citylikeyou — Volkskrant Buiding — Amsterdam by Simon Wald-Lasowski

A few years ago, the Volkskrant (one of the countries biggest newspaper) moved office to a new location. Their old headquarter now houses hundreds of artists and musician; along with dance studios, a bar/club with panorama over the city, a dreadlock ‘doctor’, a Russian cultural centre, a cyberpunk gallery and my photo studio on the 4th floor. It was a conscious choice by the founders to create a total melting pot. In the basement for example, 3 doors away from our music studio, you will find some cheerful weed smoking hiphop producers from the Bijlmer (the ‘ghetto’ of Amsterdam); an ex-yougoslavian hardcore drummer with a full analogue recording studio and a ballet school run by an obese woman in her 70’s. Ok, it might seem artificial, but it really is quite magical!

Website
volkskrantgebouw.nl

Address
Volkskrant Buiding, Volkskrant buiding, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Photographer Art Director

Current city: Amsterdam

simonwaldlasowski.com

Simon Wald-Lasowski (Paris, 1980) is a freelance photographer and art director. He makes colorful, fun, twisted work by use of bricolage, word play and ‘cliché bending’. Lighthearted at first sight, his images often reveal a certain depth on second inspection. His approach is always very personal, which blur the boundaries between autonomous and commissioned work. He lives in Amsterdam and graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in 2004 as a graphic designer. Occasionally he also works as a Wedding MC.

More Places in Amsterdam 100

Amsterdam / Museum

The Bartolotti is perhaps one of the most beautiful Museum Houses Amsterdam has, built by someone who once was the richest man in the city, but it's a bit hidden in plain sight. These days, it is run by a group of lovely old ladies, who can't wait to offer you tea or juice. You can walk around the house like you live there. You have to ring the doorbell to get in. (picture from Google, by Arjan Bronkhorst)

Amsterdam / Restaurant

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!

Amsterdam / Museum

It's a very small museum in the Hermitage about art made by outsiders. It's also known as 'Art Brut', a name given to it in 1972 by French artist Jean Dubuffet. It simply means that it is art made by people that don't fit in the normal life structure that humans suppose to have. Which can mean that the art is made by people who are in jail, who are ill, have a mental dissability or another way of not fitting into the community. The exhibitions are quite small, so it takes you just around an hour. And the hermitage has a nice canal view.

Amsterdam / Place

My studio is situated on top of a Fifties concrete modernist apartment building in the Rivierenbuurt in the south of Amsterdam. The best thing is that my building is just one floor higher then the rest of the houses in the neighborhood so I get a good view of the city and the ever changing Dutch skies. What makes my view really special is the view from the balcony on an inaccessible inner garden. The garden is made on the roof of a parking garage of an office building and nobody can go there since there are no stairs or entrance. Once a year the gardeners come with a tall ladder. They are the only ones that enter the garden ever. The nice thing is that still there is a winding path in the middle of the garden for only your eye to trace it.

Amsterdam / Restaurant

Located in the industrial area of the north resides this asian infused restaurant / bar. They offer a refined sharing menu, with a fine selection of natural wines and sakes. Accompanied by sweet tunes blasting out of their Japan inspired sound system. lights by nikki hock photo by Samira Kafala