OT301 used to be a squat in the Dutch city of Amsterdam which is located on Overtoom 301. EHBK has now bought the building which is used as a multi-media alternative cultural centre. The building is an old film academy and was squatted in 1999 by a group of artists. It is used in a range of ways, including as a venue for music and films, a non-profit print shop, artists workspace and an 'organic cultural kitchen' (a vegan restaurant) called De Peper. Formerly, it housed the offices of EYFA (European Youth For Action) and Green Pepper magazine. OT301 received the Amsterdamprijs voor de Kunsten from the Amsterdam Fonds voor de Kunst on 23 August 2007 from Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen.
The following text is the full, unedited text of Mark Weidin's cover story for Amsterdam Weekly published in September 2005.
When Eerste Hulp Bij Kunst [EHBK] first squatted the former film academy building in 1999, it was in very bad shape. The original plan of the local council, Stadsdeel Oud West, was to let it rot for a few years, then knock it down to build a bicycle path.
"Yeah, it was a really crazy idea. They budgeted it at something like 8 million euros, and everybody in the neighborhood was against it, particularly because theres a good bicycle path 50 meters down the road." Colin glances out the window. "You can see it from here."
Naturally, it wasn't hard for EHBK to come up with a better plan for the building. And after only one year of presenting non-commercial art and music there, the Project Management Bureau of Amsterdam named the OT301 a breeding place for artists. And Broedplaats Amsterdam, a new project started by the city to fund sub-cultural initiatives, granted them 770,000 euro for fire-safety repairs, and wind and water-resistant renovations.
With this support from the city, the artists of EHBK went from squatters to legal renters, and were given a 4-year rental contract from Stadsdeel at a low price. These minimal costs were important for cultivating an environment where artists could grow and experiment without commercial interference. It also enabled them to keep ticket prices down, and provide low-cost in-house services, like printing, web-design, video production, and audio mastering, all aimed at artists and non-profit groups.
But the new lease that Stadsdeel recently offered them has rental costs at over twice the previous rate. This was not something the OT people were willing to accept, and negotiations are still going. Eric Wuthrich has been heading up much of the talks recently.
"They made an estimation on their costs of maintaining the building", Eric explains, "and that's where the new rental price comes from. But were not convinced that the costs are that high, and we've been disappointed with how they handled our money in the past."
This disappointment began in 2001, after Broedplaats Amsterdam handed over the 770,000 for renovations. Because of the city council's legal responsibility over the building, Stadsdeel was fully in charge of overseeing how the money was spent.
But, after a year, the building was still not up to fire safety standards, and they were forced to shut down all public facilities in November of 2002. The OT remained closed until the spring of 2004, while they waited for renovations to be completed.
Jaap Schoufour, project manager of Broedplaats Amsterdam, [the guy who decided to hand over 770,000 to OT, and something like 30 million to other sub-cultural groups] does not blame Stadsdeel for the lengthy renovations. "Naturally, being shut down for two years was annoying for EHBK. But you must understand, it was not just a matter of drawing the plans, making calculations, and then just doing it. Rather, it was agreed from the beginning, that EHBK would have a role in the process as well. That was a fantastic ambition, but a highly unusual way of working, especially for Stadsdeel."
"Remember", Jaap continues, "they're good people [in Stadsdeel], conscious of their work, and they do it in a certain way - always in a certain way. And then comes a totally new approach with a totally different group of people from a very different culture. So in that time of renovation, theres a kind of culture shock that should be included. And seeing the results afterwards, I dont think it was that bad."
Regardless, the artists at the OT now have their eye on buying the building and managing it themselves. "First, we obviously need to get a new rental contract with rates as low as possible", Eric explains. "And somewhere on it should be an article that says we have exclusive first rights to buy. We havent seen that yet. And some people believe its because Stadsdeel is looking to sell to a third-party investor."
These suspicions began in early August, when a man showed up at the OT asking to have a look around. They asked him what his business was and he said he was sent by Stadsdeel Oud West, but wasn't prepared to explain the purpose of his visit. He was asked to leave, which he did, and they haven't seen him since.
"We really don't know what that was all about", Colin explains, "but given our somewhat precarious situation at the moment, it's not surprising that there's speculation that Stadsdeel may be dealing with others behind our back."
But Stadsdeel spokesperson, Patricia Weijer, said on a phone interview that they currently have no intentions of selling the building to anyone. And when more detailed questions were asked, it was explained that, under obligations of Dutch law, government institutions are not allowed to release information until the negotiations are complete. [They did, however, say that their relationship with the party at the former film academy is good.]
And Jaap Schoufour, who's done more work than anybody to insure sub-cultural life here, seems confident that things will work out in the end. And if not?
He laughs, "I'll start shooting people."
But as it stands right now, things are still somewhat vague, and everyone is certain that nothing will be settled on the 1st of October. But one thing is clear, the crew at the OT will keep on rockin as they always have.
And Colin takes a sip from his steaming coffee. "Can I offer you another cup?"
Sure man. It feels good just sitting in this place.
"Yeah, it was a really crazy idea. They budgeted it at something like 8 million euros, and everybody in the neighborhood was against it, particularly because theres a good bicycle path 50 meters down the road." Colin glances out the window. "You can see it from here."
Naturally, it wasn't hard for EHBK to come up with a better plan for the building. And after only one year of presenting non-commercial art and music there, the Project Management Bureau of Amsterdam named the OT301 a breeding place for artists. And Broedplaats Amsterdam, a new project started by the city to fund sub-cultural initiatives, granted them 770,000 euro for fire-safety repairs, and wind and water-resistant renovations.
With this support from the city, the artists of EHBK went from squatters to legal renters, and were given a 4-year rental contract from Stadsdeel at a low price. These minimal costs were important for cultivating an environment where artists could grow and experiment without commercial interference. It also enabled them to keep ticket prices down, and provide low-cost in-house services, like printing, web-design, video production, and audio mastering, all aimed at artists and non-profit groups.
But the new lease that Stadsdeel recently offered them has rental costs at over twice the previous rate. This was not something the OT people were willing to accept, and negotiations are still going. Eric Wuthrich has been heading up much of the talks recently.
"They made an estimation on their costs of maintaining the building", Eric explains, "and that's where the new rental price comes from. But were not convinced that the costs are that high, and we've been disappointed with how they handled our money in the past."
This disappointment began in 2001, after Broedplaats Amsterdam handed over the 770,000 for renovations. Because of the city council's legal responsibility over the building, Stadsdeel was fully in charge of overseeing how the money was spent.
But, after a year, the building was still not up to fire safety standards, and they were forced to shut down all public facilities in November of 2002. The OT remained closed until the spring of 2004, while they waited for renovations to be completed.
Jaap Schoufour, project manager of Broedplaats Amsterdam, [the guy who decided to hand over 770,000 to OT, and something like 30 million to other sub-cultural groups] does not blame Stadsdeel for the lengthy renovations. "Naturally, being shut down for two years was annoying for EHBK. But you must understand, it was not just a matter of drawing the plans, making calculations, and then just doing it. Rather, it was agreed from the beginning, that EHBK would have a role in the process as well. That was a fantastic ambition, but a highly unusual way of working, especially for Stadsdeel."
"Remember", Jaap continues, "they're good people [in Stadsdeel], conscious of their work, and they do it in a certain way - always in a certain way. And then comes a totally new approach with a totally different group of people from a very different culture. So in that time of renovation, theres a kind of culture shock that should be included. And seeing the results afterwards, I dont think it was that bad."
Regardless, the artists at the OT now have their eye on buying the building and managing it themselves. "First, we obviously need to get a new rental contract with rates as low as possible", Eric explains. "And somewhere on it should be an article that says we have exclusive first rights to buy. We havent seen that yet. And some people believe its because Stadsdeel is looking to sell to a third-party investor."
These suspicions began in early August, when a man showed up at the OT asking to have a look around. They asked him what his business was and he said he was sent by Stadsdeel Oud West, but wasn't prepared to explain the purpose of his visit. He was asked to leave, which he did, and they haven't seen him since.
"We really don't know what that was all about", Colin explains, "but given our somewhat precarious situation at the moment, it's not surprising that there's speculation that Stadsdeel may be dealing with others behind our back."
But Stadsdeel spokesperson, Patricia Weijer, said on a phone interview that they currently have no intentions of selling the building to anyone. And when more detailed questions were asked, it was explained that, under obligations of Dutch law, government institutions are not allowed to release information until the negotiations are complete. [They did, however, say that their relationship with the party at the former film academy is good.]
And Jaap Schoufour, who's done more work than anybody to insure sub-cultural life here, seems confident that things will work out in the end. And if not?
He laughs, "I'll start shooting people."
But as it stands right now, things are still somewhat vague, and everyone is certain that nothing will be settled on the 1st of October. But one thing is clear, the crew at the OT will keep on rockin as they always have.
And Colin takes a sip from his steaming coffee. "Can I offer you another cup?"
Sure man. It feels good just sitting in this place.
