Come Closer: City Life Talk Show with Tracy Metz

Historic buildings are at the heart of an old city like Amsterdam. What role do old buildings play in today's city? How do you give them new meaning and energy to prevent the city centre from turning into a museum? Under the title 'Old and new', journalist Tracy Metz presented a special open-air edition of her monthly live talk show 'Stadsleven' and discussed the relationship between heritage and today's city with several speakers. Marinke Steenhuis, with her agency Steenhuis-Meurs, focuses on cultural history research and the interdependence of heritage and renewal. Architect Jarrik Ouburg talked about the completely different approach to heritage in Japan. Architect Sjoerd Soeters, known for historicising canal houses, and Jacqueline Grandjean, director of the Oude Kerk, discussed what you can and may do with heritage. OMA/AMO presented their vision of heritage based on their recently opened Fondazione Prada in Milan.

Come Closer was initially a series of meetings on the roof of the Oude Kerk. This summer programme was the first programme under the name Come Closer, curated by Michiel van Iersel and Radna Rumping (then from collective Non-fiction) that would become a recurring series at the Oude Kerk in later years. The evening programme brought together thinkers, musicians, artists and audiences at Taturo Atzu's installation, with spectacular views. Amid the city in motion, Come Closer offered a moment of reflection, with guests sharing a different story or performance with the audience each evening. Outdoors, like a contemporary hedge sermon, Come Closer invited visitors to come closer to the Oude Kerk, and closer to each other. The platform could hold up to 70 people and most nights were sold out. Audiences went up via the scaffolding stairs. Given the location, equipment and technology were used as sparingly as possible; most programmes consisted of spoken word.