“Eternal Promise Rotterdam the Netherlands”

Rotterdam has been a transit city and a city in transition for decades. Rotterdam once had the largest harbour in the world. In the port goods are reloaded for the whole of Europe and beyond. As the heart of Rotterdam was devastated by bombing during the Second World War, the city has been trying again and again to reconstruct its city centre. The ‘eternal promise’ of Rotterdam makes the city alive. It has a freshness that is the envy of other cities. All the building sites are surrounded by fences with large-scale photos showing either what it looked like a century ago or what it will look like in the (near?) future. On every fence you can read: Listen, the new heart of Rotterdam is pounding here. Rotterdam has many poor neighbourhoods, some with jobless former dockworkers and some with 90 per cent immigrants, mostly unemployed. It makes the political situation in Rotterdam the sharpest in the whole country. 
The advantage of being a city in transition is that Rotterdam has a lot of undefined empty space. That keeps the promise intact and attracts artists, designers and architects to live and work here. 
 The promise also refers to the attitude of ‘No Consumption/No Production’, the reverse of what we found in Lagos. There the acronym is ‘No Contribution, No Consumption’ (National Council for Nigeria and The Cameroons). In the Netherlands people have to consume, so jobs are created and the economy keeps running. This is illustrated by people eating while walking in public (‘not done’ in the other countries PAPA visited) and the politics of demolish/rebuild that leads to never-ending construction sites.

working

Rotterdam -  Four road workers in Rotterdam.…
Maurice Bogaert – Rotterdam Lab

the stage

Rotterdam -  Because of the blocks of flats in front of this one are demolished, we can look at the back of this condo. Normally it wasn’t as open as it is…
Erika Blikman – Rotterdam Lab

makeover

Rotterdam -  How to patch up a neighborhood - lesson 1 Use low maintenance materials like trespa boards and plastic windowframes.…
Maurice Bogaert – Rotterdam Lab

Hotel

Rotterdam -  I want to be another city. Manhattan Hotel in front of Rotterdam Central Station…
Robin van 't Haar – Rotterdam Lab

Chips with mayonnaise.

Rotterdam -  It is very Dutch it is to eat chips with mayonnaise on the street. On the market square there is a stall: ‘Bram Ladage, most healthy chips of the Netherlands’…
Lino Hellings – Rotterdam Lab

A phantasy

Rotterdam -  Look the new heart from Rotterdam is pounding here. This slogan sounds full of excitement but I don’t see it. It is a fantasy that never happens. …
Erika Blikman – Rotterdam Lab

Live music

Rotterdam -  The railway station has been undergoing transformation for several years already. The billboard provides a glimpse into the future. Will you be allowed to play music in the new station…
Lino Hellings – Rotterdam Lab

Dutch New

Rotterdam -  Herring we eat raw here in the Netherlands.In the back you see an image of the church tower, covering up for the real church tower to be renovated.  …
Lino Hellings – Rotterdam Lab

Artist Impression

Rotterdam -  Standing with my back to the City Hall. Looking at a picture of the City Hall.A blossoming cherry tree, a 50ft woman and a gigantic bird.Artist impression it…
Maurice Bogaert – Rotterdam Lab

leta€™s get started

Rotterdam -  None existing view from a none existing appartment.Rotterdam Rijnhaven, April 20…
Maurice Bogaert – Rotterdam Lab

Currant buns in a plastic bag.

Rotterdam -  Even more Dutch it is to bring your own lunch in a plastic bag. Probably current buns. Eat it in the street while resting on your ‘rollater’ a four wheel…
Lino Hellings – Rotterdam Lab

Arriving in Rotterdam

Rotterdam -  When arriving at Rotterdam Centraal by metro, one arrives at the top of these stairs. Standing on the stairs one overlooks the site of the station under construction. And the…
Maurice Bogaert – Rotterdam Lab

Industrious people

Rotterdam -  Temporary measures in a city in transit. For a long time ‘demolish and build’ was the solution to all social probems in (poor) neighbourhoods. Not any more. The financial crises…
Lino Hellings – Rotterdam Lab

constant transitions

Rotterdam -  The city looks as if it is inside out. …
Maurice Bogaert – Rotterdam Lab

Another Artist Impression: Faces in the crowd

Rotterdam -  Another 50ft woman, an angry man and a headless mannequin. …
Maurice Bogaert – Rotterdam Lab