This publication shows the dynamic and fragile nature of UNESCO World Heritage by juxtaposing UNESCO’s original guidelines with recent media coverage from around the world and personal remarks and commentary by Non-fiction’s Michiel van Iersel, who is the inaugural guest curator of the new World Heritage Podium in Amsterdam. Designed by Rafe Copeland, the publication questions the sustainability of the World Heritage List in a world in flux, and proposes new and radical directions and actions for UNESCO.

The launch took take place in the building of Amsterdam’s City Archives on Sunday 9 February from 15:00 – 16:30. Several guests responded to the publication. With a.o. Esther Agricola (Director of the Office of Monuments & Archeology, City of Amsterdam, responsible for the Canal Di), Riemer Knoop (Professor of Cultural Heritage at the Reinwardt Academy and advisor to The Netherlands National Commission for UNESCO) and Tracy Metz (journalist and director of the John Adams Institute).

The publication was commissioned by the World Heritage Podium. The Netherlands has nine World Heritage sites that are acknowledged by UNESCO. All of these are brought to life in the World Heritage Podium. The World Heritage Podium is situated in the monumental building De Bazel in Amsterdam. It is simultaneously the information centre for the Canal District Amsterdam, that was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010.

More information on www.werelderfgoed.nl/podium

And get a free hard copy by sending an e-mail to podium@wereld­erfgoed.nl

World Heritage Now preview

By Michiel — Posted February 5, 2014 — 5,713 Comments

26 April Zuiderkerklezing: Failed Architecture

Michiel has been asked to deliver the so-called Zuiderkerklezing on April 26. His talk will focus on his research project Failed Architecture and is part of long-running lecture series at the Zuiderkerk (a 17th Century Protestant church in the Nieuwmarkt area of Amsterdam). Organized by the spatial planning department (Dienst Ruimtelijke Ordering) of the City of Amsterdam, the Zuiderkerklezing presents people with a refreshing look on urban developments. Entrance free, the lecture will be in Dutch.

More information below (in Dutch)

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By Michiel — Posted April 20, 2012 — 5,803 Comments

3 April: YouNESCO-symposium

In 2010 Amsterdam’s 17th-century canal ring was added to the World Heritage List by UNESCO. On April 3 the newly established Stad-Forum, an advisory body for the City of Amsterdam and mobile debate platform, will organize a public discussion focusing on the opportunities and threats that UNESCO might pose to the city.

Being a member of Stad-Forum, and having written about UNESCO on several occasions, Non-fiction’s Michiel van Iersel will be one of the speakers, together with the deputy mayor of both Brugge and Amsterdam, providing an international overview of the ways in which cities deal with UNESCO. Please find more information below (in Dutch).

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By Michiel — Posted March 29, 2012 — 4,292 Comments

9 December: a perfect day for a warm-up

A new Friday, but the same old balcony to celebrate the week and the weekend on. Join us after 5 pm for special Non-fiction drinks: an intimate preview on A Perfect Day, an exhibition with drawings by David Shrigley, Gummbah, David Bade, Raymond Pettibon and many others, that will take place 9 – 24 February 2012 at the Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam.

With talks by curators Olga Scholten and Paul Faassen, a short film programme, mini exhibition preview, drawing corner for children, live button creation, free goodie bags, plus sausages and Glühwein at the ice cold roof terrace at Museumplein – to make your day perfect.


Stay up to date with A Perfect Day via their website, Facebook and Twitter.

By Juha — Posted December 9, 2011 — 6,338 Comments

Curator’s talk: The Future of the Photography Museum

Foam, the Amsterdam based but omnipresent photography museum, is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. For this occasion, Foam has created ‘What’s Next?’, a project exploring the future of photography. Foam has posed the question of ‘what’s next?’ throughout this anniversary year to a variety of people in a variety of locations.

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By Michiel — Posted December 2, 2011 — 3,439 Comments

Social weather

The ubiquitous use of mobile devices to document and distribute our daily activities in a never-ending stream of updates, checkins, tweets and retweets is generating an ever-expanding biosphere of social information.

This advancing ecosystem is growing into an adaptive system of informational weather. Technologist Ben Hammersley calls it ‘social weather’: “I want to feel my friends like I feel the weather.”

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By Juha — Posted November 17, 2011 — 2,956 Comments