Portraits of people living and working in Haarlemmerbuurt
In the midst of the pandemic, it seemed like Haarlemmerbuurt had come to a standstill. The daily sounds were silenced. People had retreated to their homes, shops and businesses. This new normal made it clear how important it is to feel like you are an essential part of the neighborhood where you live or work. People make a neighborhood, but the neighborhood also makes the people; the two are inextricably linked.
The stories in this collection are small insights into the lives of people from the Haarlemmerbuurt. They are personal documents and the stories demonstrate great diversity, with everyone in his or her own way connected to the neighborhood in one way or another: from the 'people person' to the loner, from immigrant or expat to a native Amsterdammer. They testify to vitality, joy of living sometimes melancholy and, above all, a great love for the neighborhood.
This project was realized through the efforts of many local residents. Anna van Praag listened to all those different stories and put them into words. Filmer and cameraman Michael Jessurun filmed the people and recorded some stories in a podcast. Photographer Gözde Otman made the most beautiful portraits of all storytellers. But the greatest thanks of course goes to all the storytellers themselves, who make the neighborhood what it is: a nice, rich place to live or work.
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