30 April 2003
Queen’s day – Eendrachtsplein 12.00- 14-00

It is queen’s day in the Netherlands, the birth date of the queen –symbolically- a holiday and tax-free day. In the sense that people can organize and sell whatever they want in the street without the need for a permission. It is actually the day of the people. I woke up pretty early, considering queens night eve’s party, to be out with the platform in the city, around eleven. But it threatens to rain. I cycle a bit around and was completely amazed. It is my first queens day, I have been hearing a lot about it, but never thought it would be so extreme. There were hundreds of people putting outside, tables, cloths and boxes full of things from their houses to sell, and hundreds more browsing through looking for bargains. All the main streets were closed to traffic and in every corner there was a mobile snack bar, an incredible festival atmosphere, even with this awful weather.
I decided to wait a bit longer to see hot it would develop, it was grey but still dry. So at 12.00 I headed to the Binnenwegplein, to maintain a sort of tradition. But as lately I couldn’t stay there, this time because it was already taken by the evangelists, that put up a huge stage and sort of booths and megaphones.
Therefore I went to the Eendrachtsplein, put the structure up, and let the show begin. I was already thinking, if people would have a totally different behavior because they would be in a festive mood, or not since this is also a day where everything is done in exchange of a small coin and they could read this platform as just another mean to make some extra money. An the weather of course did not help, considering that not even 10 minutes after the box was open a thunderstorm felled over the city, and it rained heavily for half an hour, and kept dripping for almost one. By then I just placed the boxed against a shopping window covered from the rain and waited. Even there, people were aware of the structure, and looked curious, obviously because of the characters portrayed, Saddam, Bush, Blair and Balkende. So a lot of smiles, and comments going on. Peter showed up to see how things were doing, and around 1 it was dry again, so I placed it back in the middle of the square. Then people stopped and touched the puppets, giggled, talked, about it while walking away, but today on the queen’s day, the most participatory day of all days, a day to reclaim the streets nobody played. I was expecting a lot more from the passers-by but also from the all event, it was crowded but not so intense, I guess the rain was completely against us today. But I wasn’t disappointed to see people used it more actively on regular days.
In the meantime - leaving the structure a bit by it self since I regained the confidence to do so – I visited two friends that where close by with a kissing booth, exchanging kisses for 1 Euro, and taking pictures with the participants, also not so many because of the rain. I decided then to took the structure next to them, so we could support each other. Run back with Peter, and we both carry it to the next street. Westersingel. We got a lot of attention, and played a lot with the passers-by about both structures, and for sure there was a lot of talking about those, but the rain keep coming, and it was again to much to endure.

I was proud of being a Rotterdamer today, what we manage to put outside and even with this terrible weather for street events, masses of people joined. This is something that I also strive with my work, participation and spontaneous action. That we could make of everyday a bit more like queen’s day. Off course not the appearance, the festivity only, but the willing to be an actor, finding new economic systems, different ways of communicating and behaving in public space.

At 14.00 I closed the box, that could have been in its natural environment wasn’t for the weather, and the necessity of having a clear area around it, and to be left alone, and not under some improvised tent., and ended it for the day. Today it had company ridding back to its head quarters, the kissing booth, that are both stationed in my studio. And the stage directors went to mingle in the crowd.






posted by carla at 7:23 PM