Republic of Amsterdam Radio & Nomad Tinker House
Republic of Amsterdam Radio, a Dutch storytelling collective of self-proclaimed ‘history nerds’ teams up with the creative designers of Nomad Tinker House to create their first light artwork.
The collectives met on a boat trip during a previous edition of Amsterdam Light Festival. Combining Republic of Amsterdam Radio’s passion for telling stories and the creative design and installation experience of Nomad Tinker House – this collaboration promises an original approach to light art. Republic of Amsterdam Radio: “We’re used to telling stories through aural media, but light offers a much more visceral experience.”
Their main inspiration comes from copious amounts of reading about the history of the Netherlands. An interest that didn’t come naturally, considering the five members are coming from four foreign countries – Australia, Sweden, Scotland, and Poland. “Having moved to the Netherlands, we saw the huge impact this country has had on the world around it. For better and for worse. That definitely inspired us to share these stories with the wider world.”
“Light has the potential to change our relationship to the built environment – think of a cheerful candle in a window versus a fluorescent glow.”
The properties of light form another inspiration: “It has the potential to change our relationship to the built environment – think of a cheerful candle in a window versus a fluorescent glow.” Excited about light’s endless possibilities, they want to further explore this form in the upcoming years: “Augmented reality and virtual reality are forms of light art too, and we are really interested in playing with those mediums to tell historical stories in the future.”
Photo: sketches of their artwork for Edition #8
But first, back to work. What the artwork will look like remains a secret, but the collectives are willing to lift the veil: “Amsterdam in the winter time is quite dark and bleak at times, so we’re looking forward to creating some haunting effects.”
Republic of Amsterdam Radio consists of Julian Smith (AU), Joe Wegecsanyi (AU/DE) and David Cenzer (SE). The three of them passionately tell the stories of Dutch history in the form of podcasts, movies, guided tours, and artworks.
Nomad Tinker House consists of designers Natalia Krasnodebska (PL/AU) and Noel Wilson (SCO/AU). Their designs vary from luxurious 3D printed jewelry to low-budget household items.
Credits cover photo: Janus van den Eijnden