Immigrant

Monday, 18 February 2002

The couch potato

the known at homethe common
There is no place like home. The pictures on the wall are familiar. Everything is well known. I can find everything with my eyes closed.

The world does not go beyond the circle of familiarity.

There is a vague concept of other territories, but they remain out of sight. That the circle overlaps with other areas goes unnoticed.

The tourist

the known at homethe commonthe foreign
Last Saturday I ventured into the Kunsthal in Rotterdam (kunsthal.nl). I feel uncomfortable on this foreign terrain. The differences strike me:
  • the main entrance (below the center of the building),
  • the pay point (around the corner),
  • the storage lockers (down the stairs, to the left)
  • the diverse exhibitions.
The building toys with the visitor, makes one wander and wonder, but always reveals where to go just in time.

I feel like a tourist, focussing on the new and unknown. The world at home is still known, but out of focus.

The immigrant

the known at homethe commonthe foreign
The Mauritshuis in The Hague shows Winters van weleer, Dutch winter landscapes from the 15th till 18th century. People on wooden skates, frozen fields with little bridges are familiar sights.

A lot of things from the present are absent. I did not have time yet to explore the unknown.

I feel like an immigrant who has just arrived in the past.

Till next week,
Nut