Owned by Thomas Gravemaker, this letterpress studio is something to see! You can book a class there, or purchase prints.  I personally print my own jobs here with a studio pass :)

One of the few professional hardware stores in the city centre of Amsterdam with a great knowledgable staff. Whatever you’re building problem, they have the answer for you, both in advice and in material solutions. I just really love hanging out there. For me it’s one of the best places to get inspiration from. When building a set, I usually go there with a vague idea of what I want to make and then fill in the details by looking at the materials they have.

Smack in the middle of tourist district and right on the border of the red light district. My good friend (and super talented photographer Qiu Yang, check it out folks!) is part of the furniture there and because of him, we - his friends - are allowed to order outside of the menu. So none of that westernized mild gruel, but the real spicy tongue-numbing-deal. Before going out to parties, after gallery openings or just when we’re hungry, our bunch always gathers there. Good times!

Jam made from fruit grown almost in my backyard. The neighbouring complex turned the internal community green space into a community garden. Now I buy their jam at the local gardening and food store.

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.