The diary of a Scot in Amsterdam

As expected, it is only now that I am able to sit down and write about my week as an art accessory in Münster. Unfortunately, I lost my camera on the last evening before I left, so no photos, but the good news is that someone has handed it in and I should have it back next week; update 16-08-2007 – it wasn’t a week but in fact about a month, but now we have photos!

So, where do I begin? I don’t usually have to write so much in one post. I suppose the journey would be a good start, which was it must be said not ideal. Works on the railway line meant that what should have been two train journeys became three and a bus ride, and it was not until the late afternoon of last Sunday (8th) that I finally arrived at the Schlossgarten, where the project is taking place.

The whole scene was quite overwhelming, with a large crowd of people gathered to hear the lecture being given in the big tent, and a little village of tents, vegetables growing, children crawling around, and people cycling by. It really took most of the rest of the afternoon to get my bearings, by which time Maria had introduced me to the practical business of what we were to be doing over the week. During this time the other members of my group arrived – Piotr from Poland, and Ida, Simone, and Esther from Breda.

What we were basically to do was to inhabit the area around the big tent for one week, being part of the “Beautiful City”. This was to be a city of ideas and dreams, rather than one of bricks and plaster. What this meant in practical terms was that we needed to be there pretty much all the time, keep it clean, and be friendly and helpful people. This was without a great deal of knowledge of German between us, and my standard answer when asked questions was “Wir sind die Kunst” (we are the art)…

I had planned to take it easy during this week, but I do always find this quite difficult. This became apparent when we went wandering and found some old bicycles and some folding lecture hall benches behind some nearby university buildings; I could not leave them alone. I got the idea into my head that they needed to be built into something, and the fact that we had been supplied with tools made the prospect irresistable.

So it was then that I spent the next four days constructing a kind of rickshaw, that it with two seats and two wheels at the front, and one person and one wheel at the back. It actually works; pictures when I get my camera back; update 16-08-2007 – I have my camera back. Thankyou Jolanda, Nikos, and everyone!

Aside from that, it turned out to be a lovely week of of cooking and eating outside, meeting some interesting and also some quite strange people, and generally being able to forget about work and studying and such things. The time passed very quickly, and when it came round to Sunday and the need to go back to Amsterdam, I was really not in the mood at all.

So, a fantastic time. And I got a wee tan!