read
INTIMATE! details about PRIVATE! space! send messages! updated: 23.01.04
may,2002
I began looking for a squat site after hearing about squatting from
an artist in rotterdam. I wanted to squat a site as a place that I
could develop
a relationship to, in private. I also wanted to investigate
this 'adaptive re-use' philosophy in relation to how space is organized
in rotterdam. I first talked with an artist group in rotterdam that
have created projects in squats, but unfortunately they were in the
process of leaving their squat as the building was being torn down.october,2002After
being back in new york for the summer, I began looking for a squat
site. From a friend I got the e-mail address of Alwin
who, I was told, was looking to squat a place. He then gave me the
number of Nanouckwho
I then met at the Squat Doctors. This is a place in Rotterdam where
people help you to squat.
[all of the text in bold is from the Squat Doctor's zine] HOW
TO SQUAT!
Available Immediately! in virtually all Rotterdam neighborhoods and
the entire Netherlands. All kinds of unused floors, houses, buildings
and spaces for short or long LEGAL living, comes with all the appropriate
legal rights. Suitable for enthusiastic, open-minded and social people.
No rent, no deposit, no mortage. A do-it-yourself attitude is required.
Utilities (gas, water and electricity) are among the possibilities.
We work without waiting lists, membership cards or other bureaucratic
nonsense. We help you to help yourself so you can get a suitable home
within a few weeks. 1.Information Gathering: Research to see if building
you want to squat as been empty for over a year. 2.Other Preparation:Ask
some people to help you squat.november
7,2002
First meeting at Alwin's with other squatters. I invited
Nina and Carla (but she couldn’t make it) as the two of them
had asked me to squat with them.Alwin was there, along with
Nanouk, Wil, Ronald, Jarek (+Jarek’s wife), Jack and Barbara
(Jack’s sister).They were all living in the same squatted building
and had to leave as the building was being torn down. We organized
who would be gathering information about finding a squat location.
Get a functional or symbolic squat set for each apartment in the
building i.e.BED+TABLE+CHAIR.The
word for the squat set in dutch is huisvrede which means “domestic
peace”, so placing the bed+table+chair in the apartment validates
the apartment symbolically as a site of domestic peace and
get a suitable lock(s)and good tools.november
18,20022nd
squat meeting at Alwin's. I missed a few as I was in Berlin but Nina
kept me updated while I was gone and invited Robert (who invited Ivo
and GP), Martinand Marion (who invited her boyfriend).The group has now grown to 16. Money had been chipped in by all;
so workers outfits, locks etc were bought. We organized who would
bring what in order to create enough squat sets.november
22,20023.The
Squatting Itself. Make
sure nobody has any form of identification.Agree beforehand which
alias or fake name everyone will use. As a general rule you should
never give your name to the owner (it will make it easier for him
for legal action) or to the police. This is even more important if
you are arrested; no matter what the police say, do not give your
real name. It wouldn't be the first time the police lied to get information.
Luckily it is very rare in Rotterdam that people are arrested for
squatting. When squatting; find the quickest and the quietest way
to get in with the least damage (the back, the roof, the garden, the
basement, a sliding window). If this is not an option you can break
open the front door. This is a bit more risky, you will need people
keeping an eye out. Good tools and technical insight are essential
when getting in. Met everyone
at Jarek's place at 5:00 am and then we went to the building and divided
into 2 groups: look-outs and those breaking in. The guys in this group
were mostly standing around outside the building while Jarek and Jack
broke in.The
look-outs were the women: Nanouck, Marion, Barbara and myself + Alwin
and Ronald. Alwin, Ronald and I stayed in the van while the some of
the others walked around the neigborhood looking
like the Charlies Angels.There
was a lot of suspense when the cops came [someone in the neighborhood
called them] but we had already broken in and were in the building
and couldn't be seen, so the cops left. When
the door is open, let everyone in and set-up the squat sets as quick
as you can in a front room so it is visible from the street. In the
meantime, replace the lock fast. Jarek
put the lock on the front door
as soon as the cops left the area.We
then brought in the squat kits: bed + table + chair etc.from
the vans and carsand
then we walked through the squat space and
then started making it our 'home'
. 4.
Dealing with the police and owner.
Don't be intimidated by the police or owner. If you don't want them
to come in they may not do so legally unless the police has special
permission and a written document called a last tot binnentreden.
We have a few A4 copies that sum up the most important laws that apply
to squatting. Someone who is Dutch or speaks perfect Dutch should
calmly explain the situation to the police. This way the police will
hopefully think all people are Dutch. If you are not Dutch and don't
speak good Dutch it is best not to say anything to them since if they
figure out you are “foreign”, you are legally required to
identify yourself if asked. Remember that failing to do so is theoretically
enough for them to arrest you, perhaps even deport you if you are
not from the EU! Even so, foreigners should not carry papers when
squatting.You do not have to explain to the police how you got in,
it is best not to say anything about this or say the door/window was
open. Whatever you do, do not admit to damaging anything. There used
to be a rule that you could be evicted within the first 24 hours of
squatting a house. This rule no longer applies and you have the right
to live in a house and are protected from the moment you set up your
squat set and close the door behind with a new lock.Alwin and Ronald called the police,
who weren't bothered enough to even come.They also called Woonbroon
Housing who controls the building, who also were a bit blaise. We
then all got togetherto
discuss the next stages of dealing with everything: such as how to
deal with the lack of plumbing, heating and kitchen fixtures 5.Other
concerns after you squat.
Get gas, electricity and water by calling ENECO.It's also
good to get in contact with the neighborhood; you can make a letter
in which you explain why you squat, which house your living in and
that they are welcome to have some coffee in your new house etc. Nanouck
organized the letter and then we ate,
it was a good vibe. Everyone felt a little high from
the experience and happy with ourselves: our little “community”
of squatters.december
10,2002Meeting
at Jarek's to discuss squat space division.There was a guy [a friend
of someone] at the meeting who wasen't there when we squatted. He
said that he needed a place until March, so I said that I would share
a space with him since I wasen't going to be using the place full-time
until April. Had drink with Ivo afterwards. december
12,2002Met
at squat and got pipes etc. from old squat space of Wil/Alwin and
others. january
8, 2003Went
to the squat with my new squat mate and made him a key.
january
11,2003Ran
into my new squat mate at WORM and he was an more than a bit
unfriendly-not sure why. january
17,2003Met
with my squat mate at the squat and found that
he’s becoming increasingly territorial of our space.february
2,2003PARALLEL
to investigating squatting and finding a site to work in has been
looking for a permanent place to live. I'm a foreigner here and since
I've been in the Netherlands, I've lived in an artist-in-residence
situation and then subletted from 3 people in 3 different spaces.
The apartment I'm in now is has been the best place so far, as far
as the space goes, but the guy I sublet from isn’t always honest
with me about things which obviously makes me uneasy. I sleep in the
attic and I have a great view of the tops of the buildings.I
can hear the rain on the roof beautifully. The main space is downstairs
and the rooms are large; with a high ceiling and a bay window. I've
been there for a month and a half so far and have been really happy
[except for dealing with the guy who owns the apartment]. At the end
of the month, I move back downstairs [where I subletted for the last
3 months of 2002 and will be again for another 3 1/2 more months].
My space doesn't include much furnishings so I have to buy a lot of
things to make my 'home' and went to IKEA [in NY, I found stuff off
the street] but ironically I still haven't bought my own bed+ table+chair,
as they are the only furnishings already here. I'm waiting to be finally
in my own space which will then be psychologically validated as HOME!
when I buy those last 3 items. february
6,2003E-mailed
my squat mate that I wanted to begin working in the space but his
response to me made it clear that I've now been squatted out of my
squat!february
7,2003When
you are doing [cleaning] a house there
are places that you look forward to getting to, because of the way
the sun comes through a window or because its the kitchen and the
kettle or because its a kids room. Its like traveling through a small
country; every bit is different. Its like being a spy or reading a
book—Roddy DoyleThe Woman Who Walked Into Doors,1996
february
13,2003I
now need to find another squat space to work in, so I met with Jack
and Jarek who offered to help me.february
17,2003Called
the guy connected to Woonbroon Housing who deals with the building
that we squatted to make an appointment.
february 19,2003Met
a Mr. Talusa from Woonbron Delfthaven and before I even spoke, he
said "You're looking for a place to live but without paying any
money. We don't have any places now but fill out this form".
I told him that I needed a place now and he said there was one place
but it was in bad shape. He gave me the keys and told me to go check
it out and let him know what I thought. The address was Portugesestraat
6b which is around the corner in the same building as where we squatted.
It was great to just have the key and walk in. The site is perfect.
february
20,2003I
then brought my passport, signed some forms saying that I had until
2005 to be there when the building would be then destoyed, paid €115
+ €45 for admin costs/keys: THE TOTAL AMOUNT I PAY FOR THE TIME
I'M THERE + €18 a year of insurance (they will fix the windows
and toilet only) and *viola*, I had my project space. Rode my bike
over with a metal folding chair and inflatable mattress/pump--the
beginnings of making a project which has now become focused on HOME.Walked through the space for the first time.The building is basic
housing in that the apartments are made very cheaply: thin walls,
cardboard box shapes to the rooms, low ceilings. A small room off
of the front door to the left includes a shower closet which is completely
rotted away. Moving down the hallway from the front door to the right,
there is a WC (which works!). There are several closets throughout
the space. Further on, there's the kitchen [with a balcony]--or the
idea of ‘kitchen’ as everything is mostly missing. As you
move left, you come to the two main spaces. The place has been stripped
but non-reconditioned, which inspires me.There's an accumulation of
layers on the floors and walls; the evidence of others being there.
There are two large windows on either end of the two main rooms. I
looked out the window facing the back to see a woman peering at me
intently. I waved. No response. I then waved again more enthusiastically.
Still no response. I then jumped up and down while waving and the
woman remained immobile--welcome to the neighborhood.february
27,2003Brought
the first person to see the site: (an ex).march
3,2003There
were a few indispensable objects which made up our domestic possessions:
a rosewood chair—a Japanese vanity with inlays of brass and ivory—a
tilt-top circular table, again of rosewood, on which—every time
we moved—mother would rest her collection of silver-framed photographs
and silver birds she had begun to collect in England. The blackbird
feather and Ramese II did not sit here. These were holy objects, the
equivalent of her icons. Embedded in their amber tombs, they were
always displayed on her dressing table with her silver mirror and
brushes, the trio of stoppered perfume bottles and the photographs
of James and Eliza Kilworth. Among our possessions there was also
and ever the wicker suitcase —packed and ready for our escape.
Escaping was never explained to me. I suppose it did not have to be.
We had been on the run since the moment I was born, and it was simply
a state of being that I accepted. —Timothy
Findley The Piano Man’s Daughter,1995. Can home also be
the possessions
you take with you?
march 4,2003 Met
with landlord of the apartment that I have been subletting. It turns
out that the guy that has the lease whom I’ve been subletting
from hasen't paid rent in months. The apartment lease (€185.14
a month) is offered to me, which I accept. Goodbye liar!Hello
apartment that I can have FOREVER [well at least longer than 2005]
as a cheap work/live location in Europe.I HAVE A HOME! Bought
things for my new home but not bed+ table+chair--yet.march
8,2003
Shot
first video footage in site. march
15,2003Brought
second person to see space.[potential new...] march
21,2003
Bought
a BED for my apartment [one of the 3 important elements of ‘home’].march
22,2003Went
to take photos of site in the early evening, trying to create a
sexy look for the background of the net.art piece. Met a woman
that lives there who was coming in as I was coming out. She smiled
shyly. She must have all the cats that I see in the back garden and
the ones in the first floor window. march
26,2003Was
talking with a friend who's
into yoga about ‘home’ and
she told me that when praticing yoga, it's important to find a place
that feels warm, safe, secure inside of yourself: thuis komen
or thuis zijn which means ‘to
come home’ or ‘to be at home’ in relation
to your body; the inherent mobile home.april
4,2003A
telephone can now ring at the site, as I got a phone hooked up and
have a number: 010.245.9052. They asked me to choose one but I felt
the site deserved a bit of anoyminity, the random number is almost
an unlisted number.april
5,2003It
was the morning he noticed-soon daylight again. He hated the openness,
the sheer exposure of summer days. Emptiness always seemed far more
empty when it was well lit. A.L. Kennedy
Everything You Need, 1999 The phone could be ringing and ringing
in the empty space.april
15,2003
Met with Lara Almarcegui about the exhibition Taking
Possession of Space that I'm doing as part of this project.While
we were talking, she said that she lived on Portugesestraat. “where?”
I asked. It turns out that she lives at number 20: three doors down.
She squatted the apartment a year or so ago. Amazing.april
18,2003Went
to the site to gather found paper for the drawings series I'm working
on as part of this project. So far, I'm mostly using mail that comes
into my mailbox: the backs of envelopes, bills etc. When I went into
site, I found that someone had broken the glass on the door that goes
to balcony. Either someone climbed up into the 2nd floor balcony in
order to break-in or something was thrown into it--but the door has
three panes of glass and only the glass next to door handle is broken.
And why was there no glass in the apartment? Odd. Nothing was taken,
although there's really nothing there.april
20,2003Easter at the site.Went
there for more found paper for drawings and found a bunch of junk
mail in the basement and also around Zweedstraat. Took the huge armful
over to the park in the neighborhood to go through it to see what
I could use. Bought an ice cream cone on the way from a ice cream
truck that was cruising through the neighborhood. The kids waiting
in line were many nationalities. A little Asian girl was on her bike
by herself, carrying a plastic bag of water.april
24,2003Waited
for several hours for the man to come to fix the broken glass. While
waiting, I rode around neighborhood for awhile and bought 3 different
kinds of traditional almond cookies from local bakery,
then went to the park where I was on Sunday and found that the whole
thing has been removed--no benches, children's playground, grass.They
seem to be making a new neighborhood park. Sat
on my stoop--a beautiful spring day--and watched the neighbors walk
by. Met my neighbor across the hall, Mohammed. He saw
me sitting on the stoop for a long time [and probably peeked into
my apartment as I left the door opened] and told me that if I needed
food, than I could come to dinner with his family. He probably assumes
I'm poverty stricken if I live in that apartment in the shape that
it's in. But that's fine, he's lovely to be concerned.april
29,2003Some
info on the history of the squat movement in Holland (specific to
Amsterdam). In 1975, squatters protested the demolition of the
Nieuwmarkt area for the Metro and alerted citizens to increased urbanization...The
Dutch Squat Movement is highly organized; squatters have regular meetings
and financially support the movement through cafes and bars run by
squatters. In 1980, there were 7,000 squatted houses in Amsterdam.
In March of 1980, 12,000 people protested a heavily squatted No-Go
area set for demolition... .Despite
massive confrontations with the authorities, squatters have managed
to stay in the key areas of Amsterdam. The authorities are reluctant
to use all their might against the Dutch Squat Movement as it has
attracted so much support. It remains an inspiration
for housing and planning struggles everywhere. Squatting, The
Real Story Nick Aning, 1980may
1,2003Found
some info on Het Witte Dorp, a housing area which is next to the squat
and on
J.J.P.Oud, the architect who
designed it. The
construction of the semi-permanent dwellings commenced in 1923 and
was completed 17 months later in 1924...One
of the first structures to be erected was the site manager's hut...wheras
it's function refers to architecture as the practice of building,
its form is intent on demonstrating that the new
architecture is also art... .Het
Witte Dorp (The White Village) incorporated a number of strategies
in the fields of urban planning, public housing and social work which
Oud made the basis for an undecorated, introverted residential environment...critics
both at home and abroad agreed that here, on the edge of the city,
Oud had succeeded in creating an urban neighborhood of remarkable
intimacy; a neighborhood with a vilage-like atmosphere that had not
been acheived by pseudo-villagy means..although
the housing was built for ‘semi-invalid workers’ (which
meant that they were unable to afford the average rentals) this did
not put them in the category of ‘asocial families’...in
this Rotterdam neighborhood houses, blocks, streets and square were
stripped of their autonomy and merged into a townscape conceived as
a single, sculptural whole...leading Roy Bijhouwer to hypothesize
that in the Witte Dorp Oud's idea about ‘the contrast between
the industrious city and peaceful living’ was worked out at a
higher planning level. As such he sees the ‘village’ ...as
an enlarged version of an urban block rather than as a garden village.J.J.P.
Oud: Poetic Functionalist 1890-1963 The Complete Works, 2000 may15,2003
BED!+TABLE! My space is now officially validated as ‘home’
or huisvrede. Found both on the street near the squat. A Pakistani
man that lives near to where the stuff was, saw me dragging an old
mattress and table top down the street and offered to take me and
my stuff up the block to the squat.Very lovely.We talked a bit about
being foreigners here and he said he’s been here for 30 years
and feels that he's been treated very well in holland.
He asked me a lot of questions
about how much money I make etc.-another neighbor concerned that I'm
poverty stricken?july
17,2003Article
from Archis #3 2003; Archis is Open Source preamble:...Architecture,
surely, is enclosure, territory, it occupies a place. And as long
as it is able to deny entry to that place to unauthorized outsiders,
its material integrity is assured, isn’t it? Yet in architecture,
too, there is a growing realization that it is more and more about
situations than places. More and more about processes than objects.
And these situations and processes are by definition temporary and
thus a lot more susceptible to the law of the strongest and the cleverest.
This applies equally to the design process, where the result is more
than ever down to a combination of all kinds of skills and know-how,
a pooling of many different talents, and it is only in the public
reception that it is still seen as the work of a single creative genius.
Indeed, the strongest and the cleverest. And then of course there
is the architecture of all those people who live according to the
spirit of open source: buildings that can stripped down and taken
with you, buildings whose turnaround time is reduced to a minimum,
whose very design is predicated on impermanence. This architecture
has no core, no unique signature and no copyright. Thus we see that
the profession is an arena for a huge clash between what some welcome
as a new openness and others deplore as ruthless disciplinary Darwinism.
How is one to represent such a world? How to write about it? And how
to mediate it? Archis itself aspires to be open source and cannot
stop exploring its modalities. An issue in the spirit of research...Ole
Bouman, Archis Editor november
11,2003TTen
Hoopen and the Christian Democratic MP in Holland wants to ban squatting
in business spaces. There is no reason to introduce such a ban; the
problems that many people encounter when they are looking for a home
will not be solved (the problems will even only get worse). squat.net
has information on their site intended to expose the fallacies of
Ten Hoopen's reasoning. Click this link to read the pages on squat.net
and decide for yourself. --update from squat.netnovember 24,2003I
began the idea of using the squat as a Architect-in Residence Project:
Designing
a Squat[kit]. This is
what I sent out: This architect-in-residence project looks at historical
and contemporary perspectives on adaptive re-use philosophies and
squatting, specific to the Netherlands. The architect-in-residence
will be able to develop a raw social housing apartment according to
their own design with the focus on creating their own [squat kit]:
a designed plan to be used by future squatters to cheaply, quickly
and with an overall design aesthetic, convert a squatted space. The
focus is on creating a design plan to be used by squatters as well
as developing and improving the use of social housing since most squats
were originally social housing before they were slated for demolition
or became in some way ‘un-used’. The architect-in-residence
must live-in the space as its being developed and keep a log of the
development and of their [squat kit]. On Jan. 2005, the space will
be given to another architect-in-residence or architectural group.
I got proposals from architects all over the world and selected
two architects from australia who had some incredible ideas. just
as I was going to confirm their residencies.....january
23,2004 The
circle is complete. I went to the squat and found Rostam Ahmad AC
who
is from Iraq and has squatted the squat. He said he's been there for
about a month. It felt weird at first to see someone in the space
that I've developed a relationship to but then it felt right that
someone is living there, which is pretty much the point of the squat
movement. It was amazing to walk in and see the NUDE!SPACE! transformed
into someone's life. I feel a connection to his life, through my connection
to his home:
who
I then met at the Squat Doctors. This is a place in Rotterdam where
people help you to squat.
[all of the text in bold is from the Squat Doctor's zine] HOW
TO SQUAT!
Available Immediately! in virtually all Rotterdam neighborhoods and
the entire Netherlands. All kinds of unused floors, houses, buildings
and spaces for short or long LEGAL living, comes with all the appropriate
legal rights. Suitable for enthusiastic, open-minded and social people.
No rent, no deposit, no mortage. A do-it-yourself attitude is required.
Utilities (gas, water and electricity) are among the possibilities.
We work without waiting lists, membership cards or other bureaucratic
nonsense. We help you to help yourself so you can get a suitable home
within a few weeks. 1.Information Gathering: Research to see if building
you want to squat as been empty for over a year. 2.Other Preparation:Ask
some people to help you squat.
.The
look-outs were the women: Nanouck, Marion, Barbara and myself + Alwin
and Ronald. Alwin, Ronald and I stayed in the van while the some of
the others walked around the neigborhood looking
like the Charlies Angels
.There
was a lot of suspense when the cops came [someone in the neighborhood
called them] but we had already broken in and were in the building
and couldn't be seen, so the cops left. When
the door is open, let everyone in and set-up the squat sets as quick
as you can in a front room so it is visible from the street. In the
meantime, replace the lock fast. Jarek
put the lock on the front door 
as soon as the cops left the area.We
then brought in the squat kits: bed + table + chair etc.from
the vans and cars
and
then we walked through the squat space
to
discuss the next stages of dealing with everything: such as how to
deal with the lack of plumbing, heating and kitchen fixtures 5.Other
concerns after you squat.
Get gas, electricity and water by calling ENECO.
It's also
good to get in contact with the neighborhood; you can make a letter
in which you explain why you squat, which house your living in and
that they are welcome to have some coffee in your new house etc. Nanouck
organized the letter and then we ate
,
it was a good vibe. Everyone felt a little high from
the experience and happy with ourselves: our little “community”
of squatters.
.I
can hear the rain on the roof beautifully. The main space is downstairs
and the rooms are large; with a high ceiling and a bay window. I've
been there for a month and a half so far and have been really happy
[except for dealing with the guy who owns the apartment]. At the end
of the month, I move back downstairs [where I subletted for the last
3 months of 2002 and will be again for another 3 1/2 more months].
My space doesn't include much furnishings so I have to buy a lot of
things to make my 'home' and went to IKEA [in NY, I found stuff off
the street] but ironically I still haven't bought my own bed+ table+chair,
as they are the only furnishings already here. I'm waiting to be finally
in my own space which will then be psychologically validated as HOME!
when I buy those last 3 items. 
,
then went to the park where I was on Sunday and found that the whole
thing has been removed--no benches, children's playground, grass.They
seem to be making a new neighborhood park. Sat
on my stoop--a beautiful spring day--and watched the neighbors walk
by. Met my neighbor across the hall, Mohammed. He saw
me sitting on the stoop for a long time [and probably peeked into
my apartment as I left the door opened] and told me that if I needed
food, than I could come to dinner with his family. He probably assumes
I'm poverty stricken if I live in that apartment in the shape that
it's in. But that's fine, he's lovely to be concerned.
.Despite
massive confrontations with the authorities, squatters have managed
to stay in the key areas of Amsterdam. The authorities are reluctant
to use all their might against the Dutch Squat Movement as it has
attracted so much support. It remains an 
.Het
Witte Dorp (The White Village) incorporated a number of strategies
in the fields of urban planning, public housing and social work which
Oud made the basis for an undecorated, introverted residential environment...critics
both at home and abroad agreed that here, on the edge of the city,
Oud had succeeded in creating an urban neighborhood of remarkable
intimacy; a neighborhood with a vilage-like atmosphere that had not
been acheived by pseudo-villagy means..
although
the housing was built for ‘semi-invalid workers’ (which
meant that they were unable to afford the average rentals) this did
not put them in the category of ‘asocial families’...in
this Rotterdam neighborhood houses, blocks, streets and square were
stripped of their autonomy and merged into a townscape conceived as
a single, sculptural whole...leading Roy Bijhouwer to hypothesize
that in the Witte Dorp Oud's idea about ‘the contrast between
the industrious city and peaceful living’ was worked out at a
higher planning level. As such he sees the ‘village’ ...as
an enlarged version of an urban block rather than as a garden village.
J.J.P.
Oud: Poetic Functionalist 1890-1963 The Complete Works, 2000 
who
is from Iraq and has squatted the squat. He said he's been there for
about a month. It felt weird at first to see someone in the space
that I've developed a relationship to but then it felt right that
someone is living there, which is pretty much the point of the squat
movement. It was amazing to walk in and see the NUDE!SPACE! transformed
into someone's life. I feel a connection to his life, through my connection
to his home:
.