ARTISTS NOT ARMIES.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT AT FOODHALLEN

Officially opened today, Foodhallen will prove to become the new culinary hotspot of Amsterdam. Think: foodcourt with Vietnamese ('Viet View'), state of the art pizza's (Flamingo's) and much, much more. With a group of people and you just cannot decide where to eat? Go here and have it all. I've been there twice already, and yesterday I combined it with going to the movies at de Filmhallen, which is right next to it. Go check it out.

CRAZY BLUES

'Blues means what milk does to a baby. Blues is what the spirit is to a minister. We sing the blues because our hearts have been disturbed. But when you sing the blues, let it be classy.' Alberta Hunter

At the opening of the new season of the INTERNATIONAL DANSTHEATER I met Joy Wielkens, who, unbeknownst to me is already quite famous, as an actress as well as a singer. I was amazed by her voice and her performance, which is best described as a modern-day version of the Blues with a little education on the side as to the origins of this style of music. It made me decide to go and find some good Blues music on Spotify, and definitely go and visit one of the performances by Joy.

NO MORE HANGOVERS

It seems such a logical and great idea: why not invent a drink that can help prevent your severe hangovers?

Last Thursday I went to the opening of the Hangover Information Center, at St. Annendwarsstraat, Amsterdam, right in the center of the Red Light District. As I came in, I was welcomed by Jordi who explained to me how this product works:

'Before you go to sleep, you take a little of this drink and the drink contains certain ingrediënts that take away the harmful effects of a night of having had a little too much alcohol.'

UNSEEN MUST BE SEEN.

Check out the interview I did with Roderick van der Lee, Founding Partner at UNSEEN, the 'Photography Fair With A Festival Flair', now at Westergas, Amsterdam

Could you tell us about yourself and how Platform A came about?

“I am currently the director of Platform A. Before this I’ve worked at Christies, Droog and FOAM. All three truly remarkable institutions and working there has been absolutely spectacular and invaluable as far as experience goes. But the call of the wild is too strong for me. I love building things up. Business wise, I love being able to go on my intuition and instincts without having to answer to anyone. I’m very lucky with my partner at Platform A, Frits Zanen, who trusts my instincts and experience. Together we founded Platform A to explore cultural business development and new forms for old values such a ‘the gallery’, ‘the art consultancy’ or ‘the art fair’. 

How did, in your opinion, photography become such a hit in the last few years? “One of my theories is that the importance of figurative techniques has been disappearing from art academies and thus art. It’s a lot of abstract and conceptual thinking nowadays, a legacy of the 20th century. I think people are longing for a certain pathos and atmosphere and photography is a perfect medium to provide this. But maybe it’s all simpler than this. Maybe it’s just because photography is fucking cool.”

How would you define a good photo? Is subject more important than composition? “It depends. Sometimes a perfect composition in itself is sublime, regardless of the subject. Sometimes the subject is so powerful that it transcends itself, like for instance news photos of suffering that tap into our universal humanity and become iconic images against human suffering rather than a document of a certain time and place. Usually composition is secondary in such images. They’re both important in their own way. There are all sorts of technical qualifications, but for me a good photo is a photo that transports me somewhere when I look at it, when the world around me ceases to exist for a little while.”

THE PERFECT RAVE

In case  you were wondering if there are any nice parties left in Amsterdam, there are: 'Boy Scouts; Ruig Ravotten' is defintely one of them. This illegal rave takes place one a month at an undisclosed location (they will tell you about an hour before it starts where it is) and I was there last Friday and it was a blast! At least until the police came, however by then it was already morning and everyone was ready to go home (or someone elses). 

This gay party proves that clubs are outdated. No wants to pay an entrance fee, have to put up with boring people and mainstream music.

DJ for the night was 'The Boy With The Broken Record', check him out on Facebook and become of a fan of Artists Not Armies at www.facebook.com/ArtistsNotArmies for updates.

Meet Jan Schaberg (28, on the left) and Michiel Zwart (27, on the right) owners of BASIS- the new cool place to must-visit when in Amsterdam. I've talked with Michiel today on his ideas, having a great place to visit as a home-from-home and how BASIS is like they are. Personal, open and creative.

Michiel, tell me about how you came up with the idea for BASIS:

 Having a background in working in bars and restaurants (Skek at Zeedijk) we wanted to have our own place that would give us the feeling that we have whenever we visit cities like Berlin and Barcelona. We decided to start BASIS, first at VIjzelstraat, Amsterdam.

How did you come up with the concept of BASIS:

 Actually, the concept of BASIS is that there's no concept. Jan and I have wanted to create an environment that makes people want to bring something of their own and give them the freedom to do nice and cool stuff, as well as having a beer with their friends. When we started out we asked all our friends to help with decorating, setting up the bar and stuff. In that way BASIS has become something that is really about us, about what we like and how we like to spend our time.

BASIS to me feels like when I went to Summer School in Berkeley, California. Do you think it specifically attracts students?

 Not at all, since we're in this neigbourhoud (de Pijp), all kinds of people visit, from locals, to people from abroad. But I do get what you mean- it has a kind of international feeling and freeedom about it. 

Since BASIS strives to be a platform for others who have a need for creative outings and locations, Michiel tells me a lot is going on:

'We have yoga-classes here, as well as Rock & Roll dancing classes, exhibitions by artists and much more. That's what we like BASIS to be: a place where people can make friends, feel at home, do their stuff. They can even bring their own food, no problem. We also have our offerings from TAART, providing for all kinds of tastes.  

Go visit BASIS at Tolstraat 182, Amsterdam. Opening hours: Sunday – Thursday: 12:00 – 01:00 Friday – Saturday: 12:00 – 03:00.

For ideas on how you would like to make BASIS your base for your creative work (music, art, cinema, events) mail them at [email protected]

As a big believer in the band and music from velvvet, I can't wait until their new track is released. Also check them out on Spotify/iTunes under 'velvvet' (double v!)

Check out Back to Black Coffee for your romantic get-togethers, creative meetings or your must need time alone.

Crowd funded by their friends and friends of friends, two very friendly ladies started this great hotspot to share with you their sense of style in coffee as well as furniture, art and other great stuff. Everything you see in this location is for sale.