Upon moving to Leiden, I couldn’t work out what it was that made me slightly uncomfortable about the place. I knew it was something to do with its almost sickeningly picturesque postcard scenes; the canals, the flowers, the fact that there’s even a bloody windmill in the city centre…these elements combine to make the city very twee, and very Dutch. Yet why would this make me uncomfortable? I originally thought that perhaps, through having a Dutch mother and having visited Holland many times before, I was merely somewhat desensitised and disillusioned towards these rather predictable, although undeniably lovely, Dutch scenes. Although I could objectively identify that what I was seeing was pretty, and appreciate it for what it was, the only feeling it actually provoked in me was one of mild frustration, and as mentioned above, uncomfortableness.
The reason for this feeling became clear upon my returning on Sunday from a day in Rotterdam. The night before, I had been searching for cultural and creative events happening that weekend in the Netherlands. So many things were happening, but unfortunately none of note in Leiden. Finally I decided on a bike tour conducted in Rotterdam by a local artist, bringing us around the places in the city that had inspired him. Feeling that this would be the perfect way to gain a perspective on a new city that played to my interests, and something that I wouldn’t be able to get on many of the more conventional day tours being offered, my bike and I set off for Rotterdam.
The bike tour was pleasant and interesting. It wasn’t in anyway life changing. I’m not even sure if I’ll remember it in years to come. But what I will remember, is the sudden realisation upon arriving back in Leiden, about what it was that made me uncomfortable about the place – the fact that it is, undeniably, an environment of artistic complacency.
Rotterdam is a big, ugly, industrial city. It is also a city full of energy, creativity and ideas; seen in the street art, the clothes of the people who lived there, the artists residences, the artist-run independent shops. The somewhat aesthetically sterile backdrop provides the inspiration and motivation for expressive creativity to spring forth and change the face of the city, and it is this electrically-charged relationship that Leiden lacks. The art galleries in Leiden, although undeniably plentiful, exhibit much the same thing – aesthetically pleasing, inoffensive, and ultimately rather boring art. This is the art Leiden produces because it, as a city, embodies many of the same characteristics, and there is no reactionary element displayed in the creativity that arises from it. Don’t get me wrong – I very much like Leiden, and enjoy living here. But the exhibition of passivity seen in the artistic environment here is frustrating to say the least. Ultimately, though, this realisation has been a positive one – personally it’s ignited a whole new kind of creative energy and motivation.
Perhaps I have been too harsh on Leiden’s art scene. Kunstroute this weekend will be a good way to find out.
Spinneke 