The profession of bridge operator has slowly disappeared from the streets of Rotterdam due to modernisation. With its disappearance, more than a thousand bridge operator’s houses across the Netherlands fell silent: once lookout posts on daily lives, passing by.
In Overbruggen (Bridging), an audio project by sound artist and journalist Bart Huijser (30), audience is invited to step into the operator’s house on the Koninginnebrug and listen to stories from local residents. As the iconic Rotterdam panorama unfolds before you, headphones guide you through their everyday lives. At times, you follow their stories from a distance, and sometimes you bridge that distance and feel as if you are sitting in someone’s living room.
You hear stories about favorite walking routes with the dog, kitchen-table conversations about music, or even about billionaire Jeff Bezos wanting to dismantle the beloved Hefbrug for his superyacht. Meanwhile, the city rumbles on, unbothered. Through the audio, which directs your gaze and attention, the bridge operator’s house becomes once again a window onto the city and everyday life.
Bart Huijser | Audio | Offsite location | Netherlands