Days 18 & 19: Architecture, Furniture, & Utrecht

Schroder House-Utrecht

The last two days have centered around architecture and furniture.   On Thursday we visited a part of town from the early 1920s that was built as social housing.  The architect wanted the housing to be grand, since he too was from an impoverished background.   The buildings were interesting but not very beautiful...when it comes down to it they just seemed like slightly more detailed apartment buildings, which is what they are.  At the end of the tour our group was harassed by four 12-year-old boys who yelled profanities and screamed the lyrics to Katy Perry songs while lifting their shirts.  They even followed us to the museum cafe and slammed on the glass.  All the girls in my group thought it was hilarious.  I thought they were little sh*ts.  After the tour a couple of us went to a place called Bagels & Beans.  By far the best food I have had here...because it is probably an american owned chain (the menu was in English. yay!).

the hooligans--photo credit to Tracy who made their day by snapping this picture

Schroder House interior--Not my own photo since cameras
are not allowed inside the house

The next day we visited the city of Utrecht--about a 30 minute train ride north-east of Amsterdam.  The city, although the fourth largest in the Netherlands, is very quaint with lots of little restaurants and boutiques.  Our main purpose for being there was the Schroder House, De Stijl piece of architecture which still stands.  We were allowed to go into the house for a tour and to see all the crazy details the architect, Rietveld, included into the design; moving walls, hidden bathrooms, and benches that transform into beds were just a few of the unique details in this house, which was built in1921.  He was also a furniture designer and made the house based on his famous chair design.  Then we had lunch.  Yum.  HUGE panini sandwiches...I am pretty sure I was the only person to finish...damn small people.

After lunch we went to the Centraal Museum, after an hour walk trying to get there--it has been

a while since my professor's youth when he often visited the city and I think he definitely got a "little" confused walking around.  The museum was very interesting but all we really did was walk around on our own. We got to sit in some of the furniture designs of Rietveld; including his famous chair for the Schroder House.  The chair is made from wood but painted with primary colors. De Stijl focused on these colors: yellow was a color that came forward, blue recedes and red is a strong middle ground color.  That's why the back is red so you trust it will support you, the blue looks low to sit on, and the yellow ends make the chair have no end...the edges have an appearance of continuing out.

before being kicked out

We all met up in the museum garden and had a talk about struggles and homesickness on the trip. Some of the girls apparently want to live here forever, while one boy told the professors that he believes the mold in his room is slowly killing him...needless to say he was moved to a new room today.  Marek told us a little about his youth in Amsterdam--prepare to be shocked--Marek was a hip hop dancer in a club and danced with Run DMC and Queen Latifa.  Then he suggested that we go to the party for an opening installation in another part of the garden.  We all went over and got drinks and snacks, and about forty-five minutes later we were all kicked out.  Being kicked out of a party with your professor was definitely a new experience for all of us!

exterior of the Centraal Museum

the group talk