cardio_vision
2024 - 2025
My name is Edwin Stolk and together with others I organize art projects at various locations around social issues. In 2024 I worked in the municipality of Krimpen aan den IJssel on an artistic research with the title cardio_vision. From the conversations I had I developed a plan for a "cultural construction site" with the title 'The Performance'. Now I talk to the people involved about the possible realization of this plan in 2025.
My research focused on the long-cherished wish of this municipality to realize a "Heart of Krimpen". It has been the ambition to give the village center a 'lively' character. There is a center vision plan (2022) and the municipality is taking steps to further develop this. Various parties are involved in this issue and the interests vary. The conversations with property owners and shareholders are not accessible and when results are lacking, it works to the disadvantage of the municipality. In the research I asked the question what exactly a "Heart of Krimpen" is or can be. Ultimately, my goal is to search for new meanings with 'The Performance'.
In 2024 I spoke to many people in Krimpen aan den IJssel. I would like to thank everyone who was interested for sharing their knowledge. I heard stories and looked at the quality of the living environment. I searched for anything that could tell me more about the issue: a vibrant "Heart of Krimpen". From a broad orientation I zoomed in further and further. By investigating the local DNA I tried to understand the current situation.
I have noticed that little attention has been paid to essential historical sites. For example, the landing place at the IJssel, de Veerdam, where the ferry from Capelle to Krimpen sailed. This connection to the mainland used to be called the gateway to Krimpen. The Hollandsche IJsselkering and the Algerabrug are much less rosy in popular parlance today. It never became the beloved gateway to Krimpen. Here lie opportunities for the cultural "Heart". Krimpen now sometimes seems torn between village and city in its ambitions. The provincial road N210 shows that a line on the drawing board has cut old from new Krimpen in daily reality. This has had a negative impact on the experience of the village.
I watched with amazement as the development of the old Heart of Krimpen (also called T'Enge) stopped when, all attention in 1960 was focused on a new shopping centre. It is an important lesson for the choices we have to make today. It is essential to look at how the decisions relate to what is specific to the culture of Krimpen aan den IJssel. The crescent-shaped origin of the ribbon village along the dike should be leading. While the capital focused on a future behind the dike, the potential Heart of Krimpen still haunts T'Enge today.
Stories from the past must be told in their entirety. It is harmful when we are selective in passing on history. When we show the first bicycle of the brickyard director, we must also talk about the women and children who often had to work there in miserable conditions. We must think carefully about the place occupied today by the people who make and made Krimpen. It is striking that the streets of the village are only named after princes, mayors, and male politicians or artists. Important people (often women) are missing. We also have to tell who is buried in the 3rd and 4th class of the cemetery outside the dike. If Krimpen aan den IJssel is a real working-class village, why is the statue of the worker somewhat lost along the road of the industrial estate and not prominently on the Raadhuisplein?
Certain decisions in the built environment have created scar tissue. A scar itself may not cause any complaints but it does reduce blood flow. Figuratively speaking, we must ensure together that a new "heart" is also accepted by the "body" and is not rejected. The average life expectancy after a heart transplant is approximately 15 years. It reminds me of the once prize-winning shopping center Crimpenhof and the "heart patient" of today. What does this mean for the decisions to be made? Among other things, it means that we must understand the "body" before we can perform a successful heart transplant. I do not read anything about this in the current plans for the "Heart of Krimpen".
The word municipality comes from the medieval commons or common grounds. The shared use of the commons required a form of collective governance. The heart of Krimpen now mainly consists of the semi-public space of the Crimpenhof shopping centre. It is a very undesirable situation that these village streets are closed off with an iron roller blind every day at the end of the afternoon. This causes a heart attack or angina pectoris. The common ground that remains is not designed as a living space. It is parking spaces in the service of commercial parties. I sense some hesitation among Krimpen residents when I mention the word municipality. That is why I developed a proposal for a "cultural construction site" with the title:'The Performance'. This title refers to a temporary intervention on the Raadhuisplein and an exhibition. 'The Performance' wants to gain a better understanding of the built "body" and is about the imagination to think of a situation differently.
Also read: my progress reports from Krimpen aan den IJssel on the website of 'Wanted: Talented Municipalities'
This artistic research was part of the innovation lab 'Wanted: Talented Municipalities' with the aim of increasing support among municipalities to work on current challenges together with creative and cultural makers.
Realising a 'cultural construction site' like 'The Performance' in 2025 depends on people who are willing to work together to make it happen. Don't hesitate to contact me!
Best regards, Edwin Stolk.
cardio_vision in the media: BK Informatie, Platfom 31, Binnenlands Bestuur
cardio_vision follows the concept behin: #theorganisation
cardio_vision is made possible by: Innovationlabs - the Innovation Labs program gives an impulse to new resilience in the cultural and creative sector. The Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie, on behalf of all national cultural funds, and -CLICKNL are implementing the program on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. This project is cofunded by the municipality Krimpen aan den IJssel
Photography: Hristina Tasheva, online footage
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