In The Hague (NL), the Binckhorst neighbourhood is going through an intensive redevelopment phase, following the construction of major new infrastructure. In 2019, nine artists have collaborated with the municipal archaeology department to propose artwork responding to the rapid changes in this environment.
Created as a stand-alone work, Stories from Roba articulates the different pieces, connecting them to particular places in the neighbourhood, and linking the concepts addressed by the artists with the experiences of the residents. Fiction and storytelling of the everyday life guide the listener through the transforming space, in the past, present and future. The audio pieces are short stories, fictions and soundscapes, storytelling the ongoing changes from the point of view of the people. Each of the piece focus on one character and a specific timeframe, speculating on how life was or would be in the 1900's or in the 2060's.
The tour, assembling the eight stories and places, has been designed into a bike ride and still can be experienced. A guided-bike tour took place on the 17th November 2019, and some pocket-size riso maps and invitations were printed for the occasion.
This project has been made together with Katie Pelikan, and is presented in the publication Six Degrees of Separation.