Een Vrouwelijk Geluid (A Woman’s Voice)
A feminist audiowalk through the Pijp and Rivierenbuurt in Amsterdam.
The buzz of the Albert Cuyp Market, the familiar sound of church bells, the first women’s shelters. The audiowalk Een Vrouwelijk Geluid (A Woman’s Voice) is a unique portrait of a neighborhood, seen and heard through the eyes and ears of women. How do they experience public space?Een Vrouwelijk Geluid (A Woman’s Voice) is a mosaic of sounds, conversations, and music about the experiences and lives of fifteen women from De Pijp and the Rivierenbuurt in the South of Amsterdam. For this particular feminist audiowalk, women from different generations engaged in conversation with one another, always from a woman’s perspective.
Rich HistoryWhat was it like to grow up in a bustling, lively neighborhood like De Pijp and the Rivierenbuurt? Which places were safe for women and which were not? What were the expectations and dreams of the different generations of women? And then there’s the neighborhood’s rich history: women’s shelters and community activism, squats on Van Ostadestraat,…
Some memories turned out to be very personal, while others were surprisingly common. Together, they form a richly layered portrait of De Pijp through the eyes and ears of women.
The Audio TourEen Vrouwelijk Geluid (A Woman’s Voice) takes you on a walk from Dora Tamanaplein (South African activist) to the statue of the famous Dutch feminist Wilhelmina Drucker on the Churchhilllaan. Drucker’s nickname, “IJzeren Mina” (Iron Mina), inspired the Dolle Mina movement.
Director Renate Zentschnig of Soundtrackcity brought together fifteen women from the neighborhood. How do they view the feminist movement of the past and present? Does the younger generation experience more equality and opportunities, or has the situation actually worsened? Although their lives differ, the women are in wholehearted agreement on two points: “We can learn a lot from each other and need each other’s support in the struggle for equal rights.”
Composer and sound artist Evelien van den Broek drew inspiration for her soundscape from the tradition of musique concrète; in a unique auditory experience, she brings together women’s voices, ambient sounds, and singing. At the end of each track (despite the last) her soundscape (voicescape as she call it) brings you to the next location.
Post-performance discussion on the way back, participants can engage in conversation with one another to reflect together on what they have heard.