A sunny, breezy day perfect for a long bike ride into the countryside to check out Kinderdijk, a UNESCO world heritage site of 19 windmills dating back to the early 1700s. In the evening, we explore Rotterdam’s ever-morphing urban landscape with Florian and Mariette via the Luchtsingel, a raised walkway based on an 1854 idea for canal promenades. Power to the pedestrian!
A beautiful night of friends and cinema… Thank you, Florian and Esther for making The Sound We See: Rotterdam possible, thank you Vijal and Cola for being part of this ever-growing film family and sharing your experience, thank you to everyone in the audience for your enthusiasm and creativity… Movie magic is definitely in the house tonight!
We’re not just in Rotterdam to reminisce, we’re here to work! It feels great to be back in the inspiring environment of the Filmwerkplaats for the “Graffiti Film” workshop where we spend the day exploring strategies, tools and techniques for creating guerrilla cinema happenings in the urban environment, from repurposing public space to setting up off-the-grid screenings, from dealing with security guards to sparking community engagement, from eco-processing to making a digital projector out of a cardboard box. Coen, Judith, Michaela, Nan, Patrícia, Vijal and Yoana, you’re ready to hit the streets!
Sometimes you don’t know just how much you miss a place until you return. Three years ago, we spent a magical four months in Rotterdam, working on the first international Sound We See project. From the minute we walk through the (finally completed!) magnificent Centraal Station and into the balmy streets, it’s like the city is giving us a big hug… Showing off what’s changed, reminding us of our old haunts, bringing friends together in unexpected situations (Merce Cunningham limbo, anyone?)… memory and the moment slowly melding into the long blue twilight of a late summer night…
The last sweet morsel of this wonderful journey begins… After 12 hours travel (salute the dawn in Legedzine and then taxi to bus to airport shuttle to plane to train to shank’s mare) we set our bags down in the heart of Amsterdam and say Hello Netherlands, we’re glad to be back!
