Food for thought at Rotterdam CS
Central Station in Rotterdam has been and will be under construction for some time. This does not mean, that for the time being no investments are being made to improve the environment in which passengers have to stay before they can start or continue their journey. I noticed these new benches on platform 11, that definitely improve the atmosphere on the platform. Not only do they bring colour to the grey surrounding, they also bring comfort to the waiting passenger and moreover, they give travellers the opportunity to read and learn. Dozens of quotes by famous and unknown people about travelling are inscripted in different languages in the seats and backrests. Here are some examples:
Superior talent (which I cannot deny myself to be without being impious) will go to pieces if he remains remains forever in the same place [Mozart]
Travel and change of place impart new vigour to the mind [Unknown]
De grote Weg is vlak, maar mensen zoeken liever bergpaden [Lao-Tse] (1)
Nicht da ist man daheim, wo man seinen Wohnsitz hat, sondern wo man verstanden wird [Christian Morgenstern] (2)
L’Absence ne tue l’amour que s’il était malade au depart [Comtesse Diane de Beausacq] (3)
These and many more quotes may inspire people, or move them to reverie and keep them company on their journey, where ever it may lead them. I like that idea!
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(1) The great Road is flat, but people rather seek mountain trails
(2) One is not home, where one has his domicile, but where one is understood
(3) Absence does not kill love if it was already ill at departure
Houthoff on the Binnenrotte
I have always been interested in murals and graffiti, but since I’ve started the Mural series in this blog, I’ve started to notice them more conscious. Here’s an example of a writing on the wall, that I’ve passed so many times, without ever really noticing it. The poem is written on a wall on the corner of Binnenrotte and Hoogstraat. It is by Henk Houthoff (1941) who is a poet from Rotterdam. Here’s a translation. (I hope the mr. Houthoff approves of it…)
It is not much what I have acquired
just this view is my possession
and what was lost unnoticed
is now said by the other every day.
At least nor the poem, nor the mural (should it be removed from the wall, as sometimes happens with wall art) will be lost without being noticed…
Space Invader Rotterdam expelled
On May, 28 I blogged about Space Invaders in Rotterdam. (http://wp.me/punIp-5o) Today I have to blog about it again, and the reason is not because I want to, I just have to! Emotions such as anger and sadness rival to be the reason for this blog. Why? I found out that the blue mosaic of the Space Invader at the Koninginnebrug has been removed! Who would do such a thing? Space Invader mosaics are part of the cityscape in various cities around the world. They are well accepted for years so regarding the Rotterdam Space Invaders I say hands off!!!
Wall art at blind side wall of Nighttown – West Kruiskade
In my post from September 18, Murals in Rotterdam (http://wp.me/sunIp-murals), I promised to search for old photos of murals or graffitis in Rotterdam. So here it is: again some pictures of wall art of the past. I already knew how fleeting this form of art is but after some research I found out that my memory is fleeting too… Let me try to explain. Before it was called WATT, there was a club called Nighttown. Off course I remember this, who doesn’t? But who remembers the drawings on the side wall? And who remembers how the club was called before it became Nighttown. For this blog I tried to find out who created mural and why. During my research I found an old picture from 1988, showing the wall and I found out that the club previously was called Arena. I had forgotten that!
Although grafitti and murals are often temporarily, this particular painting shows us that temporarily does not have to mean a short period of time. I made this photos in January 2006 and I found a photo in a book from 1988. I can’t remember when the mural was removed, but I guess it was in 2008, when WATT first opened it’s doors, so it has lasted at least for two decades!
On the wall were 100 images. One of the images shows a telephone and a phone number. I Googled the number and found out that it’s the phone number of Aktiegroep Oude Westen, a neighbourhood organisation, that most likely has commissioned the painting of the wall. (http://www.aktiegroepoudewesten.nl) Because today is Sunday, I can’t ring them to ask them who made it, but if you feel like calling them after reading this blog, feel free to do so!
Say hello, wave goodbye!
Take your hands off me, please
I dont belong to you, you see.
Take a look in my face, for the last time.
I never knew you, you never knew me.
Say hello, goodbye.
Say hello and wave goodbye.
“Say Hello, Wave Goodbye” is a song from the album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret by the synthpop duo Soft Cell. The song was covered by singer-songwriter David Gray and released on his highly-successful 1999 album White Ladder. I took the liberty of using some of the lyrics to say goodbye to my old camera, who has in a way become a true and faithful friend. But after more than four years, I decided it was time for a change and therefor I bought a new camera. Up until now, all of the photos in this blog were taken with the Kodak DX6490 that you can see above.
Say hello to the world one last time my friend, show them your face and wave goodbye!
