Space 3: Ferrotopia

Ferrotopia (as in ferrous, as in big steel art) is a very, very different space. It is a temporary space in the NDSM* area of the Noord, a former industrial boat building area on the other side of the IJ, with more open spaces where it is a glorious experience to ride a bike free of the bike traffic and stop signs of the Centre.

NDSM hosts a variety of trendy and creative summer events: flea markets, beer festivals, circuses, concerts, some great outdoor restaurants, and more. The main NDSM building fosters shipping containers as small businesses and studios. Also the biggest slip roller I have ever seen (from its ship building days).

Ferrotopia is a temporary space set up by Atalier Van Lieshout, the studio of Dutch sculptor Joep Van Lieshout. It’s a combination of gallery, studio, pub, and event space. They have sponsored a series of knitting events, iron forging events, metal working events for children, theater and performance events as part of Over het IJ, and a food festival. It was has a working foundry, where they had facilities for small-scale aluminum castings.

They describe it as:

Against the backdrop of Ferrotopia a program of visual art, design, theater, film, music and lectures unfolds from the opening. In this, romanticism of the industrial heritage is linked to the rediscovery of new industry and craft in a circular economy. **

http://www.ndsm.nl/en/event/ferrotopia/

The brochure discusses ideas of making in the digital age (in a somewhat dramatic utopian way), but it connects to the idea of the need for Maker spaces, and making as a human need and way of understanding the world.

The day I went there was for a community drawing event. While the vibe was a little too young-male-hip for my tastes, the space was definitely drawing people in (mostly youg-hip-males), and getting them to socialize around artwork and art making in a public setting; art as event, making as a way to build community.

Plus Atalier Van Lieshous makes some stellar bathrooms: