MaMA 

Five artists visited the BoTu neighbourhood in July to create new works based on their excursion. They respond to the environment, revealing the gaze of an outsider who visits and leaves again. Rich in contrast, BoTu is culturally diverse and shaped by an abundance of residents’ initiatives and numerous shops next to each other. These energetic surroundings inform this project

The route unfolds along specific locations in the district using an audio tour by Michiel Cox. Places including ‘de Tovertunnel’ and an abandoned
playground are highlighted in the context of recent developments. Dries Depoorter portrays these changes using old Google Street View images. A characterful corner building in BoTu inspired Douwe Dijkstra’s new video collage of passers-by, residents, and objects, and it provides as the video’s projection backdrop. Max Colson delves into the history of Le Medi, a small residential complex inspired by
Mediterranean architecture, which he unravels in an animation film and 3D print. In the future premises of
Galerie Sissingh – a former car garage – Swiss artist Bastien Gachet puts the viewer’s gaze on edge by casting doubt on self-explanatory spaces and
objects.

Publication
Accompanying the route is a publication in which five young Rotterdam writers present new texts based on events in the BoTu district, including poetry, short stories, and comic strips. It also contains a transcript of Michiel Cox’s audio tour, taking the reader on a journey through BoTu, with supplementary
photographs by Tomas Mutsaers.

Authors: Edna Azulay, Umeu Bartelds, Tommy
Ventevogel with Elzeline Kooy, Simon Weeda, and Gino van Weenen.