{"id":519,"date":"2021-05-21T11:06:26","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T09:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/?p=519"},"modified":"2021-05-21T11:22:03","modified_gmt":"2021-05-21T09:22:03","slug":"the-city-as-a-canvas-sing-along-city-by-studio-vollaerszwart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/2021\/05\/21\/the-city-as-a-canvas-sing-along-city-by-studio-vollaerszwart\/","title":{"rendered":"The City as a Canvas: Sing Along City by Studio VollaersZwart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although I am not as much a fan of the European Song Contest as some of my friends, I must admit that the creative vibe that is currently spreading through the city is contagious. The way Rotterdam is ‘dressed up’ for the Event is innovative, colourful and bold, as the city itself. One of the most striking interventions is by Studio VollaersZwart; infrastructural elements like bridges and subway fly-overs are clad in colorful banners, based on the flags of the participating countries and dotted with the titles of the songs that have won the Contest in the past, merging into a visual medley. Songs like \u2018Waterloo\u2019 have become part of contemporary pop-culture and will trigger sweet memories with (almost) everyone.

Although the North of Rotterdam is historically the more developed part of the city – it is where most public institutions, such as museums, are located, and thus most cultural events take place \u2013 the banners mark the route towards the South, to Ahoy, the large complex where the Event is happening. This part of the city is more reminiscent of a New Town, since urban development only kicked in after World War II. With over 170 nationalities calling Rotterdam home, a lot of Newcomers have settled ‘op Zuid’, because it is affordable, in terms of rent and other cost of living. Thus it is the more diverse part of the city but it is less endowed with cultural infrastructure, such as museums and other \u2018official\u2019 cultural institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like the subway connects the Northern with the Southern part of the city, the banners work like a guirlande, connecting these two different worlds, bridging the cultural gap. Studio VollaersZwart has an impressive track record in city dressing, using the urban environment as a canvas. Their intervention shows the potential of infrastructure and the public spaces it crosses, connecting high and low culture, uniting a culturally diverse but divided city, if only temporarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

http:\/\/VollaersZwart.com<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although I am not as much a fan of the European Song Contest as some of my friends, I must admit that the creative vibe that is currently spreading through the city is contagious. The way Rotterdam is ‘dressed up’ for the Event is innovative, colourful and bold, as the city itself. One of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[18],"tags":[31,29,19],"class_list":["post-519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-public-infrastructure","tag-public-infrastructure","tag-publicity","tag-rotterdam"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_3024-scaled.jpeg?fit=2091%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":40,"url":"https:\/\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/2020\/08\/28\/public-seat-or-trash-container\/","url_meta":{"origin":519,"position":0},"title":"Public Seat or Trash Container?","author":"Floorvand","date":"28 August 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Clearly this object in public space is ambiguous. Given its recognisable form, the seat is mistaken for a trash bin, appearing similar to the underground waste containers in Rdam (image below). Yet, it was designed with a very different objective. These seats, placed at strategic points in public space, are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Public Infrastructure"","block_context":{"text":"Public Infrastructure","link":"https:\/\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/category\/public-infrastructure\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_8958-scaled-e1598960461713.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_8958-scaled-e1598960461713.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_8958-scaled-e1598960461713.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_8958-scaled-e1598960461713.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_8958-scaled-e1598960461713.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":362,"url":"https:\/\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/2020\/09\/28\/through-the-looking-glas-or-alice-in-mirrorland\/","url_meta":{"origin":519,"position":1},"title":"Through the Looking Glass or the Mirror as a Cloaking Device","author":"Floorvand","date":"28 September 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Another strategy to camouflage 'unwanted' objects in public space is to cover them with mirrors. It\u2019s an oft-used device meant to clad a structure with a surface that reflects its surroundings in order to become less conspicuous - the mirror as a cloaking device. The ventilation shaft pictured is from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Public Infrastructure"","block_context":{"text":"Public Infrastructure","link":"https:\/\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/category\/public-infrastructure\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_9589-scaled-e1601307211921.jpg?fit=946%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_9589-scaled-e1601307211921.jpg?fit=946%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_9589-scaled-e1601307211921.jpg?fit=946%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_9589-scaled-e1601307211921.jpg?fit=946%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1349,"url":"https:\/\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/2024\/10\/08\/strippin-rotterdam\/","url_meta":{"origin":519,"position":2},"title":"Strippin’ Rotterdam","author":"Floorvand","date":"8 October 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This summer, I was approached by de Strip architects from Brussels if I was interested in a collaboration. 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Tunnels and bypasses, non-places or transit spaces, that we\u2019re meant to move through as fast as possible. 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