Heimwee

In 1992, it was decided that the Bijlmer, the south-east burrough of Amsterdam, needed a complete overhaul. This marked the beginning of project office Vernieuwing Bijlmermeer. The utopia the Bijlmer was once meant to be was declared a failure. The signature honey grate flats had to come down for new low-rise housing to take their place. Today, much of the Bijlmer no longer resembles what it once was.

In this multimedia installation, I reflect on my childhood in the Bijlmer and how my home environment underwent and is still undergoing rapid urban development. I question whether anything remains of what, contrary to institutional beliefs, I did experience as a utopia. The installation also features fine art by my father, Robbert Doelwijt Sr. These pieces provide context about my Surinamese background, which carries a colonial history that is inextricably linked to the story of the Bijlmer.

Left, an image of my dad in 1995 being interviewed in his atelier in Bijlmerflat Kempering. He is presenting an artwork he made using a door from a demolished flat appartment. It depicts a close-up of a man shouting and punching towards us, trying to escape the shattered glass frame of the door. On the right, an image of four floors of Bijlmerflat Gliphoeve, from archival footage showing the first tenants of Bijlmer.

The installation combines fine art with motion picture. 'De toekomst' (2013, Robbert Doelwijt Sr.), acrylic on canvas, a toddler rests his head on the window sill of a home on Frimangron, he stares to the right. On the main motion picture projection, archival footage of the inception of the Bijlmer.

The installation was on view for the public for one night, during Museumnight Amsterdam. Notes collected from the audience captured the sentiments amongst neighbours, but also people visiting from elsewhere.

Process

Credits