Hidden in the depths of the former Bijlmer prison there is a hammam. A long row of old cells, once renamed ‘the sauna’ by the freshly detained, is now equipped for the ancient cleansing ritual. In between the hanging plants, the walls still bear memories of a less relaxing past. The prisoners who had just been brought in, used their first hours of imprisonment to unmask traitors, support detainees who were unjustly sentenced, curse the police and the prison guards, or just to leave their own name on the tiles. In some ways, these cells has always been a space of contemplation, forced or chosen. But apart from these texts and the doors of thick steel, little still reminds you of a prison. With some elegant interventions, these cells have now been transformed into steam- and sauna cabins, scrub rooms, and silent spaces. Hammam experts who once fled from Syria offer treatments behind these heavy prison doors, in order for you to completely come back to your senses, through steaming, sweating, scrubbing, and meditating.
In this work of art, Teun Castelein plays with the places we assign for different activities, and different people. Places once used to forcefully divide a person from the rest of society, are now turned to by the non-detained, the free civilians, in order to relax and be away from everyday life. It seems as if the only real difference between these two functions of the same space, is choice. As in most of his oeuvre, the awkwardness that we as an audience feel, presents us with a question: why is this funny, weird, unethical, interesting? Which invisible norms and practices that our society cherishes, have been made plain to see, and questionable?
De Nederlands - Pakistaanse Rapper F1rstman heeft samen met DYSTINCT een clip opgenomen in de Bijlmer Hammam.
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F1rstman is weer terug met een nieuwe video voor ‘Kahbi’. De track is afkomstig van F1rstman’s nieuwe EP ‘At F1rst’. Het nummer is ontstaan vanuit een samenwerking met de Belgische artiest ‘Dystinct’.
Voor de track hebben de mannen zich laten inspireren door verschillende genres. “De emotie in die track klopt heel erg en je hoort goed mijn kenmerkende Bollywood-sound, dit is de track waar ik het meest trots op van alle songs op de EP” aldus F1rstman.
www.worldoff1rstman.com