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CITY SPHERES A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city area’s

A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city

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Page 1: A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city

CITY SPHERES A project of baukje spaltro

about the Genius Loci in European city area’s

gewoon boek 1 t/m 17druk versie 1-17 zonder pag 12

Page 2: A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city

CITY SPHERES a painting project about the Genius Loci of several European city areas

To understand the world around me I paint metaphorical panoramas. They represent current society, they show a specific time and place instead of realistic landscapes. I work in series. In each series I paint the panorama from another perspective. The panorama as heritage, as builded city, as nature or as an identity.

Because of my Dutch Italian background and the current developments in Europe I’m now especially interested in the relation between place and identity in Europe. Last year I star ted my project CITY SPHERES in which I focus on the local identity or Genius Loci, according to the Romans the ‘spirit’ of a place. To understand ‘the urban identity’ in Europe, I want to visualize the local identity of five different cities in Europe in five different CITY SPHERES.

The Identity of Europe changes constantly. I believe that we Europeans, have to reconsider our own position and ‘society’. We should be more aware of the local identity of our place and redefine our local community. Because knowing one’s own local identity is crucial to understand and develop a more connected society (as social, political and cultural system). The soft power of cul-ture can help us in that process. By visualizing the Genius Loci, I challenge Europeans to reflect on the community we (want to) live in.

During short ar tist-in-residency (A.I.R.) stays I am exploring the urban identity of five West European city area’s. In 2015 I star ted out in Den Helder, in 2016 I visited the Amsterdam Bijlmer (NL). The co-ming year I am going to visit Milan (I), Berlin (D) and Turku (Finland). In each city I will create a different CITY SPHERE, a painted installation of the Genius Loci of the specific urban area. This installation will consist of small painted ‘witnesses’ of the urban heritage (history, monuments, culture, architecture) and of special inhabitants I call the ‘local knights’.

Page 3: A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city

The Genius Loci of an urban area is visible in objects and buildings people once have created to build their own com-munity, home and identity. We sense it in traditions and see it in local architecture. Especially architecture of past times fascinates me. Because those buildings are longterm witnesses of different times passing by. They radiate these experiences in a special aura, an almost invisible energy. I want to catch this energy in my paintings. The Genius Loci also reflects by and through the ‘local knights’: important inhabitants and community creators. They embody the spirit, hope and dreams of a specific urban area.

In every place I am going to live and work for a few weeks. As I experienced in the Bijlmer, and Den Helder, staying in a new city feels like walking with new shoes. At the star t it doesn’t fit at all. It feels strange to me, and I am completely displaced that creates friction I’ interested in. It help me to discover and paint the Genius Loci.Because of the short time of my stay. I don’t have time to design an image. I just paint. My work happens in a flow. It’s the momentum self that pushes the creative process.

I believe everything is energy. Each person, community, relation, culture, situation, object, period and place has it’s own sort of energy. We don’t see it, but feel and perceive it unconsciously. As a painter I’m very sensible to this specific and local energy. By painting on the spot, I try to catch that energy I unconsciously perceive in the area and visualize it into colored city views. Another personal fascination to me as a painter is the power of the local daylight. Each place has it’s own special daylight. The local daylight in combination with the local energy defines what kind of colour palet I’m chosing. In general I use strong, viberant, almost clashing colors.

CITY SPHERES is inspired by the filosopher Peter Sloterdijk. “The question of WHERE we are is more meaningful than ever and more important than the question of WHAT we are. We need to focus on the place that people create to be who they are. This place I have given the name ATMOSPHERE. Spheres are space creations that act as an immune system.“

This booklet shows the till now realized CITY SPHERES: Den Nieuwen Helder and Civic Pride.

couleur locale Den Helder

couleur locale Bijlmer

Page 4: A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city

DEN NIEUWEN HELDERDen Nieuwen Helder is my first CITY SPHERE installation. It’s an impression of the city Den Helder, perceived by my pain-ters view. A combination of hard, soft and atmospheric city views. Showing local elements like the wind, the beach, the navy, city flags, typical architecture, some monuments, some lions, an empty city centre and special inhabitants. I chose committed people who were a major component of the urban identity of Den Helder; like the neval hero Dorus Rijker or the persecu-ted Jewish painter Leo Pinkhof.

The title Den Nieuwen Helder (Nieuwen is an Old Dutch word for ‘new’) refers to a new image of Den Helder but connected with it’s past. Once Den Helder was called Helder. Due to its strategic location at the tip of the North Holland peninsula,

multiple fortifications were built in the area. The area was called Helledore (“Hell’s Door”) because of the water called Marsdiep, between Den Helder and Texel. The current of the water was so strong that many ships were lost. The name Helder may also have come from Helle, which means hill or hilly grounds.The city has beautifull and special daylight, because it is sur-rounded on three sites by the sea. The fluorescent green back-ground refers to the energy of this bright daylight. The daylight, energy, heritage and inhabitants of this city inspired me to paint Den Nieuwen Helder (ca. 3 x 6 meters).

I made this work in june 2015, during an Artist in Residency at Kunsthal 45, Den Helder. (NL) www.kunsthal45.nl

Page 5: A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city

DEN NIEUWEN HELDER

Page 6: A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city

Garden Lion Monument Lion ‘in Vaderland getrouwe’

Couleur Locale Den Helder - Sea - White House (Prins Hendriklaan) - Boerenverdrietsbrug (Farmers Grief Bridge) - Red Boat - Sea Buoy

Willemsoord - Koningstraat (demolished cinema) - Lange Jaap (Lighthouse) - Pink Lion - Silent Courtains - - The Dyke - Party (Visbuurt)

Je maintiendrai Street Secrets

Beach

Kunsthal 45

Network Silent Curtains

Page 7: A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city

Fort Erfprins

Flags and Wind (navy harbour)

Submarine (Maritiem Museum)

Marsdiep Napoleon’s Horse Stables

Start (Ferry station) Saskia van Kuik (cityblogger) Milly Scott (celebrity)

Leo Pinkhof (Jewish artist) - Dorus Rijker (sea hero)

Page 8: A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city

CITY SPHERE BIJLMER

Page 9: A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city

H-LAB AIR CBK Zuidoost

CITY SPHERE B I JLMER

Page 10: A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city

Civic Pride is the name of my second CITY SPHERE, and an impression of the city area Bijlmer, in the South East of Am-sterdam. In February 2016 I worked for 28 days in H-LAB, on invitation of CBK Zuidoost (www.cbkzuidoost.nl). In the Bijlmer I started out without any preparation. I had in mind to experience this unknown area and see what would hap-pen. Once it was a notorious and dangerous area, now it’s a multicultural and vibrant area. The Bijlmer was designed on the drawingtable and due to the lack of money the original design changed into a big impersonal district were the human mea-sure almost dissapeared. They built houses as buildings instead of a community.

Thanks to a major urban renewal the district reintroduced the human dimension. They build low-rise buildings and cultural organizations with many cultural activities came into the area. This brought the mix of diversity and cultures flourish. No-wadays there live more the 150 different nationalities. I was

pleasantly surprised and had a very inspiring time at H-LAB.The first two days I explored the neighborhood. The lay-out of the neighborhood is different than the one I knew. On the bike I made more than 1400 impulsive photographes. I clicked only when I looked twice at a detail or building. I selected and printed the one who triggered me. Then I made a local co-lorcard (couleur locale) of the energy I perceived in the area. With this colors I painted 29 city views and 7 local knights. The local knights are according to me important inhabitants or community builders, those persons who established the Bijlmer as community. The term knights derives from the book Knights of the Bijlmer. The total installation is around 2 to 6 meters big.

I gave the CITY SPHERE BIJLMER installation the title Civic Pride. A term used by the Indian architect and urbanist Ashok Bhalotra. His advice during the Bijlmer rennovation was to be more focused on the things we are proud of into a city. Because “Cities are not commodities: Cities are communities.”

AMSTERDAM

CIVIC PRIDE

Page 11: A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city
Page 12: A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city

CITY SPHERE B I JLMER: CIVIC PRIDE

celebrities or community builders of the Bijlmer city area

THE KNIGHTS

Marco de Souza (founder Leerorkest)

Ashok Balotra (city planner)

Siegfried Nassuth (designer of Bijlmer)

Regina Mac Nack (founder Voedselbank)

Couler Locale Bijlmer

Keizer (rapper)

Esther Macharius (street corner works)

Noraly Beyer (celebrity)

city arms Bijlmer

Page 13: A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city

The three thats sees everything Count the stars for them (the Bijlmer disaster monument)

Handle with Care, GeldershoofdTree Hogevecht

Anton de Kom

Mother Aisa

Page 14: A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city

Marlyn (Imaging)

Colors (couleur locale Bijlmer)

Woman in Grey (Kraaiennest)

Heesterveld, first impression

Abcouderpad Overpass (colored columns) Overpass (basketball) Kraaiennest (market)

Bijlmer Parktheater

Bullewijk (metrostation)

Flags

Page 15: A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city

Overpass (man)

Kraaiennest, Kempering Goodmorning Heesterveld

Sunday, Klieverink (Stefanie)

Traffic, Hoogoorddreef H-LAB lantern Heester (shrub) Heesterveld (white vans)

H-LAB doorbells

H-LAB entry

H-LAB tree

Page 16: A project of baukje spaltro about the Genius Loci in European city

PANORAMA AS TIME BASED WITNESS

I want to understad society, the world I live in, and paint the things I perceive around me. I use the panorama as an over-view of a period instead of a landscape. My Panoramas are colored witnesses of the world around me. It’s the use of colors to define the panorama identity. My underlayer of fluor paint acts like the human DNA, sometimes it is overwhelming from the outside and other times almost unvisible. I work in series. and use a mixed technique of acrylic/oil paint. Each series has a special perspective of the world: as heritage, as a build city, as nature, as an atmoshere or as the urban spirit.

My series are: VVDS 2001-2003: a tribute to my own origin. BAUC 2004-08: Hard Panoramas about urban madness, society changes and urban renewal in Amsterdam. INCANTO 2008-10: Soft Panoramas about love and Tuscany (I).SPHERES 2011-2015: the own created Panorama as identity. CITY SPHERES : painted installations about the urban spirit:DEN NIEUWEN HELDER City Sphere of Den helder 2015 CIVIC PRIDE City Sphere of Amsterdam Bijlmer 2016

Baukje Spaltro lives and works in Amsterdam. www.spaltro.nlDesign and copyright © Spaltro, Amsterdam 2016