citylikeyou — Marineterrein Amsterdam — Amsterdam by Femke van Gemert

Amsterdam / Park / Canal / Swimming Pool

It is in the city centre. This former navy area is now partly open for the public. In summer you can swim in the canal there and have a great view on old Amsterdam, the Scheepvaartmuseum and the dead heart centre of Amsterdam. I like it most in winter, silent, grey, a place to mesmorize, walk alone around, meet a local who is walking his dog, than and have a coffee in pension Homeland, the restaurant hotel there. In central Amsterdam the space is rare, and what is there is overrun with tourists and full of local traffic, the trams, a million bikes, cars and pedestrians. That is why I like this place so much, super quiet space in the centre of Amsterdam.

Website
marineterrein.nl

Address
Marineterrein Amsterdam, 5 Kattenburgerstraat, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Artist

Current city: Amsterdam

femkevangemert.nl

Waste Textiles Artist. Femke van Gemert, 1969 After a career in commercial fashion Femke decided to change the way to create things. Now she designs wall hangings and rugs that are unique, handmade and fully sustainable. By focussing on a single colour she re-uses textiles in abstract works. The beauty of imperfection and deterioration over time are always visible in her creations. The composition she creates radiates a certain mood or longing laden with fragments of the former characteristics of the used textile pieces. In the creation process Femke thinks about certain societal or environmental issues, these are reflected in the titles. In commissioned work clients can donate their own discarded textiles. This improves the personal involvement the owner has with the piece of art. This way Femke wants to revaluate textile waste that is omnipresent in our fast consuming society. The wall hangings improve acoustics and are suitable for homes, offices and public buildings. The love for textiles combined with the urge to explore the possibilities of discarded fabrics form a long lasting source of inspiration and a way to express opinions in Femke van Gemert’s life.

More Places in Amsterdam 100

Amsterdam / Place

Just a fantastic spot on the edge of the city. Its connection of the Amsterdam-Rijn Canal to the IJ, Amsterdam’s big open water, that was once part of the North Sea, but now dammed in by the Dutch. Sometimes it’s just a relief to leave the prettiness and the cuteness of the Amsterdam canals behind and experience some space. Few people come out here and in summertime it’s just a delightful spot to have a picnic and watch the boats come in.

Amsterdam / Restaurant

The NewWerktheater is a café-restaurant venue located in Oostelijke Eilanden. Everything has been carefully selected/designed/created by ...,staat, the design studio behind the concept. The coffee beans are from Bonanza Berlin, the beer is made by Noam, and can only be found here in the Netherlands and the artworks are made by designer/artist Eike König. The location also regularly host creative events like the Dutch Art Director Club conferences, photography exhibitions or Creative Mornings.

Amsterdam / School

Surrounded by the growing business area of Amsterdam Zuid, this modernist historic monument from the 60's oozes freedom. The clash of strict, grey, practical architecture of Gerrit Rietveld with the chaotic, colourful, anarchic bustle of art students working in these spaces is amazing. The 5 years I spend here as a student changed my life and shaped me to a great extend to who I am today. Now, temporarily walking these corridors again as a guest teacher, I realise how much I had missed this place since graduating 8 years ago. This is not a common art school. It's a family, a movement with a very personal and radical approach. Many students coming for a temporary exchange end up staying, because after wandering through this twisted Mondrian painting you will never be the same…

Amsterdam / Gallery

Store without a home is a guerrilla gallery department store, make sure you check out “Leaf-it” I love these sticky leaves!

Amsterdam / River

The Amstel river is the main river of Amsterdam. Around 1200 they build a dam in the river and that was the birth of Amsterdam (or Amstelredamme as it was called back then). This dam is now situated under the Dam square, the central square of the city. If you bike from the old city center to the south along the banks of the Amstel, as I do every day on my way to my studio, the city opens up and gives way to a lot of space. If you follow the river it will take you out of town more quickly then you'd expect since it is surrounded by a green corridor that get's larger and greener as you exit the city. In less then half an hour bike trip from the old city you can find yourself in juicy green pastures between grazing cows and sheep. Only the airplanes heading in and out of Schiphol Airport will remind you that the city is near.