I’m finally feeling somewhat good, so I decided to take Friday (July 5th), which was the day that everyone was supposed to be going to Efteling Amusement park and catch up on Museums I missed while I was sick. To the average person Efteling sounds like a fun, but because of an old back injury I can’t ride the rides even if they are low key. This means I end up sitting on a bench, reading a book on my phone, watching everyone’s bags while they go on all the rides. Or I wander aimlessly around the park, which is fun for a while, but it gets old quickly. So, I ended up going to three museums today instead. Or rather, two and a half. The Moco Museum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijks Museum... except the last we quite abbreviated.
I had planned to go to the Van Gogh Museum first, but I didn’t manage to get ticket times until noon, which was fine. It wasn’t crowded while I was there, no huge lines, although it was rather substantial. Given the crowds they must get, the strategy of having people buy tickets online, or from ticket machines at a different part of the museum upon arrive helps to alleviate the giant lines seen at some other tourist attractions I’ve been to in other countries. In this case it allowed the museum to clump attendees into clusters that would be manageable to move in and out.
Considering I had some time to kill before being able to enter the Van Gogh Museum, and it was fairly earlier, I went down to the Moco Museum and went in to see what it was like. Almost no one was in there when I was there, so I got to really look at the exhibits, most of which are Banksy works, with other other artists mixed in. I think I said this to a couple of people who asked me what I thought of the Banksy museum and I was sort of weirded out by the fact that they were hanging in a museum rather than on the street which is generally their natural environment. I missed the outdoor art museum talk, so unfortunately I can’t compare and contrast, but ... knowing what I do about Banksy’s reasons for putting up his art, it was truly bizarre seeing them inside a building, when i think they would have had a much larger impact for the viewer outside, where art is often much more feral, territorial and aggressive. It states something when you see art in the street. It is meant to talk, even if all it says is, “I was here! View my scribble!! Hear my colorful roar!” Banksy’s work is generally statements on politics, injustice and anti-capitalist in nature. It’s blunt, simple and to the point.... but by putting it in a museum, it loses much of its momentum with it’s removal from place and context, the streets. It was very much like viewing a caged big cat that had had it’s fangs and claws removed for “public safety” and left to pace it’s container, a benign object to view, robbed of effectiveness.
Leaving the Moco, feeling off kilter and confused about how I felt about the Moco’s contents, I made my way over to the food stands and got a cup of tea. I sat in the shade and watched tourists go here and there without really making up their minds. Several people sat down at the table I occupied. An older lady and her daughter from Italy. Neither spoke English well, but they had decided to take a holiday together after the recent passing the husband and father. The older lady said it was a long illness and neither could stand to stay in the house for a while, so they decided on a long trip. I made my condolences, and the older lady smiled and patted my hand and said that it was okay, that it was a blessing he passed because it had gone on too long, and that she and her daughter were finding little bits of joy easier and easier to find every day. Such sweet people. They sat with me the longest asking about Seattle, and what it was like. I asked about their town and it sounded beautiful. A German couple sat down next, but didn’t say much, which was okay. They did say goodbye when they left, and lastly, I sat with a couple from Spain, who were very young and very head over heels for each other. They were cute, and kept trying to share their enormous lunch. Very emotive and funny, always looking for ways to make each other smile, and me. I left them with a wave laughing at something the guy said. He was a big tease, and I think he mostly said things to me to make his girl jealous, but they both knew exactly what they were doing. There was a lot of trust there. I wished them the best.
I arrived at the Van Gogh Museum a little bit early, but the lady said they weren’t as busy as they had expected, and let me in. It’s a striking building, in which you have go in one building to get into the other. Interesting use of misdirection so the entrance doesn’t get mobbed. Most of those waiting to get in had their tickets and wandered away to one of the other museums while waiting for their time slot. Entering the building it’s very striking, with the open area, and the escalator heading downward. The light makes you want to breath more deeply stretch. I refrained, because I didn’t want to fall down the moving stairs with the teeth.
After checking my backpack and getting several different answers for, “Can I take pictures with my camera?” I took my camera along. I should have brought my phone. The official answer is, “No. Only in designated areas.” Hmmm.... I glanced away from the guy I was talking to only to witness about 75 people snapping pictures of everything with their phones.
“So, you can take pictures with your phone?”
“.... no”
I turned back to the wall of people all snapping pictures. Hmm...... I turned back and squinted at the fellow, as several people used their cameras with the flash on. He looked uncomfortable and said, “It is to prevent reproductions.”
.... okay. I have a 10 year old camera. It’s lens hasn’t been at the top of its game for years, and it has trouble focusing at the best of times. There is no way that my camera would ever come close to the pixel density that can be achieved nowadays with an iPhone. Easily reproduction capable! I decided to just cut my losses and not take any pictures rather than argue with him.
The lens cap stayed firmly in place for my entire visit, and despite this every monitor on every floor felt the need to tell me not to take pictures, despite the fact that massive picture taking was going on within 4 feet of them. The thing is, I’m not even really annoyed with this, it just boggled my mind that they hadn’t reassessed this particular issue. Or if they had, they certainly didn’t tell the people who monitored the floors.
Aside from that I very much enjoyed seeing some beautiful artwork by several different masters, some of which were a surprise. I probably should have looked to see whose works the Van Gogh Museum had hanging in their galleries, but it didn’t occur to me. Of all the exhibits I viewed that day my favorite was the one having to do with Van Gogh’s dreams. This really brought him to life for me, his thoughts, fears and curious twists that take place while one is asleep often shapes a person. That they had tried to bring some of it into reality through sight and sound was something I found very innovative because it requires that you stop, listen, and look. It also opens the door to reflect on Van Gogh’s life through his eyes and how to saw the world, his fear and worries. A lot of understanding is gained there. For those who are sight impaired I think this would have worked well, because it was voice and there were things that could be touched. My friend who is legally blind would have very much enjoyed this exhibit because she would have been able to hear it, and touch. It didn’t rely heavily on things hanging on walls that she can’t interact with. Because she is not completely blind, she may also have been able to see some of the colored lights as well. It was a well thought out exhibit that I very much enjoyed
Yes, I’ve been told about the exhibit they did for the blind, but unfortunately this was another day I missed. I was so looking forward to that site visit with the class because I wanted to tell my friend about it, but I was so sick that day there was just no way I was going to make it. The dream rooms made up for that.
Leaving the museum got a little tricky because for reasons unknown, there was a literal hoard outside the exit doors. I turned around and went right back down to the cafe and had lunch, and did a little shopping. I’m afraid my suitcase it half full of Miffy the Rabbit dolls now. I am a sucker for those, and it doesn’t help that they tailor make them for all the different places in Amsterdam. When I get home, the challenge will be where to put them all.
The Rijks museum was going to be my last stop of the day, but that got cut off very quickly as 4 different hoards (tourist groups I think) descended on the museum at the same time and I decided to get out while I still could. Inside was almost as bad. I think my timing was just bad. I have a couple of days after the program ends, and I might be able to sneak back down to take a look before my flight back to the states. We shall see though. I am done with pushing myself with this illness, because I’m so very tired of being sick.
Next on the agenda: ARTIS Zoo and the Tropenmuseum! (Quite possibly pre-empted by the Innovation story which I know I was supposed to do, but will show up soon!)
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