Sometimes, one discovery leads to another.
1. Finding out about marktplaats.nl (Thanks, Loes!)
2. Stumbling across the Bolex 102-MTC projector/screen.
3. Biking to the Oude Noorden to meet Julien, the Bolex seller. Once again, we are smitten by another historic Rotterdam neighborhood.
4. Our first Anti-Squat! Anti-Squat legislation makes empty buildings available to artists and other adventurous tenants on a temporary basis in order to prevent the buildings from being squatted/vandalized while the owner is in the process of selling/repurposing the building. The upside for the tenant: extremely cheap rent in some incredible buildings. The downside: when the landlord says go, you gotta go. Case in point: the old school where Julien and several friends live. A huge heritage structure with endless, light-filled rooms off long hallways, the group anticipated living and making artwork together here for at least a year. Instead, they’ve been given notice to move after just three months as the city has decided to reactivate the space as a school and will being renovations next month. Hence, the sale of the Bolex 102-MTC. We’re happy to give it a good home and wish Julien luck in his own search for new digs.
In the evening, we participate in De Derde Dinsdag, a monthly show and tell by the various cultural institutions around the Witte de Withstraat. Tonight’s installment is at the Ro Theater. There’s a snappy host, some giant hip hop stilt walkers, a box of feathers and a lot of yellow. We discover that Rotterdammers are not too crazy about hobo rock sing-a-longs but love the idea of local kids collaborating on a 16mm city symphony. A highlight of the night is meeting ebullient event producer Elseline Hokke, one of the forces behind We Own Rotterdam, our favorite go-to website for all the local happenings. Keep up the good work on this labor of love, lady!
