still - John Smith, The Girl Chewing Gum, 1976

Every night from 8 January to 9 February 2014, Rotterdam's Coolsingel is transformed into an outdoor cinema. On the walls and in the windows of shops and empty buildings, short films by internationally renowned video artists will be shown. The exhibition, 'Tribute To An Avenue', is an ode to the most discussed street in Rotterdam and lays bare its quiet strength. The exhibition can be seen every night from sunset to sunrise. 

Expansive, fascinating, full of ambition and potential, but also chaotic and uncontrollable; every ten meters the atmosphere on Rotterdam's central boulevard, the Coolsingel, changes. Once a bustling and stylish avenue, now a street that no longer knows its identity or purpose, no other street in Rotterdam provokes as much discussion as the Coolsingel. Since its early twentieth century beginnings it has continuously been subject to change. The Coolsingel brings a wide range of metropolitan functions together. It is the city's economic and commercial centre and its political headquarters, and it's the place where, occasionally, large crowds congregate; from the notorious celebrations of Feyenoord, the Summer Carnival and the Marathon to the mass mourning for Pim Fortuyn. However, the daily reality of the Coolsingel is a different matter. There is a sense of helplessness and unmanageability and yet the illustrious history of a once bustling avenue is still palpable, as is the potential for it to become one again... To reveal the hidden forces of this exceptional one thousand meters and to zoom in on the perception of our public space, Sculpture International Rotterdam pays tribute to the Coolsingel. From Wednesday 8 January to Sunday 9 February 2014, a captivating route leads along dozens of video works screened on the Coolsingel's facades. During this period, visitors can view works at their leisure from sunset to sunrise. Special walks have also been organised: the afternoon tours include dinner and live music, the evening route dives into the Coolsingel's cafe nightlife, and there’s a breakfast route for early birds. Tribute To An Avenue raises questions such as: who makes the city? Who forms public space? Can the public be directed to create interesting public space? Or does the public direct the Coolsingel? Including works by: Francis Alys, Klara Liden, Arnoud Holleman, John Smith. 

Dates: 8 January - 9 February 2014 
Times: nightly from sunset to sunrise 
Locations: Coolsingel, Rotterdam 
Admission: free 

More information and the programme will follow.


This exhibition has been initiated and curated by Sculpture International Rotterdam – part of the Rotterdam Centre for Contemporary Art – along with guest curator Laurie Cluitmans. It is part of the long-term project, PUBLIC of SIR, which focuses on the Coolsingel in Rotterdam. 
Communications: Xandra Nibbeling, CBK Rotterdam
Press and publicity: Elsbeth Grievink (06-48266077 / [email protected])
Translations: Jason Coburn
Design: 75B
Producer: Sannetje van Haarst (SIR) and The Mothership
 

> via sculptureinternationalrotterdam.nl