“A collision with the past” is a year-long attempt at approaching the history of the Kalenderpanden, a former squat located in the East of Amsterdam. The squat was in operation between 1996 and 2000, and, after its eviction, it was turned into luxury lofts. The piece uses archive material that the squatters from that time made available: a documented timeline of both the squatting and the eviction. It also tries to touch upon how the practice of squatting changed in the past decades, since the 2010 squatting ban, and weaves in and out of how one can still get access to the Kalenderpanden building, two decades after. While putting together the piece, between November 2020 and November 2021, there has been a resurgence of squatting as a housing practice in Amsterdam, as well as nationwide. So with this in mind, the piece links the Kalenderpanden to the newly squatted Hotel Mokum as well as a building on Spuistraat 59 and one on Ringdijk 8, both squatted by the Anarcha Feminist Group Amsterdam. As if to say, “Wet of geen wet, kraken gaat door” (“Law or no law, squatting continues.”)

This audio essay is commissioned by Ja Ja Ja Nee Nee Nee, as part of our series 'Near Histories', curated by Radna Rumping. For 'Near Histories' artists are invited to develop an audio piece related to a history that is 'near', whether it's in literal close proximity, or rather a history that is still unfolding. Here the essayistic format offers a (partly) subjective take on an event or situation that isn't fully historicized.
A .pdf script of the piece is available here.
Colophon: Inspired by Rachel Sellem and Elki Boerdam, creators of the "InputParty". Additional Voices: Ana-Maria Guşu, Jörn Nettingsmeier, Jelle Baars. Recording and Sound design: Jörn Nettingsmeier. Music by: De 4 Touze Matroze; DJ Lulu; Kuijs Reinder Kakes Makelaardij Hypotheken Verzekeringen and Euronext Amsterdam, formerly The Amsterdam Stock Exchange. With material from: entrepotdok.squat.net; funda.nl/koop/amsterdam; Youtube user "vriijepiijptv"; a recent housing survey of the Onderzoek, Informatie en Statistiek department of the City of Amsterdam; and news outlets: itsgoingdown.org; Vice.com/NL; and Trouw.

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