Charlie Smid, Amsterdam

Research on: 750 years of living in Amsterdam. Testimonies of residents in their dynamic city. The project aims to show and echo the living experiences of Amsterdam's inhabitants during 750 years of urban development. The personal testimonies of residents give them a voice. Testimonies of residents in text, image and object provide insight into the consequences of the urban expansions and the dynamics of urban renewal for their personal living conditions. By 'zooming in' on historical maps, residents tell their own stories about how they interacted with the city. Both newcomers and age-old families have their say. By showing the living experiences of different generations of residents, the exhibition illustrates how the city changed over time.
Connecting results from different disciplines leads to surprising and innovative research results. Until now, the history of architecture and urban development has mainly focused on the plans on the drawing board and to a lesser extent on the concrete consequences of changes in the city for its residents. The research (phase 1) is presented in a project plan with an exhibition concept, a concept for a podcast of a city walk, a concept for a publication and a concept for a compilation of image/film fragments.