Line (Kraaiennest—Ganzenhoef), 2024
545nm DPSS laser, medium format photographs
In collaboration with Koenraad Wiering
The Bijlmermeer, an outer district of Amsterdam, was conceived in the 1960s as a utopian housing project that aimed to combine high-rise living with generous green spaces. The modernist agenda sought to separate work, living, and leisure into distinct zones, offering an escape from the chaos of the old city. Elevated roads and a metro line were intended to connect the Bijlmer to the city center. The metro however, originally planned to be operational by 1968, did not become fully functional until 1980. The project couldn’t fully deliver on its promises, and by the time of its construction, the design of the Bijlmer—one of the last large-scale modernist architectures—already felt outdated.
A bright green beam slices through the night air between the hexagonal buildings. Hovering just a few meters above the ground, it follows the slender metro viaducts from Kraaiennest to Ganzenhoef station. The laser, a tool both for cutting and connecting, also highlights the line as a fundamental element of modernist city planning. Today, the Bijlmer is vastly different from both its original plan and its early years; it is a highly iconic urban environment, full of life and energy.