Last weekend, we celebrated not only the official opening of the Folkert de Jong exhibition  “The hero, the villain, and the truth- Cancellation or redemption?” but also the Weekend of Defence Heritage.

Saturday kicked off with the official exhibition opening. In the former hangar of the fort, our director Rabiaâ Benlahbib and Johan Idema, who initiated the exhibition, held opening speeches, followed by a conversation with the prolific Folkert de Jong. On the fort island, visitors were invited to enjoy the fort view from above by ascending a towering climb wall. On top of being adventurous fun, the climbing was conceptually connected to the notion of holding on and letting go, explored by our exhibition “The hand that searched in the void” which visitors could experience for free that weekend. Throughout the day, you could see the creative process in action. The circus duo Saar Rombout & Sianna Bruce rehearsed for their Sunday performance and visual artist Lola Bezemer was immersed in naturally dying beautiful textiles.

On Sunday, visitors enjoyed our exhibitions, performances, music, and historical heritage. In a row of touching performances, Saar & Sianna, suspended by ropes, hung gracefully from the fort walls and performed a vertical dance in relation to their research around the changing circus body. Full of infectious energy, the street orchestra from Amsterdam South East, Bijlmer Fanfare, filled the fort island with cheerful music. Meanwhile, Lola invited visitors to partake in an interactive performance, where they used the textiles she dyed the previous day to construct intuitive installations. On both Saturday & Sunday, visitors were toured around by our amazing volunteers who gave them an in depth explanation of the historical significance of the fort.

We want to thank everyone who visited for coming. It was a lovely and eventful weekend!

The programme is part of the national Weekend of Defence Heritage campaign, with thanks to Stichting Liniebreed Ondernemen and also made possible by the VriendenLoterij.

“The Hero, the Villain, and the Truth” is initiated by Johan Idema and was also made possible by the Mondriaan Fund, Fonds 21, BNG Cultuurfonds, Stichting SEC, Zabawas, Cultuurfonds Noord-Holland, Stichting Stokroos, De Gijselaar-Hintzenfonds and Stichting Gifted Art.

With thanks to the The Ekard Collection, EY Nederland, Galerie Fons Welters Amsterdam en Gallery Sofie Van de Velde Antwerp.

In collaboration with Brandwacht en Meijer.