Living Archive: Diversity in/of Freedom

Diversity in/of Freedom
As part of the Living Archive project, İrem Sezer (founder Ben Sanattan Anlamam Ki) has been invited to create a BuurTour titled Diversity in/of Freedom, presented within the 5 May programme.

Amsterdam is one of the cities in the world most strongly associated with freedom. While certain stereotypes have contributed to this image and to the city’s popularity, there are many deeper reasons to celebrate the freedom, open-mindedness, and independence of Amsterdam and its citizens especially when considered through the lens of its 750-year history.

This long history reveals that freedom in Amsterdam has never had a single meaning. From the sixteenth century onward, diversity became one of the city’s defining characteristics, and it continues to shape its DNA today. Amsterdam does not produce one fixed type of citizen; rather, it generates a dynamic, layered, and ever-evolving way of being an Amsterdammer.At the same time, this idea of freedom was not created overnight. It is rooted in many stories, struggles, and battles across social, political, and cultural life. It was shaped through the efforts of different communities and minorities, who often had to fight the hardest to claim their place in the city.

Although Liberation Day is primarily connected to the memory of the Second World War, Amsterdam’s history of freedom extends far beyond that moment. This tour offers a glimpse into that broader history by highlighting stories of women, queer communities, emancipation movements, social activism, and freedom of thought. It recalls the layered histories embedded in the city histories present in the streets we cross every day, often without noticing them. By unlocking selected stories and locations across Amsterdam, the tour aims to foster a deeper sense of belonging, regardless of where one comes from or who one is, and to nurture a shared sense of pride in being an Amsterdammer. In revealing the diversity of freedom, the project also reminds us that, whatever group we belong to, we share a collective responsibility to protect and sustain this freedom for future generations.

Living Archive is a curatorial methodology developed by Ipek M. Sur (curator and Artistic Director of 7 Hills Foundation) in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut, Reinwardt Academy and Netwerk Levend Archief . It focuses on archiving and gathering oral heritage through artistic and creative methodologies, in the service of collective memory, healing, and modes of being.

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Host or Publisher Goethe-Institut Niederlande