Amsterdam table ware — made by Amsterdammers
In 2023, the city of Amsterdam worked to create a collective table ware, assembled from clay derived from the primordial soil of the Whispering Forest, that bears the city’s history. This effort was led by Amsterdam’s 4 and 5 May committee in collaboration with Atelier NL and Residency for the People. The intention was to work on this service on various commemorative days throughout the year and then use it for communal meals.
On Liberation Day, the service was made at a Freedom Meal in the Vondelpark. On 1 July, to commemorate the abolition of slavery, the dinner service was already used during a Free Heri Heri meal and further completed. On 16 August, the day between the end of the Second World War in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the proclamation of Indonesia’s independence, participants at Stichting Nusantara’s Freedom Table added a new piece to the service. Amsterdammers who took part in these meals contributed to the joint Amsterdam dinner service.
Each commemorative day is marked by a specific history, but at the same time this project connects past and present through shared meals. Eating together from this service, made of Amsterdam clay, symbolises the art of living together and carries history into the future. The service will be made available to all Amsterdam residents who, regardless of their background, want to eat together during commemorations and celebrations.
This initiative was set up by the Amsterdam 4 and 5 May committee, which enlisted the expertise of Atelier NL and Residency for the People to support Amsterdam residents in making their own dinnerware. This service will consist of various pieces that will be used on different commemorative days by the various residents of Amsterdam.
ateliernl.com
instagram.com/residencyforthepeople
Photography: Ronald Smits