Passing By
That mysterious turret on top of De Bijenkorf in Amsterdam, what would there be in it? For most people it’s to find out, but for animation studio Job, Joris & Marieke it’s to know. This turret is called Room on the Roof and it is an artist-in-residency of the De Bijenkorf, where they were invited to stay to create new work.
However, Job, Joris & Marieke found the inspiration for their film Passing By on the ground floor. They were intrigued by the legendary status of the shop windows of De Bijenkorf. In the past, people came from the province to Amsterdam especially to admire the famous installations of the shop windows. The works by Karel Appel were put on display in the shop windows of De Bijenkorf even sooner than in the Stedelijk Museum
But, Job, Joris & Marieke kept wondering, what actually happened all this time on the other side of the shop windows? What kind of people came to have a look there? How did they react to the shop windows? And in what ways have the shoppers and the street scene changed over the years? With the Dam around the corner, the Damrak was the build-up to many historical events.
That’s how they came up with the idea of making a short film featuring the history of the Damrak, seen from the windows of De Bijenkorf. The film starts with the opening of the store in 1914. While passers-by walk past the window also the years go by. A small parade of cheese traders with hand carts, geezers on belly sliders, demonstrating squatters, dudes on citas (motorbikes with a low steering wheel and a buddy seat) and tourists with selfie sticks.
The film Passing By runs in the shop window of De Bijenkorf on the Damrak from January 22, 2018.
More Job, Joris & Marieke > 11.10.2014 / 16.03.2015