This was a profound event that many people still carry with them today.
The exhibition sketches an idea of the disbelief, shock, and grief that many residents of the Bijlmer experienced. This is done using newspaper headlines from October 5—‘Fire, death, chaos’ and ‘Suddenly he turned on his side and fell straight down’—and conversations transcribed on canvas that were held by 112 emergency service workers that evening. Drawings by primary school pupils from that time are also on display. The drawings provide insight into how children experienced this event. Three teachers who wanted to help children process their trauma through drawing at the time now look back on their experiences.
In addition to two pieces of debris from the cargo plane that were found and preserved by private individuals, there are also works of art about the Bijlmer air disaster on display. Artist Samuel Sarmiento (Venezuela, 1987) created the painting ‘De boom die alles zag – El arbol que lo vio todo’ (The tree that saw everything) as a tribute to the victims, and artist Fatric Bewong (Ghana, 1981) shows in a video installation how the disaster is commemorated today within the communities. Both artists are affiliated with CBK Zuidoost, a center for contemporary visual art with an intercultural, inclusive perspective. At the end of the exhibition rooms, all visitors are invited to join in creating an embroidered patchwork quilt of memories, based on an idea by Tess van Zalinge.
