A snapshot from the history of the inhabitants of a multicultural tower building.

In the Bijlmermeerpolder in Amsterdam South-East, a new neighborhood was built in the 1960s with huge, ten-story high flats amidst lush greenery. Now more than a hundred different nationalities live in the district.

I rang the doorbell of residents of the Kruitberg flat. We talked about life in their native country and how it differs from life in the Netherlands. How do you keep the bond with the place you come from alive, how do you maintain your identity in a new society? I asked if they had brought anything that reminded them of their homeland to take a picture of it.

All objects have a history, they remind of someone, a loved one or family member, they are linked to a special moment, they are reminiscent of a special place, they are souvenirs in the truest sense of the word. The objects connect there with here. They all ended up in this flat.

Made with residents of the apartment building Kruitberg 

Photos 45x32cm

2007