photo: Aad Hoogendoorn
For this edition of Rotterdam Cultural Histories, the joint project space of TENT and Witte de With was transformed into The Temporary Autonomous Bureau — a space for research into the different interpretations of autonomy in cultural and social projects in Rotterdam. The starting point for this project was the history of the Rotterdam Poortgebouw.
The Gatehouse
The Gatehouse is a 37-year-old organization that hosts cultural activities and provides housing for 30 people. The building has served as a stage for events and projects, as a residence for guests, artists and musicians, and as a living and working space for several generations of people from all over the world. The building was first squatted in 1980. Four years later, the squat was legalized, after the residents had renovated the building themselves and made it habitable. The dedication of the first group of residents also led to the establishment of the Poortgebouw Association.
Temporary collective
The Temporary Autonomous Bureau was an initiative of an ad hoc collective consisting of residents of the Poortgebouw and students of the Master Experimental Publishing at the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam. The members of the collective were Giulia de Giovanelli, Naomi de Wit, Philippa Driest, Angeliki Diakrousi, Alice Strete and Thanos Kaltsamis. At the invitation of TENT, they continued their research into the history of the Poortgebouw, which in 2017 already resulted in the database 'The Autonomous Archive' and the publication 'A Bed, A Chair and A Table'.
Exchange of strategies
For three months, the public was given access to the fragmented archive of the Poortgebouw. At the same time, the history of the Poortgebouw was used as a starting point for surveys on autonomy and a series of events mapping the strategies for self-organization in Rotterdam. The Temporary Autonomous Bureau functioned as a meeting place where experiences with navigating between autonomy and institutionalization were exchanged.
The key questions at these events were:
How can independent organisations survive in a city where institutionalisation of cultural platforms and living spaces is the rule?
Is it possible to set up sustainable, non-hierarchical socio-cultural projects from a bottom-up practice?
Can a certain degree of openness and autonomy be maintained in the management of self-organized social and cultural projects?
With thanks to the former and current residents of the Poortgebouw and everyone who has supported it over the years.
Rotterdam Cultural Histories
In Shared Space, our shared exhibition space on the first floor, TENT and Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art alternately present presentations on topics from the history of art and culture in Rotterdam. This collaborative project was initiated in 2014 by Defne Ayas (Witte de With) and Mariette Dölle (TENT) to explore the shared roots of both institutions in Rotterdam.