Assignment brief

1 We will gather at the knowledge and cultural center, Wi Masanga, where we will eat together (bring your lunch) and meet Kenneth, local resident, volunteer in the center and an active member of the Surinamese community and of the Rotterdam branch of the labor union.

2 Very near, we will find the place where this photograph was taken, in the mid-late 90’s:

A visit to Delfshaven to contextualize and investigate displacements, gentrification, the languages in the city

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Think of: what does this picture mean to you? what can you deduct from displacements, gentrification? why is the sign half in English and half in Dutch?

3 We will stop by the Zelfregie huis, a community center focused on self-organized neighbour initiatives that was evicted last year.

4 We will climb up the stairs of the Dakpark. From the roof walk we can examine two types of displacement and gentrification; arts and cultural district in post-industrial spaces (factories being converted to entertainment and cultural venues) and on the other side what follows the new zoning; namely high-end housing and real estate replacing social housing and community gardens. How does movement of capital and people co-exist? What is the role of culture (cultural labour and cultural institutions) in these processes of displacement?

5 We will cross Bollenpandje, the location where part of Zelfregie huis has been moved for the time being.

6 We will cross the Tovertunnel, connecting two completely different areas of Delfshaven. From one side a combination of social housing, affordable private rental houses and student housing, exiting towards Historic Delfshaven (Piet Heyn bridge and the area around Piet Heyn Plein) that has some of the highest real estate property values in the city. Notice the signs around the historic area and the narrative they display? Can you find intersections between gentrification (urban displacement) and the glorification of colonial heritage in the area?

How to recognize displacement by visual, audio, linguistic signifiers?
What are the images, sounds, conversations that act as traces, witnesses or precursors of displacement? How does it become evident in space? (Think of the bodies that occupy the space, the languages spoken (or being absent) etc.
What signs are placed, by whom and why?
What are the visible and invisible consequences of gentrification? How to record them?
Choose one place and investigate: search for past stories, images, record sounds, video, make notes, map signs ...
Create a narrative, in any form, with the different pieces of your research. Upload it to our collective Hotglue site.

Group Assignments

Put your class chronicle HERE
- Notes from Thursday 7th October