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Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen reaches highest point

Bryan van Putten city news 06 September 2019

The tallest point has been reached in the construction of Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. The world's first fully accessible art depot stands tall at 39.5 metres. The building, designed by MVRDV, will open its doors in 2021.

Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen has reached its highest point. Bas Kurvers, Rotterdam Alderman for Building, Living and Energy Transition is pleased: "Rotterdam is the city that keeps reinventing itself. And if there is one thing we are proud of, it is the Rotterdam skyline. And that's what the depot will soon be part of."

"The highest point has been reached and that means 'topping out.' Together with all the partners and the BAM men and women who have worked extremely hard on the construction of this fantastic project, we toast to this milestone" said Hans Polderman, project director at BAM.

Inside the Depot

With the opening of Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in 2021, the entire collection of 151,000 works of art of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen will become accessible to visitors. As soon as they enter the new building, visitors will be presented with an awe-inspiring impression of the size of the collection and the activity in Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen.

Fancy a tour? Or would you rather explore on your own? Visitors to the Depot will have the choice of entering the depot with or without a tour guide. All visitors can take the express elevator to a rooftop terrace with catering facilities and a panoramic, view free of charge.

During the tour, visitors pass through the high atrium display cases to educational areas, presentation rooms, the cinema and cinema cabins and the expertise centre where art objects are being restored. The visitor has a view of the various depots and technical rooms through glass vistas and can see works of art being restored from start to finish, silverware polished and masterpieces packaged for transport to exhibitions at home and abroad. Visitors who want to discover more can wander through a large part of the building on their own after buying a ticket.

Construction facts - Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen

1.    The highest point measures 39.5 metres
2.    The deepest point is 248 metres below ground level: heat and cold storage.
3.    The diameter of the building is: 40 meters (base) and 60 meters (top)
4.    The building has a ground floor plus 6 additional floors.
5.    The steel construction weighs 320,000 kg.
6.    Approx. 9,250 m3 of concrete has been used.
7.    A total of 1,664 mirror panels will be placed on the facade.
8.    The building stands on 276 foundation piles (approx. 20 metres long).
9.    From the first pile, it took 562 days to reach the highest point.
10. 450 construction workers have been involved in the construction
11. There are 4 elevators: an express elevator to the roof terrace, a public elevator, an art elevator and a staff elevator.
12. There are 5 atrium steps and a total of 184 steps.
13. A number of solar panels, to be determined, will be placed on the roof of the pavilion.
14. There will be 5 different types of climate in the depots
15. 75 multistemmed birches are placed on the roof with a crane.
16. 135 people can enjoy catering on the 6th floor
17. Approximately 750 m3 of concrete was poured into the first ring (approx. 12 metres high).
18. 6,250 m3 of soil has been excavated.
19. The floor area covers 15,541 m2.
20. 6,609 m2 of mirror panels are mounted on an aluminium substructure.
21. Approximately 1,500,000 kg of reinforcement steel has been used.

A museum in transition

From early 2019, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has been in transition. The museum is being renovated on a large scale. In this transition period, the museum's collection will travel through the city of Rotterdam and the world. Eight neighbouring locations in the city have entered into a unique collaboration under the name 'Boijmans bij de Buren' (Boijmans at the Neighbours). In eleven surprising exhibitions, the neighbours will keep a variety of collection items on display. Boijmans also operates abroad with travelling exhibitions. Starting in the 2019 school year, the museum will be introducing Rotterdam pupils to real museum items with 'Boijmans in the classroom'.

Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is a joint project of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, the Municipality of Rotterdam and Stichting De Verre Bergen. For more information about Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, go to boijmans.nl/depot.

About Festival Downtown - An interview with Immanuel Spoor

Bryan van Putten city news 05 September 2019

Every first Saturday of October, electronic music fans all over the region flock to downtown Rotterdam for a festival that is unlike any other in the city. We sat down with the festival's founder to find out what the annual gathering is all about.

The next edition of Festival Downtown takes place on 5 October 2019 and features major artists like Raketkanon (BE), Roska (UK), local heroes Masego Soundsystem, Gabber Modus Operandi (IND), Fracture (UK) and Medicine Boy (DE).

Not all festivals are created equal. Some, perhaps most, follow a similar pattern of artists and songs. For Immanuel Spoor, organising a festival is about helping local creators, by providing them with a platform through which they can connect with larger audiences. Festival Downtown, in particular, is a progressive festival centred on music discovery that boasts serious headliners. Here, words like 'mass' and 'mainstream' simply do not apply. Most of all, to quote Spoor, Festival Downtown is about "giving local artists the place they deserve."

De Nieuwe Lichting foundation

His organisation, De Nieuwe Lichting, is the driving force behind many events in the city. If you haven't heard of Festival Downtown, perhaps you have heard about the Eendracht Festival or the Homegrown nights at BIRD.

Festival Downtown 2019 event banner

The following is a Q&A with Immanuel Spoor:

How did Festival Downtown get started?

"I once attended an electronic music festival in Amsterdam which I liked a lot. But it also got me thinking about how we didn't have anything similar in Rotterdam. However, I knew that if it was done in Rotterdam, it would have to be done in Rotterdam fashion. It would have to be broader and edgier. The audience coming to the festival would have to be diverse and the music would need to be a bit rougher around the edges. Genres like heavy bass, punk attitude, hip-hop and dubstep would be more than welcome.

As I was mulling it over, the local shopkeepers association approached me and asked why I couldn't make Eendracht Festival last longer than a day. I decided to launch Downtown instead."

What is the goal of Festival Downtown?

"The goal is two-sided. On the one hand, I think that Rotterdam, in terms of creators, is really a unique and interesting hotbed, with so many cultures together and so many young people. Such a metropolitan city, actually the only one in the Netherlands, is home to many interesting makers.

You have a wide spectrum of electronica and electronic soul that morph into hip-hop. That's where I think Rotterdam excels. Yet, when I look at talent development, I believe that is the main aspect where we still lack opportunities. So the goal of the festival is partly to provide those development opportunities to Rotterdam-based creators.

On the other hand, I think that quality music being made in a progressive city like Rotterdam needs to be made more accessible. Downtown is reflective of the Rotterdam identity and is deeply rooted in the scene. For each participating festival venue, we work with one or two programming partners who really know what's going on and how to reach the target group."

There are many festivals that take place in Rotterdam. How does Festival Downtown position or differentiate itself?

"Festival Downtown is Rotterdam's premier progressive music festival with a focus on electronic music. In the coming years, people from Belgium, France and Germany will all know that on the first Saturday of October, Rotterdam is the place to be."

De Likt performing at Festival Downtown 2016 📷 Lars Hidding

What's the difference between Festival Downtown and Eendracht Festival, considering they both take place in the same area?

"On the surface, Eendracht Festival and Festival Downtown do resemble each other. They both take place in the same general area of the city and many of the participating locations are the same. However, from an artistic point of view, Festival Downtown is actually a very different festival.

While Eendracht Festival is a showcase for different types of local bands, Festival Downtown is really focused on electronic and electronically inspired music. It's a showcase for pioneering electronic music from both Rotterdam and abroad. The line-up features local pearls as well as international headliners. Festival Downtown also has slightly fewer participating locations, 15 versus 20, but offers a somewhat beefier lineup."

What do the performing acts have in common?

"Festival Downtown is a night during which many niches are represented. For the visitors, it needs to be a true music discovery festival. Of course, quality is and will always be the number one criteria. I'm looking for quality up and coming acts that will be performing at major festivals in one or two years. I work together with Guido van Dieren to find and book acts that are either electronica or electronica inspired.

How will the festival develop in the future?

"Festival Downtown has been growing steadily in the past years. The event's programming has become stronger every year and has attracted bigger names as well as more local creators. It has become a serious festival with a national impact. In ten years' time, the festival will be multidisciplinary. It's going to have more depth, become a platform for innovation, and fulfil its goal of helping creators by bringing audiences into contact with something they don't know yet. The way I see it, when we get to our tenth edition, the festival will have grown so large, that we'll just block off the Nieuwe Binnenweg with the mainstage and have everybody partying on the street. Who knows, maybe we'll have Flying Lotus and Kendrick Lamar!"

For more information on Festival Downtown:
• Read our article on Festival Downtown.
• Visit the official Festival Downtown website.
• Visit the official De Nieuwe Lichting website.

ROTT.raket - The most delicious beer of South Holland 2019

Bryan van Putten city news 29 August 2019

Rotterdam's very own ROTT.raket beer has been chosen as 2019's tastiest beer in South Holland province. The ROTT.raket is a Red IPA produced by local brewery ROTT.Brouwers.

ROTT.raket was announced as the winner of the annual election of the tastiest beer of Zuid-Holland. The election took place on Sunday 25 August 2019 at the Delft Beer Festival. An expert jury under the direction of recognized beer connoisseur Eugene Straver tasted all the beers before coming to their conclusion. According to the jury, ROTT.raket is characterized by the perfect balance between malts and hops.

About ROTT.raket

ROTT.raket is a Red Indian Pale Ale with a nice red-amber colour. It is said to have a soft and fruity taste, with pleasant bitterness at the end. ROTT.raket stats: RED IPA | 6,0% | IBU 55 | EBC 30. For more information on ROTT.Brouwers and ROTT.raket, visit the official website.

About IPA / Indian Pale Ale

An IPA (India Pale Ale) is originally an English beer style. According to the old stories, a lot of hops were added to the beer, so that it could be kept for a long time during the long boat trip to the then English colony of India. Like alcohol, hops are a natural preservative. The addition of the volume of hops gives the beer a pronounced and somewhat bitter taste.

Previous winners of the prize were Brouwerij De Blauwe IJsbeer (2017) from Nieuwpoort and Ebontree (2018) from Dordrecht.

Rotterdam artist creates “timeless” statue of Johan Cruijff

Bryan van Putten city news 28 August 2019

Sports
Art

ROTTERDAM/BARCELONA – The statue of Johan Cruijff, revealed at Camp Nou, Barcelona on the 26th of August, is a production of art studio Artihove from Bergschenhoek (Rotterdam), the Netherlands. The sculpture has been designed by Corry Ammerlaan- Van Niekerk at Artihove.

The 2.55-metre high statue, standing on a 1.40-metre tall pedestal was revealed at the entrance of Camp Nou, the stadium of F.C. Barcelona on Monday evening. The sculpture is said to show Cruijff setting out the strategy for playing. “Focussing on the human side, the sculpture gains its timeless appearance”, says the artist.

Flamboyant

One of the guests at the festivity on occasion of the unveiling was the Dutch artist Corry Ammerlaan- Van Niekerk, who designed the sculpture on behalf of Artihove. The order was to show an image of Cruijff in the period (1973-1978) he was playing for the Spanish top-club. That is why he is wearing his old Barcelona shirt and also his hairdo is a tribute to the “roaring seventies.” Cruijff's wavy hair was the fashion of that time and moreover expresses his flamboyant personality, explains the artist, who met Cruijff several times.

Muscled legs

Special attention has been given to Cruijff's “slim body and very muscular legs”, but the most important thing was to create a timeless image. Corry Ammerlaan-Van Niekerk has achieved this by working with a choice of sustainable materials and by emphasising the “human side” of the football player.

Jelle van Dijk, director of Artihove, says to be very proud of being selected for this prestigious project. Over the years his firm made statues of Pim Fortuyn, Kim Clijsters and Bep van Klaveren. “But this order is extra special because it's only about the person Johan Cruijff, the huge size of the object, the commissioner and of course the location.

Impact

Carole Thate, General Manager of World of Johan Cruijff, is very pleased with the sculpture. “There exists an incredible number of memories of Johan Cruijff, and with this statue, Corry Ammerlaan-Van Niekerk has tried to portray him as well as possible. The famous posture of Cruijff, pointing and guiding, has been chosen. This was widely known from his time as a player and trainer but later also from the establishment of his Institute and Foundation. We are very proud that it takes such a prominent place at FC Barcelona”.

Corry Ammerlaan-van Niekerk welcomes the positive response, but she is especially curious about the judgement of the public. “During the football season, hundreds of thousands of supporters walk past the statue. I think that is very special. I especially hope that the public appreciates this tribute and that justice will be done to the major impact that Cruijff has had, both in Barcelona and worldwide”.

About Artihove

Art Studio Artihove at Bergschenhoek (near Rotterdam) is specialized in the manufacture of creative and artistic gifts in different materials. The Dutch Company has a rich history, which goes back to the year 1898 and has immortalized a great many very prominent people by sculptures. The company, with a sculpture garden of 30,000 square meters and a gallery, has since then grown into a substantial organization with important customers, both at home and abroad, among which are Unilever, Red Bull, DAF and Shell. There is more information to be found on the Artihove website.

Human sculptures admitted to Erasmus MC - art exhibitionc

Bryan van Putten city news 31 July 2019

Art
Museum

Soon, patients and visitors of Erasmus MC in Rotterdam will be able to enjoy five masterpieces from the sculpture collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Last week, a secret selection of sculptures, all human figures, was transferred to the adjacent hospital.

The exhibition title, which translates into 'Human sculptures - Power & Vulnerability,' at Erasmus Medical Centre is the sixth in a series of eleven exhibitions. In the hospital, where the human body is the main focus, this exhibition celebrates the power and vulnerability of the body. The sculptures will be unveiled during a festive opening on 9 September 2019. They will remain on display until 28 May 2021.

Boijmans van Beuningen museum closed for renovations

The entire museum collection of 151,000 works of art, including some 3,000 sculptures, will be assembled in 2021 in the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, the world's first fully accessible art depot, to be opened by then. In the meantime, as part of the large-scale renovation of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, part of the museum's collection will remain on display at community museums and institutions under the title of 'Boijmans bij de Buren' (Boijmans at the Neighbours).

Around five hundred masterpieces will be displayed at eight neighbouring locations in eleven exhibitions. New connections and encounters arise at the guest locations. This is the first time that so many Rotterdam-based institutions have collaborated for many years to keep the Boijmans collection visible. In the second half of 2019 and 2020, new exhibitions are planned in the Wereldmuseum, the Kunsthal, Museum Rotterdam, Chabot Museum and the Maritime Museum.

Human sculptures from museum Boijmans van Beuningen on exhibition at Erasmus MC 📷 Aad Hoogendoorn

The sculptures at Erasmus MC

Four of these five human sculptures, all from the museum's collection, will adorn the hospital's shaded garden. The four sculptures in question will remain a secret until the opening. The iconic metre-high cast iron giant 'Grosse Geister (Fig. No. 8)' by artist Thomas Schütte will from now on welcome visitors to Erasmus MC at the RG 101H entrance (near the atrium).

Professor Dr Jan van Saase, internist and member of the art committee, is pleased with the opportunity to temporarily include these human sculptures in the Erasmus MC. Van Saase: "A good neighbour is better than a distant friend. When we were asked to cooperate, the art committee was immediately enthusiastic, especially because the exhibition depicts powerful people who radiate emotions that fit well within the walls of our hospital. When you see the sculptures, you will immediately recognize them. We hope that our patients and staff will appreciate the exhibition and will find comfort or distraction in it."