What is the role of artists in Tranvaal?

‘The organisation ‘OpTrek’ was founded in 2002 based on the question: what role can art play within processes of urban renewal? In Transvaal, where many houses have been or will be demolished, there were already many colourful partitions, painted by local residents, closing up the empty houses.’ According to Lindemann such a project is nice for those directly involved, but in the end mainly concerns art education. ‘Those colourful partitions contribute to the liveability of the neighbourhood, but they also conceal the hidden tragedy behind the empty houses.’ According to her art can mean much more for a neighbourhood. ‘Art is multi-layered and always implies reflection to me. It can result in criticism or a statement. It can be much more than just adding colour somewhere.’

‘OpTrek’ invites other artists, architects and designers to develop specific projects that shed light on the changes happening in Transvaal. ‘We apply a strict objective which we pass on to the artists: visualise the social and spatial developments in Tranvaal for a broad audience and put these developments up for discussion. We also order artists to explore the political dimension behind the regeneration. We do that in order to give artists a wide perspective on the issue. It is important for them to realise that the developments taking place in Transvaal are part of a general, national development within a global context. In that way you come to look at Transvaal in a completely different way’

‘OpTrek’ has facilitated a wide range of projects. In 2002 they supported the ‘Moonrider’ project: a café-restaurant hanging from a hoisting crane. It was an idea of Japanese artist Tatsouru Bashi. ‘He was walking around in Transvaal and thought ‘I don’t see any normal cafes here, only Turkish and Moroccan coffee houses, no places that I would simply enter’. Therefore he wanted to create ‘the most thrilling and exciting café’. He wanted to hang the café from a hoisting crane. We were very enthusiastic about that idea, and realised it on a fallow terrain close to the multicultural The Hague market. People were able to get into a container and be lifted into the air. In that way, visitors got a completely different view of their environment. I really liked that. On the one hand it was an attraction, but the project also enabled people to get a different perspective of their living environment. Basically it was a very simple idea, but in my eyes that is exactly what art does. It gives you a different perspective. Of course you never know exactly what effect it has on viewers, but I think it gives a wider orientation on where you are. Another project we supported was that of Jack van Mildert. He did research into the specific qualities of a neighbourhood in transformation. He concluded that especially in the phase of transformation, all kinds of projects and initiatives can develop, because of more relaxed regulatory processes. Jack van Mildert thought it was important that the city council also came to see the value of such initiatives, and not just view them as a kind of ‘convulsions of transformation’. According to him, local governments should see how they can safeguard some of these transitional qualities for the new neighbourhood, at the end of the transformation process.’

What are the specific skills artists possess that can have a positive influence on a neighbourhood or city? What is the added value of artists?

For me personally the added value of artists lies in their ability to offer a different perspective. They can put people on a different track. However, the value of artists also lies in their capacity to transform that perspective into something visual and tangible. They can create new experiences that may lead to new conclusions. Of course artists can also disconcert. Their work does not always have to be to everybody’s liking. Artists can approach issues from a different, unsuspected angle.’

‘I think a lot depends on how you say something. I always prefer not just to criticise but also to develop alternatives. I think a local government or a developer really misses an opportunity when a 15-year transformation process is not used in a way that the neighbourhood can also benefit from. In first instance, Transvaal is undergoing a transformation which is not productive for the neighbourhood.’ Sabrina Lindemann points to the fact that Transvaal is already marked as a deprived urban area. Because of the transformation it might get stuck in a downward spiral even more. After all, nobody wants to come to a boarded up and uninhabited neighbourhood. ‘The ‘in-between-phase’ is taking a very long time in Transvaal. We explore how this phase may be approached in a different way, and how it may be able to give a new impulse to the area, which can also play a positive role in the future of the neighbourhood. Through Hotel Transvaal, for example, we attract different new people to the area. We also use existing social networks in the neighbourhood, and establish new links between local residents, organisations and businesses.’ However, ‘OpTrek’ is not an action group. ‘We are a kind of observers, mediators and initiators. We look at how and whether we can offer alternatives and new strategies for Transvaal.’

'In Transvaal we now have a kind of tabula rasa of everything gone and everything new, with literally very large holes in the neighbourhood. If you transform in a different way, the time in between will also be different. The think tank also develops concepts focused on the way of transforming, which you could see as criticism on the current regeneration process.’

According to Sabrina Lindemann, the current mode of transformation in Transvaal might not be the ultimate method. ‘I think a lot of cultural value is lost in Transvaal now. The transformation is too rough. Details are not considered enough. Look, what really has to be demolished, should be demolished. But if you think: ‘I am going to demolish houses on a large scale, because it will be easier to build new things in that case’, then you also lose a lot of existing qualities in a neighbourhood. It is often said that new construction is cheaper. But I think that, if you also consider the financial value of cultural values, you might not win in the end with this method.’

‘We are not really working on this issue. We just go our own way. It is true that culture is sometimes used in a top-down way for urban development projects. I think that you have to see what is needed in a neighbourhood on site. Maybe the neighbourhood is asking for a supermarket. Then you should not build a cultural centre. Moreover, I think that a top-down approach does not work in this field. In The Hague there have been squats that housed a rich cultural life. Here you for example had ‘De Blauwe Aanslag’, with an art cinema and a café, which was relatively well-organised. That organisation existed here in Transvaal for 20 years, with the help of many different people. Later the building of ‘De Blauwe Aanslag’ had to be torn down because the street had to be broadened.’ According to Lindemann you often see that these kinds of organisations move elsewhere in these cases, or that a breeding place is created. Nonetheless it is difficult for these kinds of places to grow, which she regrets. ‘If you want to start up something yourself, then you really go for something. You want to put all your energy into a project. At that moment an initiative comes to life. As soon as an initiative is ordered top-down, and there is a certain goal behind it, that becomes much more difficult.’

All in all, art and culture can definitely contribute something to a neighbourhood Sabrina Lindemann thinks. However, it is difficult to measure what exactly. ‘You generate dynamics, movement, and that is positive.’ If you want art to be successful in a neighbourhood, you do however need to be patient and persistent Lindemann says. ‘You need space to experiment and to stay faithful to your own questions and goals. You need to be there and do your thing. This should however not be confused with the solving of a certain problem. If one for example considers social cohesion, I think you really have to come with other things than just an art project.’ Lindemann thinks art projects can have a positive effect, but they are not the solution.

‘In Vienna there is a project called ‘SoHo in Ottakring’. When it comes to the composition of local residents, Ottakring is comparable to Transvaal. For ten years, the artist Ula Schneider has been organising all kinds of different projects. Because of this, many new inhabitants have been attracted, and new initiatives were started in the area. On the one hand, this is a typical case of gentrification, but the interesting thing is that this project has always tried to reflect and encourage a critical discourse.
In Berlin there is Klaus Overmeyer’s office called ‘Studio Urban Catalyst’. This project mainly focuses on the so-called ‘Zwischennutzung’ of neighbourhoods and buildings.
In The Netherlands, the projects of Jeanne van Heeswijk in Rotterdam (Crooswijk) and Amsterdam (Westelijke Tuinsteden) are well-known.

For more information, please contact Sabrina Lindemann: info@hoteltransvaal.com