Almere .NL 2017 | Curated by Judith Flapper
Content Management + Film & Photography by Denis Guzzo
YOU ARE HERE
Built by SAANA in 2017, at the waterfront of Almere's city centre, the Kunstlinie hosts the grand theatre, two auditoriums with offices on top, and exhibitions. It represents the leading cultural institution in town with a particular focus on architecture: 'KunstLinie' from Dutch means 'Art-Line'.
YOU ARE HERE was an ambitious project where KunstLinie intended to converge multiple archives, resulting in a large-scale interactive installation, where visitors could explore and interact with stories by touching the city map on flat screens.
Thanks to the extended research and knowledge developed during the project FREEDOMALND, Denis was asked to collaborate to fulfil the production of photography and short documentaries. But that was a piece of cake compared to the task of organizing all the content of such an intricate and unique new town.
The project was commissioned to Studio Lauter in Amsterdam while Denis, in close collaboration with senior project manager Judith Flapper, started to work on the converged archive, to select, prepare and organize all the content for the system.
Design on a blank region reclaimed from the water; the new town is one of the fastest growing urban areas of the Netherlands.
Video: Almere 1967-2012
Aerial photos: Almere 1982-2008
THE PROJECT
PHOTOGRAPHY & FILM
A myriad of sketches and plans have been created to develop the new town. From the first sketches by master urban planner Teun Koolhaas to the future visions for the region, organizing the archive was challenging.
The assignment required organizing the different eras from prehistory to different historical stages, the present and the future. Based on the main map, different short documentaries and interviews with the inhabitants had to be produced and showcased.
So how do you organize such a complex archive?
Denis devised the solution to create diagrams for the different themes and historical periods, where each element had a code corresponding to a folder in the archive.
Next to his talent and experience as a filmmaker and producer, Denis realized this project's very complex content management system. Capable of managing a broad type of media and software, he works within an adaptive strategy. He is precise in meeting deadlines, proactive and result-oriented.
Judith Flapper
THE ARCHIVE
Denis produced new content for the contemporary storytelling related to the various city districts. Here are a few examples of the narratives and portraits related to the selected inhabitants.
Short doc: Almere Oosterwold, pioneering organic urban development. Artist Frode Bolhuis explains insights regarding the process of building the collective living unit, which was designed by Bureau SLA.
Photos: a small selection of portraits and locations.
INSTALLATION VIEW
A preview ( filmed with iPhone X ) of the finished installation YOU ARE HERE.