Stemmengeschuifel (Scuffling voices, through the Pipe with Heijermans)

Gazing through Heijerman’s eyes, take a stroll on an eighty-minute Dutch audio tour through last century’s Amsterdamse Pijp (The Pipe). Stemmengeschuifel, met Heijermans door de Pijp is Dutch-language only.

Heijerman’s masterpiece Op hoop van zegen has been performed in the Netherlands over a thousand times, and it has been translated into all languages. When Heijermans first arrived in Amsterdam in 1892, he was 27 years old and all but flat broke with a mere 62 cents upon his person. Just one year later, his first production premiered and he held the post of editor of Arts and Literature with the newly founded newspaper Telegraaf. In his short sketches called Falklandjes, which appeared in the papers for thirty years, he lays daily life bare under the pen name Samuel Falkland jr. He ambled through town day and night, watching and listening as he depicted the harshness of reality with a loving hand. These Falklandjes form the basis for the audio tour through the streets of the Pipe.

Fancy yourself a passer-by in the olden days of the streets where the ‘white plague’ roams. Experience the harrowing social destitution and rediscover the true meaning of the term ‘welfare state’.

The audio tour Stemmengeschuifel, met Heijermans door de Pijp (Scuffling voices, through the Pipe with Heijermans) was made by Renate Zentschnig and Evelien van den Broek and voiced by Kitty Courbois, Charlie-Chan Dagelet, Fred Goessens, Alwin Pulinckx, Halina Reijn, Gijs Scholten van Aschat, Bart Slegers and Margijn Bosch. The result is a composition of voices, sounds and music that let you view the Pipe of Amsterdam in a whole new way.

Accessibility and prices
Stemmengeschuifel, met Heijermans door de Pijp is Dutch-language only.

You can obtain the tour at  Café Restaurant De Ysbreeker (Weesperzijde 23, Amsterdam), which is the start and finish of the walk. There you will be issued with iPods, headphones and floor maps to guide you on your tour.

You can also download Stemmengeschuifel on www.soundtrackcity.nl or with the Soundtrackcity-app in the iPhone appstore.
Guided tours can be requested on other dates by contacting info@soundtrackcity.nl.

The audio tour costs € 10,- p.p..
A download of the tour costs € 5,-.

direction renate zentschnig | composition, sound design, montage evelien van den broek | compilation lex bohlmeijer based on texts by herman heijermans | research margijn bosch | voices margijn bosch, kitty courbois, charlie-chan dagelet, fred goessens, alwin pulinckx, halina reijn, gijs scholten van aschat, bart slegers | with thanks to ellen walraven, amsterdam 2013, cafe restaurant de ysbreeker | production soundtrackcity, toneelgroep amsterdam

This tour was partly realised thanks to a contribution by the Amsterdam Government