FANTAS-TOURIST-TIQUE

‘Hi everyone, we are HERE!. You can step out of the bus in a few minutes. We first have to find a suitable parking spot where you can exit the bus. Oh, and don’t forget to take all your personal belongings with you. We will gather together at 2pm in front of the Markthal. Be safe and enjoy your free time!’

We are stepping out of the tourist bus and from this moment on we have the freedom to explore the city centre of Rotterdam all together. Eric, who’s presence can hardly be ignored, is telling the plans for the coming hours. First, we will have a look at the ‘kubuswoningen’ followed with a some tasting in the Markthal. Next we will have a little digestive walk to the Erasmusbrug where we will cross the Maas to the other part of the city. No single minute of our time remains unplanned.

‘We are here!’
‘Look at us we are here.’
Wait, let me take a selfie first! Oh this is not really working out. Maybe it is better to take a picture with the whole group instead of me standing here all alone in front of this pencil sharpener looking building, pretending to have a great, great, great time.
‘Han could you please make a picture of the group?’

We collect the group and position ourselves in a way so we all fit in the frame of the lens. We are making a 2-finger peace sign and show our teeth to the camera. ‘Yeah, having a great time!’. None of us is leaving the group. We are crossing the market square stuck together like a herd of bisons. I don’t have to think for myself. I am wearing my supersonic walking shoes with which I can discover every part of Rotterdam. My new yellow cap protects me against the unannounced Dutch sun. And this backpack with which I wander through the entire city is equipped with all handy gadgets. Oh Rotterdam is such a great city. The ambiance is energetic and everywhere I look people are laughing and just enjoying the weather. How nice it is that we are here with the whole group!

The next stop is the Markthal. This giant building is just great. There is no doubt that this is one of the highlights of the city. We are entering the food market and are overwhelmed by all the signals and stimuli. There is so much happening here.

All my senses are immediately active. The smell that enters my nose … I recognize this smell. What is it? It reminds me of the salty beach wind that tangles my hair and of my feet entering the Mediterranean Sea. SPANISH TAPAS. I have to go there. But Eric explicitly told us to stay together. We have to stay together! Shall I just sneak out of the group and quickly have a look at all the Spanish delights? No - no - no. I cannot just leave. I have to stay with the group. We are doing this together. Eric made a plan for the upcoming hours and we have to stick to it.

I decided to blindly follow the rest of the group, but there is this unanswered desire and I know exactly what it is: Spanish tapas.

I am an adult now. I am 27 years old and I am capable to think for myself. Why follow the group and let my own desires remain unfulfilled? I am in the Markthal and this is the perfect place to have a taste of many different cultures. I’ve travelled half the world to come here. At this market cultures come together and exist next to each other in peace. Why let somebody else decide what I will be witnessing. We all want to fit in a group, because it simply is much easier. The group consists of people that act, think and dress the same. Every single individual has a different sense of this vibrant city and thus experiences this trip in a different way. Why follow the interests and desires of one single person?

I am in this dynamic city where so much is happening at the moment and I am going to explore it all by myself!

I enter the Spanish stand and order a ‘cerveza’ with, according the handsome not-spanish looking waiter, the best ‘tortilla de patates’ of The Netherlands. This is just amazing!

Through the eyes of a young Asian tourist lady

FANTAS-TOURIST-TIQUE

The room I am situated in is dark and almost entirely empty. My skin is covered with little facets of glass, which makes it look as if I have rolled into a container full of glitter. All the light that reaches my glittery surface I immediately reflect back in multiple directions into space. Usually I am mounted on the ceiling where I can rotate peacefully without being bothered by anyone. But not this time. I am in the middle of the room, stationed on a pedestal on a height that makes me really uncomfortable. Normally, people that I am reflecting light upon are not aware of my presence and the big influence I actually have on the ambiance within the room. But now I am actually on the same level as they are.

I hear a buzz outside, students are talking and discussing where to best safe their bags and personal belongings … a few seconds later one curtain opens and then the other. 1,2,3,4,5 … 6 students enter the room. From the look on their faces I can sense that they are not really sure what to expect from this whole situation they are in. This woman, I think the teacher, leaves students alone in the room with me. She disappears into the technical room and turns off the light. Now is my time to shine!

My name is ‘Disceaux’ the disco ball and together with my friends Audi-jo and Smoke-Masjien I am going to make these kids part of our daily ritual. Our aim is to collectively create a sensory experience that human individuals have never experienced before. I am in the middle of the room and everyone is situated around me. The students are moving their way around me and they are led in somewhat awkward situations. At a certain point they are having an intimate coupled slow dance and a few second later they are having their savasana on the cold floor.

I am here on this pedestal and everything is situated around me. I am the center of attention. I am reflecting the light back and this way I leave traces on everyone present in the room. My thoughts are dominant and shape the way others act. I don’t even have to use some sort of coercion or violence to make people dance or move into a certain direction. The ritual bonds us all together.

One curtain opens and then the other. The students leave the room and the ritual is over. The curtains close again and from now on I am excluded from the students again.

Going against the original structure is something people rather not do. Being part of a group and following the person that speaks the loudest is an easy option to go for. People often work in groups and decisions within our society are generally not made by one single individual. The knowledge that several individuals have is combined in order to get to the best possible outcome. We are stuck in this system of structure that is being taught from the moment that we first entered this world.

Mostly, one single individual has a lot of influence within the decision making process and others then blindly follow what that authority has to say. But that is not what I am going to do this time. I have my own voice and opinion and I want follow my inner feeling in stead of doing what people expect me to do. I want to burn down this structure that I have followed for so long. But it is difficult to notice the structure and its limitations when you are in the middle of it. When I take a God’s view on this whole situation the system that I am in gets clearer and clearer: whenever I stay in line nothing unannounced will occur. We are raised to not be confrontational and stay in the system we are stuck in. But uncomfortable situations go hand in hand with the process of growth.
Friction leads to creativity!