In 2014 you and Erik organized the Dag v/h Ambacht (Craft Day) at Amsterdam Roest, and now you’re in the middle of a series of events at Volkshotel. What’s your idea behind the De Amsterdammer series?
The Dag van het Ambacht also focused on passion, engagement and attention for craft, but we realised that we forgot about a fundamental aspect of craftsmanship: the locality. We want people to connect with the designers and artists from their neighborhood, to create a stronger engagement. Location adds another layer to a product: if you know that a product is made just around the corner from your house, the product carries a story that you can relate to.
The first edition of De Amsterdammer, the Bierdag (Beer Day), was a huge success! Any thoughts looking back on the first edition?
The event turned out even better than I dared to hope for. Of course, we already knew that beer brewing is a popular craft in Amsterdam. It’s a trend that originated in the US, but gained a huge following from Amsterdam. It’s so easy to find simple recipes online, it has never been easier to brew beer in the comfort of your own home. That’s also the reason why we invited homebrewer’s guild De Bierkaai to take part in the event, so visitors could sign up on the spot. Get to know your local brewer!
You guys are probably really busy preparing the upcoming event, the Designdag (Design Day) on March 22nd. Can we get a sneak preview?
We want it to be a day full of surprises, so we’ve invited a lot of designers from different disciplines: from illustrators to jewellery makers. By mixing up all the different kind of artists you can expect controlled chaos. Designers will work their craft in front of the visitors, so people get the chance to see something that usually happens behind closed doors. And of course there will be beers and bites!
But then there are still two more editions to come…. right?
Apart from the next to events in the Amsterdammer series, the Modedag (Fashion Day) and Grand Finale, a big market, we will continue organising events like this. In the future, we hope to host our events on a regular basis at a fixed location. So hook us up, haha.
De Amsterdammer // Designdag takes place on March 22nd, 12:00-18:00 at Volkshotel. Entrance is free.
Top image by The Tintype Studio
Event images by BERG DOT JPEG
