Rotterdam, Netherlands
Markthal, DS. JAN SCHARPSTRAAT 298 3011 GZ ROTTERDAM
For our foreign residential project this year, we are going to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, by Eurostar from London.
Film students will be making a short film on location. Photography students would have their own brief and opportunities to explore the many galleries within the city and region. (See list of Exhibitions further down on this page).
Residential dates: NEW DATES - Monday 28th March - Friday 1st April
(Previously 28 February 2022 - 04 March 2022)
Travel details
Outbound: Monday 28th March 2022
13.30 Meet outside Bristol Temple Meads station
14.00 Train leaves Bristol Arrives London Paddington 15:35
(We then will travel via tube to London St. Pancras to get Eurostar – you will need to buy this ticket – it’s contactless)
18:04 Depart London St. Pancras International to Rotterdam arriving 22:32
Return: Friday 1st April 2022
17.00 Meet at Hostel to walk to Train station
17.28 Check in Rotterdam - Eurostar
19.28 Depart Rotterdam to London St. Pancras International, arriving London St Pancras 21:57
21.57 Coach from London St. Pancras to Weston super Mare
01:50 drop off at train station, Weston Super Mare
02:15 drop off at Gordano Service station – Welcome Break, M5, Bristol BS20 7XG
02:45 drop off at Lewins Mead/ Rupert Street (near Primark/ Bus station), Bristol
Accomodation
We are now staying at Sparks Hostel
’Stylish, comfy and cozy hostel :) We're located only 4 min (300m) walking distance from the Rotterdam Central Station. You couldn't have a better base, to start exploring our amazing city! High speed Wi-Fi, modern guest kitchen and well-thought room design providing privacy and convenience.’
Address: Westersingel 1A, 3014 GM Rotterdam, Netherlands
Tel: +31 (0)10 436 3080 Email: info@sparkshostel.com Web: https://sparkshostel.com/
Originally we had planned to stay at Stay Okay YHA (but this was unavailable for new dates)
Price (including Travel and accommodation) is £350
Deposit: £75 - November 4th 2021 - Please pay via link to weston college online store below
Payment 1: £125 - December 2021
Balance: £150 - January 2022 (or before)
Getting around
Rotterdam has excellent public transport, see links below for more details.
‘Do you want to discover the surroundings of Rotterdam? Train, metro, tram, bus and waterbus can take you everywhere. Planning your route is easy via www.9292.nl. ‘
Bus route 44 ‘starts at the impressive Rotterdam Central Station. We pass Blijdorp Zoo and see the poshy mansions in Rotterdam-West. The absolute highlight is the Euromast, with Parkhaven's floating and sailing restaurants across the street. At the museumpark you can visit one of Rotterdam's musea, or just walk around and relax.’ Open the map of bus route 44.
Bus route 32 ‘connects trainstation Zuid to Rotterdam Overschie. We cross the river Maas and see the most famous bridges, the Market hall, Diergaarde Blijdorp and many other highlights. You can easily get off the bus, take some pictures, have a drink or visit a museum, and then get on the next bus again.’ Open the map of bus route 33.
RotterTram ‘Discover Rotterdam in the most original, nicest and tastiest way with the RotterTram. The RotterTram is a historic tram from 1969 that has been converted into a mobile tram restaurant.’
Rotterdam Welcome Card (5 Euros) - Get 25% discount on top attractions and local hotspots!
City Guides…
SIGHTS / LOCATIONS
Santa Claus, popularly known as the Buttplug Gnome, is a 2001 statue by Paul McCarthy in the Eendrachtsplein square of Rotterdam,
Cube Houses
Arts, Culture, What’s On
Witte de With: the dynamic (and avant gardE) nightlife of Rotterdam’s art scene
‘This street is referred to as Rotterdam’s ‘Axis of Art’. It offers various cultural institutes, galleries and fashion boutiques. In the evening, the focus shifts to (underground) bars and restaurants. We visited Witte de With street during Kunstblock. Kunstblock is organized every Friday evening and is for free. The art venues in the area open up in the evening from 6 – 9 pm. You can visit and attend performances or exhibitions at Showroom MAMA, TENT Rotterdam, WORM/Wunderbar or de Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art. That latter being one of the most important institutes for contemporary art in the Netherlands and internationally regarded as a pioneer.’ - Act of Travelling
FILMWERKPLAATS - WORM
‘Filmwerkplaats is WORM’s artist-run film lab, dedicated to DIY analogue practice, new experiments and debates around filmic creation. At Filmwerkplaats, film is created and promoted as an expressive, physical medium. Filmwerkplaats is part of a larger network of artist-run labs in Europe such as Mire (Nantes, FR) and LaborBerlin (Berlin, DE). Filmwerkplaats is part of a network of spaces in WORM’s Open City; a wider ecosystem for new, deviant, vital culture: test environments for alternative art production and non-academic knowledge development.’
‘Our Gallery of Honour is open! It is the world’s first permanent gallery to honour photography as a contemporary and topical medium. In the Gallery of Honour, 99 photos tell the story of photography in the Netherlands from 1842 to the present day. The Gallery shows the highlights, the innovations, and the great steps photographers have made, from the invention of photography to the unique technological innovations of today.’ LINK
Engaging stories on the app
’These images and many others in the Gallery of Honour will make you look at the world with new, different eyes. With engaging visual and audio stories in a specially developed app, each photo explains what makes it so unique and why it deserves a place in the Gallery of Honour. Emphasis is given to include a variety of voices as the stories are told from different perspectives. With the app, visitors are invited to pick their favourites and upload their own +1 photo.
The Gallery of Honour app will be available to download from the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store. You can view the first 5 stories immediately after downloading. The rest of the images and their fascinating stories can be discovered while visiting the exhibition and scanning the QR codes.’
STARRING CHAS GERRETSEN
‘Starring Chas Gerretsen, is the first retrospective exhibition of the work of Dutch photographer Chas Gerretsen. Since the beginning of the 1990s, Gerretsen’s archive has been stored at the Nederlands Fotomuseum’s facilities. In addition to his famous photographs, the exhibition will feature an extensive selection of previously unseen work. Chas Gerretsen’s oeuvre touches on important themes: is there such a thing as objective journalism? Are photographers allowed to take a stand on a topic? Can a photograph be guilty of something? The war in Vietnam, the coup in Chile but also images of celebrities like John Travolta and Dennis Hopper all are part of Gerretsen’s career as a photographer.’ LINK
THE VERDICT│ BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT? | JAN BANNING & CHRISTINA BOYER
Christina Boyer (b. 1969, Columbus, Ohio) has been convicted for the murder of her daughter Amber.
In 2013, while working on his project about criminal law in four countries: Law & Order, Jan Banning came across the Christina Boyer case. From his research, he concluded that there is no hard evidence to prove Christina Boyer’s guilt, and that her conviction was the result of a plea bargain that her negligent pro bono lawyer pressured her into accepting. Boyer was one of 85 women Banning portrayed at Pulaski women's prison in Georgia, USA. Banning started to communicate frequently with Christina Boyer, after which he received access to the complete archive of the case and started his in-depth research. Over time, he kept finding more clues to her innocence.
The Verdict is a case study with which Banning aims to contribute a nuanced view of a specific criminal case in which he has been closely involved for years. It also provides insight into American criminal law in general. It raises questions about subjectivity and objectivity, about truth and lies, and about distilling a final verdict from a confusing multitude of facts and data. “Artivist” Banning hopes that the book and the exhibition about this case can contribute, in some way, to Christina Boyer’s release.
The images in the Verdict are Banning’s photographic interpretations of elements of the Christina Boyer case, created in the course of his research. Some are documentary, because – however subjectively photographed – they depict an existing reality.
Other photographs are visual constructions: staged images based on source research, on Christina Boyer’s descriptions and memories, or on combinations of both. LINK
RENAISSANCE
With Renaissance, the Nederlands Fotomuseum presents photographer Angèle Etoundi Essamba’s (Cameroon, 1962) first solo museum exhibition in the Netherlands. The work of Essamba primarily reflects on the identities of African women and the wealth of African cultures. With contrast-rich and stylised photography, Essamba lets her images shine in a wealth of power and colour. Renaissance is the eighth edition of the Night in/Day out exhibition, which can be seen every day after sunset through the windows of the Nederlands Fotomuseum. LINK
KUNSTHAL
Museumpark, Westzeedijk 341, 3015 AA Rotterdam Website
Job, Joris & Marieke. A Triple Life’.
Never before has an exhibition about the Netherlands’ most talented animation artists been realised. Founded in 2007, the creative studio Job, Joris & Marieke has already won many awards, including an International Emmy Kids Award for ‘Heads Together’ and an Oscar nomination for ‘A Single Life’. Their work can be described as poetic, cute, funny, and sometimes disturbing. With their short animation films, commissioned works, and music videos – including Gers Pardoel’s ‘Ik neem je mee’, one of the most popular Dutch YouTube music videos ever – the studio managed to put itself on the international map. Reason enough for the Kunsthal to celebrate the work of this threesome in the exhibition ‘A Triple Life’, in which their animations venture beyond the screen. DETAILS
‘Princes of the Streets’ by the French photographer Clarisse Hahn (1973).
For her photo series Hahn has documented a specific community: the cigarette vendors in the lively Paris neighbourhood Goutte d’Or. DETAILS
Calder Now! A sensational exhibition about Alexander Calder’s influence on contemporary art. Miraculous, gravity-defying installations, sculptures that cause amazing optical illusions, and works that appeal to all the senses. Apart from twenty sculptures by the modern master, discover installations, performances, and sculptures by ten international, contemporary artists. This must-see exhibition shows how Calder’s innovative mind has been a source of inspiration for many generations after him. Read More
Olafur Eliasson, Black and yellow double polyhedron lamp, 2011, The Ekard Collection.
OFF THE RECORD - ERKAN ÖZGEN
In ‘Off the Record’, Kunsthal Rotterdam is showing five impressive video works by the Kurdish artist Erkan Özgen (Turkey, 1971). Although Özgen’s work deals with complex issues surrounding war, trauma, and violence, he has made a conscious decision not to use explicitly violent images. He wants to compensate for the daily flood of information on conflicts around the world, as these make it easy to forget that – behind the numbers and horrific images – actual people are involved. Özgen wants to make the spectators aware of this by giving the consequences of war a human face. The victims are given a voice in his work.
The visual language Özgen creates in his videos almost makes the impact of violence and trauma on people tangible. His work highlights the fact that spoken and written language alone are often insufficient tools for making people understand the effects of war. The poignant and powerful video Wonderland (2016), for instance, features thirteen-year-old Muhammed. In 2015, he and his family fled from Syria to Derik, the district of Mardin in the southeastern part of Turkey. Muhammed is deaf and uses sign language to tell us about the horrors he witnessed in his native country. Even though Muhammed is not talking, his eloquent way of communicating is universal and piercingly confronts us with the atrocities of war. “The purpose of this video project was to show the people of the world what war looks like in its naked brutality, to show the havoc wrought by war. All through the accounts of this boy,” Özgen explains.
For Purple Muslin (2018) Özgen collaborated with a group of Yazidi women. After escaping various IS attacks they are now staying in a refugee camp in northern Iraq. In the video they talk about their experiences of kidnapping, abuse, and starvation. The traumas of these women are not only conveyed by what they tell but are also obvious from their tone of voice. The colourful patterns in their clothing sharply contrast with their testimonies.
Aesthetics of Weapons (2018) sheds light on an entirely different aspect of violence than the abovementioned works. An anonymous police officer talks about how much he loves his weapon: “I see it as an old friend or a life partner.” We can see him loading, unloading, aiming, and cleaning his gun, and practicing how to shoot. In his line of work, guns are meant to protect people. However, these same weapons are also causing a lot of harm.
Contrastingly, the original purpose of some weapons has been completely erased from our collective memory. This is shown in the video The Memory of Time (2018) which was made on the Finnish group of islands Suomenlinna: a fortress surrounded by cannons that were used in wars that raged centuries ago. UNESCO has since designated them as cultural heritage. The video shows tourists posing near the cannons. Özgen is simply observing the scene with his camera and has omitted the sound. The work raises the question whether the weapons that are causing so much suffering today will also be treated like this in a couple of hundred years.
“If I were to be born again, I would melt all the tanks and weapons, and I would make musical instruments out of them.” Inspired by this quote by the Armenian musician Aram Tigram, Özgen made the video Harese (2020). It features dismantled weapons that have been transformed into musical instruments. In the work these instruments are played by American veterans who fought in various wars, such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Vietnam. They have been traumatised and feel abandoned by the same society for which they were fighting. With the help of music, Özgen attempts to alleviate the psychological effects of war. LINK
SCIENCE GALLERY
‘Science Gallery Rotterdam is a brand new public space at Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, where science, art, society, education and health care meet. Until the permanent space in the main building of Erasmus MC is completed, we will organize free pop-up exhibitions and events at Erasmus MC and in the city.’
FLUID DIALOGUES - 2021, Basse Stittgen
‘At the beginning of the crisis, people with an Asian background faced prejudice and accusations. Many times in history we have seen that the outbreak of an infectious disease leads to stigmatization and exclusion. Tensions sometimes ran high between governments as well, due to accusations back and forth. All while controlling the crisis requires confidence in the sharing of knowledge and an international approach. This is why variants of the virus are no longer referred to as the British, Indian or Brazilian variant, but with neutral names, such as the Delta variant. Visual artist Basse Stittgen uses texts from interviews with carriers of AIDS and doctors. His work points out how fear can lead to that hinders effective management of an epidemic.’
Global health
’The pandemic emphasizes the importance of 'Global health', the health of people around the world. A new disease that arises somewhere in the world can spread quickly. It is clear that Covid-19 will remain a risk if not all people in the world have access to vaccines. Erasmus MC is active in the field of Global health in patient care, scientific research and education.’
Gigs
Tues 29/3/22 - Porridge Radio with support from Loupe (pictured) at Rotown 8.30pm - 12.50 Euros LINK . More videos on - Loupe Youtube channel
Weds 30/3/22 - Mario Batkovic at LantarenVenster 8.30pm - 18 Euros LINK
Weds 30/3/22 - ‘Celebrating Michael Jackson’s Music’ at BIRD 10pm FREE LINK
Weds 30/3/22 - CULTFILM: WAKALIWOOD MADNESS FILM - UGANDA MOVIE NIGHT! at Worm 8.30pm DETAILS
Thurs 31/3/22 - Ross From Friends at BIRD 9pm - 18.50 Euros LINK
FOOD, BARS, CAFE
BARS
KAAPSE Brewery - at Fenix Food Factory
Vegan
WDW - CHANGE OF NAME
‘On 27th June 2020, WDW withdrew their thirty-year-old name “Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art”…
For us at the institution, the Open Letter to Witte de With was a wake-up call.’
’What does it mean for a white institution to do “critical work” under the moniker Witte de With, the name of a high-ranking colonial naval officer who worked for both the Dutch West India Company and the Dutch East India Company (VOC and WIC)? What does it mean to engage in “critical reflection on timely issues” (from Witte de With website) under that name—a name that conjures up a history of terror? What does it mean to validate, market, and circulate such a name?
…
’This is not the first time an overwhelmingly White cultural institution mitigates critique by Black and non-Black people of colour while simultaneously co-opting said critique in an effort to immunize itself against it. Nor will it be the last. We therefore take this statement as the beginning of a conversation among other Black and non-Black people of colour about how to navigate the (neo)colonial cultural landscape in a moment when cultural institutions are becoming increasingly adept at using the critical language and concepts developed by Black and non-Black people of colour to fortify and maintain their own position of power.’ - Extract of Open Letter - Read Full letter here
The Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art in Rotterdam, is smeared with red paint, by an action group that claims to be responsible for the red paint refering to "the colonial violence that carries the name of the institute" on June 12, 2020. - Statues and place names honouring figures such as slavers and colonial military figures are being reassessed worldwide in response to anti-racism protests sparked by the police killing of African American man George Floyd. (Caption from Getty, this image from Dipsaus article below)
In Bristol there has been debates about the statue of Edward Colston, which was toppled during a Black Lives Matter protest on 6/6/2020 and the naming of Colston Hall. It might be of interest to explore these. See Black Lives Matter page on Poool.
‘Not surprisingly, Rotterdam has cultural events throughout the year. Art Rotterdam kicks off each February with events, exhibitions and workspaces happening all over. During the same month, you can also enjoy IFFR, an annual film festival, not to be missed.’ - Creative Boom
We might not be able to go at these times, but could be worth investigating.
WHY RAIL ?
"We are facing a man-made disaster of global scale. If we don't take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon."
~ Sir David Attenborough
‘Flying is the fastest growing cause of climate change. If aviation was a country, it would be the 7th worst polluter globally. Brits already fly more than the people of any other nation - twice as much as Americans.* Even if we take other steps to be environmentally friendly, one flight can completely wipe out all the other savings.’ https://www.flightfree.co.uk/why-flight-free
Fight over Bristol Airport Expansion
“I couldn’t in all conscious organise a trip from Bristol Airport, especially whilst plans for expansion are taking place.” Rich
‘The public inquiry currently taking place in Weston-super-Mare is to decide what is probably the most important carbon-related decision in this region for a generation: whether the proposed expansion of Bristol Airport can go ahead.’- Read more
Holland or the Netherlands?
What's the difference?
‘Holland is a region made up of 2 of the 12 provinces of the Netherlands, Noord Holland & Zuid Holland. The other 10 provinces are not Holland. Telling someone from Utrecht, Arnhem, Eindhoven, Groningen or Maastricht that they come from Holland is like telling a Glaswegian that he comes from England... Check out this nifty video explanation! ‘ - text from seat61.com/Netherlands
Rotterdam is in Zuid (South) Holland
COVID / HEALTH / ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Health Requirements
‘Details of any compulsory health requirements applicable to British citizens for your tour are shown www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice . Whilst we will direct you to available information about compulsory Covid-19 entry requirements at the time of booking, you should note that these are subject to change, and It is your responsibility to ensure you are aware of all compulsory and recommended vaccinations and health requirements (whether relating to Covid-19 or otherwise) in good time before departure. Details are also available from your GP surgery and from the National Travel Health Network and Centre www.nathnac.org Information on health is contained in the Department of Health leaflet T7 (Health Advice for Travellers) available from the Department of Health by telephone on 0870 1555455 or via its website www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care and from most Post Offices. For tours in the EU / EEA you should obtain an GHIC prior to departure from the Department of Health on the NHS website. As stated, Health requirements and recommendations may change, and you must check the up to date position in good time before departure. ‘ - FHT Travel.
Entry to the Netherlands
The Dutch government has implemented measures which mean that non-EU/EEA nationals and nationals of non-Schengen states arriving from outside of the Schengen area will not be permitted entry to the Netherlands for non-essential purposes due to EU-wide COVID-19 restrictions. There are certain exemptions to these measures, detailed below. You should also visit the Dutch government’s website for a list of exemptions.
Exemptions to entry restrictions
If you can demonstrate that you are fully vaccinated
The Dutch authorities currently classify the UK as a ‘very high risk country’. This means that fully vaccinated UK nationals, who can provide acceptable proof of vaccination, which includes the NHS COVID Pass, will be allowed to enter the Netherlands. Please see Demonstrating your COVID-19 status below, for further information.
Fully vaccinated travellers arriving in the Netherlands from the UK via aeroplane, ferry, passenger car, train or bus must show one of the following:
a negative PCR test result (taken no more than 48 hours before departure);
a negative antigen test result (taken no more than 24 hours before departure).
Fully vaccinated travellers are exempt from quarantine on arrival in the Netherlands.
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/netherlands/entry-requirements