July 15 - October 8, 2010
I gave invitations to people in Amsterdam...
I did this in several ways. Bicycle Derive was the first way:
I made a list of colours to follow in a random order: Red, Yellow, Blue, Orange, Black, White. At the exit from the courtyard of the building where I live, I waited. Some days only for few moments and other days for several long minutes. The first person I saw cycling in any direction on a non-rental bicycle, and wearing the colour red, I followed.
When that person stopped and got off her/his bike, I approached her/him with an invitation letter in a small envelope. From that geographic point, the spot where I gave the invitation, I waited for the first cyclist I saw wearing yellow.
And so on through the list of colours...
So, beginning from my own place of residence, I followed a "neighbour" who led me somewhere. I followed and approached the next "neighbour" based on where the previous "neighbour" had lead me. So each invited person determined the subsequent invitation.
Here are the places I was led to; the spots where I gave an invitation:
View Invitations in a larger map
From July 15-26, I made from five to thirteen invitations each day until 45 invitations had be given in this way...
This is what these invitations looked like:
From July 15 - October 8, 2010 I gave paper invitations in this and other ways. This is how the most recent paper invitation read:
Beste buur,
Hierbij nodig ik je uit, om mij uit te nodigen, om je te vergezellen tijdens een van je dagelijkse openbare bezigheden.
Ik ben geïnteresseerd naar het openbare leven in Amsterdam. Wellicht kunnen we samen er iets over uitvinden terwijl we wat tijd met elkaar door brengen, als stadsgenoten, als onbekenden die een stad delen.
Dear Neighbour,
I would like to invite you, to invite me, to join you, in an act of your everyday public life.
I am interested in finding out what public life is made of. I’m hoping we can learn something about it, while spending a little bit of time together as strangers who share a city.
...
This represents one part of the Beste Amsterdam (Dear Amsterdam) project. See also Beste Amsterdam: Five Minutes and Sign
Translations and other creative development in collaboration with
Marloes van der Hoek
