Vrije Ruimte Zuidas

Free Spaces Artists In Residence 2008 - fourth edition

The residency project is based on the idea that there should be a place where artist/writers have the opportunity to stay and work in Zuidas in complete freedom. In this way, not only urban planners, developers, architects and politicians, but also artists have a chance to think about the development of the Zuidas. This "co-thinking" occurs not at a distance but on the spot, thus leading to a different, more socially-oriented involvement.

Artists are invited to give their views on the large-scale urban development changes taking place in the Zuidas area, which extends from the Schinkel to the Amstel rivers and connects Amsterdam Zuid and Buitenveldert. The project invites artists whom it deems capable of making a contribution to the way in which public space/urban development in Zuidas is dealt with or thought about. The plans for developing Zuidas into a prestigious international residential and business centre are rapidly transforming an area that until very recently was a raggedy-edged part of Amsterdam; soon this will mean great changes for the city and its residents.