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2 January 2024

Music icon Meredith Monk in the 700-year-old ‘Oude Kerk’ Amsterdam

traveljus.com Amsterdam, Art, Featured, Latest, The Netherlands, Traveljus online mag

Meredith Monk: Calling

Already for 5 decades Meredith Monk is pushing the boundaries of of vocal music with her highly unique approach to the exploration of the human voice. The 700-year-old Oude Kerk in Amsterdam inspired Meredith Monk to create a multi-dimensional journey that blurs the lines between visual art, music and performance.

Music icon Meredith Monk in the 700-year-old ‘Oude Kerk’ Amsterdam

An iconic retrospective

Meredith Monk is a true music legend, having dedicated her entire career to exploring the possibilities of the voice and the expressiveness of that human instrument. Knowing Meredith Monk mainly through her sound singing, often described as ancient and contemporary at the same time, the theatre performances and films were a big unknown. You think you know Monk’s art, realising not to know. When you enter the exhibition it is not difficult to see that her work with voice, music, staged performances, and film found a natural home in the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam’s oldest building and nowadays a venue for contemporary art too. What makes the exhibition interesting as well is the fact that Meredith looks back on almost 6 decades of work. She takes us on a tour along the century old walls via immersive video and sound installations and smaller archive presentations of scores, drawings and objects. Monk transforms the church space into a singing body that immerses the visitor in a fascinating audio-visual adventure.

Archaeology of perceptions

In interviews, Meredith Monk said: “I work between the cracks, where the voice starts dancing, where the body starts singing, where theatre becomes cinema.” In doing so, she stretches what you can do and where you can go. Monk creates works that deal with an intersection of music and movement, image and object, light and sound. Interdisciplinary works that encourage the healing power of art. That allows you to discover and build new ways of perception. In this 700-year church, Monk plays with the idea of the church as a body of archived stories. Yet seen from a humanistic perspective on the world. We are all very different, but still all human. There is a curiosity about what we leave behind in our world and what stories the objects tell. Meredith also stands up for nature. One of her pieces is called On behalf of Nature. In it, she tells us that the smallest particle always connects with the largest: the macrocosm. In the Oude Kerk, the contrast of the ancient and contemporary, aided by the beautiful filtered light, imparts a great sense of beauty. It all contributes to an allure we were unprepared for.

Monumental & intimate

Three of Meredith Monk’s pioneering key performance/multimedia installations are included in Calling. Monk’s groundbreaking 16 Millimeter Earrings, is a seamless integration of live performance, film, vocal and instrumental music, movement, objects, text, recorded sound and light. 16 mm explores different ways to manipulate individual images. Still very actual is Quarry revolving around the musings of an American child who lies sick in bed during WWII having a dream that gradually turns into a nightmare. An old radio in the middle of the room emits Monk’s voice, piano solos and fragments from fictional news broadcasts. The child’s illness is a metaphor for the darkness of the world at war. Juice is a theatre cantata in three instalments. It is considered one of Monk’s most important location-based musical theatre performances. After establishing her interdisciplinary company, The House, in 1968, Monk expanded this concept to large groups of local artists performing in monumental architectural spaces, such as the Guggenheim Museum. Monk goal for every location was to find another relationship between the audience and the artists.

Rooms for looking & listening

Two listening and viewing rooms next to the entrance show the archive of Monk’s broad and diverse oeuvre. They also display the underlying central theme of Monk’s work: the cycles present in all processes, such as the relationship between humans and nature, the planetary world and the spiritual. Monk often gets inspiration from examining the way cells in the body and nature function. According to Monk, a process in which cooperation is more important than competition, altruism is more essential than selfishness, and mutual solidarity overcomes division. The Mirror Room contains recordings of live musical theatre and concert works. In the Kerkmeesterskamer you can listen to unpublished works material, fragments of interviews, documentaries and short films.

Website Meridith Monk: Calling, Oude Kerk

Oude Kerk, Oudekerksplein 23 1012 GX Amsterdam
E info@oudekerk.nl

16 December 2023

Prestige cuvée Rare and gourmet at Michelin* Restaurant De Rozario

traveljus.com Food, wine or other, Gourmet, The Netherlands, Traveljus online mag De Rozario

Chef Jermain de Rozario: “great cooking comes from the heart and soul”

Prestige cuvée Rare and gourmet at Michelin* Restaurant De Rozario

A love affair with taste

Coming from Amsterdam, Helmond in the south of The Netherlands may look far, but it is here Traveljus journeyed. On a grey, drizzly afternoon, Dominique Climasander (International Brand Ambassador of Piper-Heidsieck) proudly launched the long-awaited Rare Millésime 2013 during a champagne tasting lunch. It turned out to be a memorable lunch. If you get the real thing, it takes no effort at all to appreciate the champagnes from Piper-Heidsieck paired with the modern, noteworthy dishes of Michelin star chef Jermain de Rozario. De Rozario makes contemporary dishes with an Asian twist. Taste and flavour intensity are essential to Jermain. “Great cooking comes from the heart and soul”. They occasionally do things a little more unconventionally than usual in other top restaurants. And, with flamboyant sommelier Edgaras Razminas (named sommelier of the year 2021 by Michelin) anything is possible during service.

The story behind cuvée Rare

French champagne house Piper-Heidsieck has produced extraordinary champagnes since 1785. Piper-Heidsieck is renowned for its unique blends made of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. In the summer of 1976, France was hit by an unprecedented heat wave, one the Champagne region had never experienced before. The year started with a cold winter and spring, followed by an extremely hot, dry summer with thunderstorms and a windy, cold autumn. The harvest took place late, in October. Piper-Heidsieck’s winemaking team wondered whether it would be possible to create a Millésime cuvée under these remarkable circumstances. Millésime indicates the vintage or harvest year of the grapes. Following the assembly of the different base wines and after bottling, the team was so proud of the end product that they called it Piper-Heidsieck Rare. In 2019, the name became simply Rare. According to Émilien Boutillat, Chefs de Caves of Piper-Heidsieck Rare Champagne, the aim is to make the best possible wine in limited quantities and only in exceptional vintages.

Restaurant De Rozario

Chef Jermain de Rozario of restaurant De Rozario believes in the power of flavour. His dishes show a lot of respect and love for the country of birth of his Javanese grandmother: Indonesia. What surprises me is that it brings back a memory of the Indonesian smells and flavours of my youth. While talking about Asia and Asian food, Jermain indicates that he would also like to travel to gain inspiration. “I don’t know yet everything. There is still so much to learn”. Jermain already came a long way. He was a garbage collector before his love for food and hospitality took over and he eventually earned his first Michelin star. Jermain wants to make his own flavour combinations, his own choices, even if they do not fit what people expect in a Michelin star restaurant. Also unexpected, yet it still fits in when you get to know the chef and his team a bit, is the sometimes bright graffiti art on the walls. It makes it clear what the essence of restaurant De Rozario is. Beautiful dishes in which the chef’s personality is not only unmistakably present but also his memories and emotions. And he does that surprisingly well.

Menu De Rozario

Appetizers: The various appetizers Pecel bonbon / Topinambumbu / Shellfish / Mama’s chicken/satay/bao, combined well with the dry style of the Piper-Heidsieck Essentiel Extra Brut.

Steak tartare: A beautiful dish of piccalilli ice cream/oyster leaf/sesame ‘kletskop’ / vinaigrette of roasted peppers in paired with the excellent Champagne Rare Millésime 2008.

Turbot: A classic dish with softer flavours and a citrus twist, made from pumpkin/orange / beurre blanc vadouvan. The turbot and the Piper-Heidsieck Essentiel Blancs de Blancs paired well together.

Rendang: The rendang, made from coconut and sereh / mango ice cream/enoki/pandan oil, is a course I would definitely come back for. It paired surprisingly well with Piper-Heidsieck French Riviera.

Wagyu / Oyster: A delicious dish of Wagyu beef, with a rich, buttery and umami-like undertone, further enhanced by the miso eggplant/mushroom / perkedel / gravy from Pedro Ximénez and BBQ. Excellent combi with the long-matured Piper-Heidsieck Vintage 2014.

I want to extend my thanks to the Dutch importer Maxxium, Dominique Climasander, the International Brand Ambassador of Piper-Heidsieck, restaurant De Rozario, and Pitch PR for the organization.

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8 December 2023

Stepping into the extraordinary Eighty Years’ War heritage of Hoorn

traveljus.com History, The Netherlands, Traveljus online mag Hoorn

About Hoorn and the 1573 Zuiderzee Battle for freedom and democracy

Stepping into the extraordinary Eighty Years’ War heritage of Hoorn

History and trade

They say it takes a proud predilection for history to re-enact a historic event. An event that occurred 450 years ago when the Spanish fleet was defeated by the Dutch rebels “watergeuzen”. Geuzen translates in English as beggars. Yes, we are stepping into the heritage of Holland by travelling to a former home base of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and a very prosperous centre of trade at the time. We drove to Hoorn, about 40 km north of Amsterdam, a beautiful city with a rich past, full of monumental buildings and a museum brimming with treasures. Only to emphasise its importance in the 16th and 17th centuries, Cape Horn located off the southern tip of South America was named after this little town. Another contribution to world history includes Hoorn’s close ties with the East India Company (VOC). Hoorn was one of the 6 chambers (regional bases) of the VOC and ships sailed from here all around the world. From its foundation, the Dutch East India Company had dual objectives; it was a trading company and an instrument in the Eighty Years’ War against Spain.

Quest for freedom

During 80 years in between the 16th and 17th centuries, the Netherlands formed part of the Spanish Empire. Emperor Charles V, born in Ghent and raised in the Netherlands, inherited what is now called the Benelux, and the Spanish kingdom. During the 16th century Protestantism rapidly gained ground in northern Europe. Its rise fuelled by the expanding trade. In a society dependent on trade, freedom and tolerance are considered essential. However, Charles V’s son, Philip II, sought to eradicate Protestantism in favour of an increased central authority in matters of religion, law and taxes. The Dutch Revolt, or Eighty Years’ War, was a series of battles fought in between 1568 and 1648 against the dominant power structure of the Spanish government and Catholic Church that had been enforced by Philip II. Many Dutch provinces rebelled. They opposed the idea of religious persecution, wanted to trade without paying exorbitant taxes and more personal freedom. Moreover, the Spanish repression and religious wars slowed down the quest for self-determination and unification of the Netherlands.

The Battle of the Zuiderzee

In 1573, an exciting naval battle took place in the port of Hoorn during this Eighty Years’ War. The Republic of the Seven United Provinces was in the middle of its struggle for independence. As the supply routes for the cities like Amsterdam almost exclusively passed the Zuiderzee, the Dutch Watergeuzen attempted to disturb this sea route as much as possible in small skirmishes and raids against ports of call dominated by the Spanish. In 1573 the Spanish Governor Maximilian de Henin, Count of Bossu was so fed up with these raids that he sent a fleet comprising of 30 ships with a crew of over 1,300 people to Hoorn with the prerogative to halt the attacks and destroy the enemy force. Bossu and his fleet left Amsterdam on October 5 and immediately hit a standstill amid attacks from the Watergeuzen. For the rebels, it seems like a battle lost in advance: Bossu’s Spanish admiralty ship was apparently invincible with its enormous size and armament. Not until October 11th, 1573, the Dutch could execute a surprise attack in the waters of the Hoornse Hop. The Watergeuzen do what they can, even attacking the Spanish enemy in rowing boats.

Courageous sailor Jan Haring

A sailor from Hoorn, Jan Haring manages to board the Spanish admiralty ship. In a flash he decides what to do. He climbs into the rigging of the Admiralty ship and pulls down the Admiralty flag with his own hands. It turns out to be a turning point in the battle. Shot from the mast of the ship by Spanish soldiers, Jan Haring falls fatally wounded on the deck and dies. Other Spanish ships assume that Admiral Bossu has surrendered and flee. Bossu, realising that further resistance is idle, surrenders and is imprisoned in Hoorn together with 200-300 soldiers. Jan Haring’s body is carried through Hoorn with reverence and laid out in the Oosterkerk. After winning the Battle of the Zuiderzee, a period of great prosperity starts for the northern part of the Zuiderzee, now called Ijsselmeer. The enemy has been driven out and will not return. Free trade can be conducted from the northern Zuiderzee port cities and Hoorn becomes the administrative centre. Amsterdam, which has stayed in Spanish hands, could no longer trade by sea for years to come and the West Frisian cities take over maritime shipping, especially to the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean.

450 years after

In October 2023, it will be exactly 450 years since the Battle of the Zuiderzee took place and Hoorn freed itself from the Spaniards through this epic naval battle. The event was a turning point in Dutch history and in hindsight contributed greatly to the establishment of the Dutch nation and its national identity. After the lost Zuiderzee battle and the failed siege of the nearby city Alkmaar, the Spanish realised that the struggle to conquer North Holland was lost. Later they abandoned Amsterdam as well and returned to Spain. On October 14 and 15, 2023 Hoorn commemorated the anniversary of this historic event, re-enacting the battle.

The re-enacting made us realise that it is necessary to celebrate the importance of freedom then and now, even centuries after the historic event took place. The best thing we can do is to reconstruct the experience and add some history to our daily lives to remember the importance of preserving the fundamental freedoms that define life in a free, democratic society.

Westfries Museum Hoorn

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23 November 2023

Van Nelle Rotterdam & the architectural challenge of the ‘ideal factory’

traveljus.com Architecture, Hidden Gems, History, The Netherlands, Traveljus online mag Rotterdam

Van Nelle factory: an icon of 20th-century industrial architecture in Europe & Unesco world heritage site

Van Nelle Rotterdam & the architectural challenge of the ‘ideal factory’

Van Nelle articulates the ‘ideal industrial factory’

On my visits to Rotterdam, the Dutch port city, I was often told that there was one place I should go: the Van Nelle Factory. It is one of the most remarkable icons of industrial architecture in The Netherlands, de facto in the world. It is also a textbook example of the Dutch “Nieuwe Bouwen” or “New Building” representing various modern building styles (1915 to 1960) that focus on functionality combined with aesthetics.

The story of Van Nelle started in 1782 when Johannes van Nelle opened a coffee, tea and tobacco shop at the Leuvehaven in Rotterdam. After the death of the founders, their son continued to run the company until the Van der Leeuw family took over the entire Van Nelle company in 1845. Van Nelle bears witness to the long history of importing, processing and trading tropical products such as coffee and tea through the port of Rotterdam.

Family Van Der Leeuw

Coffee, tea and tobacco became increasingly relevant around the turn of the century, contributing to the success of the family Van Der Leeuw. Using pragmatism as a business tool, the family established worldwide trade contracts and founded their very own coffee and tea plantations in the Dutch West Indies. With business going well, the demand for bigger premises grew. In 1916, CEO Cees van der Leeuw bought a site close to Schie, a waterway between Rotterdam and Schiedam. Van der Leeuw was not your average director. Interested in spirituality, art and architecture, Cees had a good eye for talent. He hired architect Michiel Brinkman as architect for the new Van Nelle. Brinkman, well known for his Spangen “streets in the sky” project, worked in the Dutch modernist tradition. After completing the first sketches, Michiel Brinkman suddenly died in 1925. A successor was found in his son, Johannes Brinkman, who studied at the Delft Technical College. Alongside Johannes a more experienced architect was called for. Leendert van der Vlugt was appointed. This successful collaboration led to the architectural office Brinkman & Van der Vlugt (1925 – 1936).

Nieuwe Bouwen and the 1rst daylight factory in Europe

The van Nelle factory is a textbook example of the so-called “Nieuwe Bouwen” architecture. Van der Leeuw and architects Brinkman and Van der Vlugt wanted to realise the ‘ideal factory’: functional, beautiful and open with characteristic facades of steel and glass and ‘mushroom columns’ made of reinforced concrete. The ‘ideal factory’ showed that Van Nelle cared about the physical and mental well-being of his employees. More daylight provides pleasant working conditions and radiates openness to the outside world. Van Nelle also provided large sanitary facilities in the factory. The workers often experienced poor living conditions and could wash on-site before work. Good hygiene was necessary for production as well. There were slightly more women than men employed and to prevent distraction, there were separate work places and stairs for men and women. The famous Rotterdammer W.H. Gispen designed the chrome work of the notably beautiful stairwells.

The glass palace

Built between 1927 and 1931 the complex consists of three connected factories for coffee, tea and tobacco. Each floor was intended for one step of the processing process: seven for tobacco, five for coffee and three for tea. Each of the processed gods – tobacco, coffee and tea used a separate section of the building and its form and size responded to the processing needs. The idea was to start each process on top of the building. The raw material was brought to a higher floor to go down a floor after each stage of the treatment. This explains the difference in building levels. The tobacco section needed eight treatments, coffee five and tea three levels. The characteristic bridges serve as connecting corridors to transfer products hanging from rails between the factory and the warehouses. After its completion in 1931, the Van Nelle Factory was the most modern factory in the Netherlands. Not surprisingly, because of its gigantic glass facade, the building was soon called “The Glass Palace”.

Unesco World Heritage site

On June 21, 2014, the Van Nelle Factory was awarded a World Heritage site by UNESCO. The Van Nelle Factory is one of those iconic buildings, unique for its time in material and form promoting light, air and space, and far ahead of its time from a social point of view. The inclusion of the Van Nelle Factory on the UNESCO World Heritage List is a recognition of the architectural quality of this modernist peace palace and the ultimate culmination of the repurposing process. The recognition did not come out of the blue but is the result of years of preparatory work by many people from the van Nelle Factory, the municipality of Rotterdam and the Cultural Heritage Agency. The fact that the Van Nelle factory is still in full use as a functional and unusual event location, office complex and museum presents an exciting challenge between ‘conservation’ and ‘use’.

Adress: Van Nelleweg 1, 3044 BC Rotterdam

Website Van Nelle