FA Situation #4: Reclaiming the Red Light District (Amsterdam)

With the battle cry "Out of the cloud, into the streets!" Failed Architecture proposes a new series of encounters taking critical reflections on architecture and space from the digital realm to the real world.

Reclaiming the Red Light District will take place on Thursday May 27 at 9pm in the Wallen, Amsterdam’s famous historical center. While the neighborhood used to be incredibly vibrant and exciting, the authorities have for many years tried to bring this “unruly” part of the city under control. As they see it, the “urban jungle” needs to become a “monumental garden”, which has also led to the mayor’s proposal to evict sex workers from the area. Since the pandemic, the crowds have left the Wallen and its sterilization and normalization has continued.

The Wallen should not be silenced. It is time to revive the crowds, bring back the sounds and celebrate its chaos. Reclaiming the Red Light District is an invitation to rehearse how to be present, move around and swarm with many people again, featuring a warming up by Mohamed Boujarra and music by MC Mustaj. Out of the cloud, into the streets!

Failed Architecture, Tools for Action + Floor

* Reclaiming the Red Light District is fully corona proof, as all participants keep a distance of at least 5 meters from each other. If you would like to join, please send a text or signal-app to Floor (0618740441). You will receive all the practical information and the location one day before.

* Reclaiming the Red Light District is the fourth FA Situation in Amsterdam (more about the previous one here) and fits within the current covid regulations for rehearsals in public space.

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René Boer

Hi Timo, the question is not only 'who' is silenced (although it's definitely the case with sex workers whose voices are not taken into account in any of the drastic proposals currently on the table), but especially 'what' is being silenced. In this case an entire neighborhood which is about to be turned into the same quiet and flattened urban area like most of Amsterdam. Also, nobody is calling on increasing the numbers of tourists, and the ambition to revive Amsterdam's counter-culture is an interesting one but wasn't mentioned as a goal of this particular Situation.

Timo

What a terrible take. Who is "The Wallen", who is "silenced", and who is reclaiming what? Amsterdam could certainly use more grime, but it is hard to see how increasing the amount of tourists flowing into de Wallen - drunk, high, looking for sex - ready to be exploited by soulless waffle shops and "ice bakeries" is going to revive Amsterdam's counter-culture. Who is really benefitting from that?