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2001 Where the bus takes us
Arnhem, Sonsbeek 9
The book and bus project ‘Where the bus takes us’ is the result of a collaboration between artists Peter Spaans and Hans Eijkelboom as part of the exhibition ‘Sonsbeek 9 Locus/Focus,’ curated by Jan Hoet. The project revolved around bus line 20 in Arnhem, the city’s longest bus route with 69 stops spread across 21 neighborhoods. The artists took the bus and disembarked at each stop to photograph the surroundings. Their focus was on both the built architecture and the per- sonal, idiosyncratic aspects of daily life in these areas.
The book is structured in a way that can be read from front to back and from back to front, allo- wing the reader/viewer to experience the journey in both directions. It also includes two introduc- tory essays, one in English and one in Dutch. During the duration of ‘Sonsbeek 9,’ the windows of the bus were covered with photos of the route of bus line 20. By traveling a different part of the route with the bus, passengers who usually took the same trajectory were confronted with other parts of the route. At the front of the bus, there was a free brochure with a photo reportage of two men who met each other during this bus journey in Arnhem.
Foreword to the book: Bus line 20 is designed to connect as many neighborhoods as possible and passes various facilities such as shopping centers, nursing homes, and hospitals. During the ‘Sonsbeek 9’ exhibition, bus line 20 served as a connection between the three exhibition locati- ons: Park Sonsbeek, the Eusebius Church, and Kronenburg shopping center. Our project started with this bus line. We disembarked at all 69 stops, observed the surroundings, and took photos. Our attention was focused on two aspects: the fixed elements of the environment, such as urban planning and architecture, and the personal interventions that arise from them. Our motivation for this project stemmed from the experience that during fleeting encounters on a bus ride, the im- pression may arise that everything looks alike, while each place, after getting off, proves to have its own uniqueness, shaped by the fusion of urban planning frameworks and individual behavior.
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