- OUR DAM BLOG - Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam -

Keep exploring, a love declaration to the diversity of Amsterdam

Cycling along the Grachten (canal), my short commute to work and hanging out at W+K's local bar are only some of the things I love about this town. The ambitious planning, realization and finally the opening of the Eye is another. Or the new area that's still being built next to central station, with the impressive library at its heart and of course Koninginnedag.

For the new arrivals at W+K, some of my personal favorites are yet to open again: the Stedelijk museum will finally reopen this year on Sept 23rd! It's been renovated for the past 4 years and holds some of the finest collections of modern and contemporary design and art. It's awesome. And, because they added a lot of new exhibition space with the new extension - designed by Mels Crouwel of Benthem Crouwel Architects, they will be able to display their permanent collection in its biggest and fullest to date. A watch out from before the renovation: this is where we will find the creatives working if they are not around the office. Good space.

 

Another great experience is biking through the Rijksmuseum instead of having to cycle around it. It used to be populated with Conservatory students that practiced the harp or violin with the great acoustics of the hallway through the museum. They closed it in 2000 and will reopen some time next year. Can't wait! Keep exploring!

 

Post by Eva Rausch, group account director

 

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A breath of summer

Illustration by Jim Woodring “Frank”

This isn't Paris, Berlin, or Rome. But you'd like to be back again. Every breath of summer is worth it, even if the beer gets warm in a boat ride, and the potatoes get burned on the grill. Once in a while you do lose all your patience. But oye listen, you can always do something with it. And remember that day the cat came back after three months. You thought he got injured or something and he'd never be back. And then, boom! He’s scratching at the window. Instinctively you look at the calendar next to the kitchen, "3 fucking months dude! WTF?" This is one of those things that makes you grow your curiosity and get pissed off at the same time. "Where the fuck have you been, Frank?" You shout while opening the door. He walks in like nothing happened, around your legs, extending his tail, wrapping it around your right ankle. Well, he is happy to see you, that’s for sure. You smile at him. Cats don’t think about "things". Cats are crazy. Cats just do. Cats are crazy.

You get fresh water and a bit of food for the little leopard. And a beer for you too. Why not? It’s sunny and great outside. Sitting back in the hammock you open the ice-cold beer, close one eye and look at the cat sitting on the porch. A craftsman told you once, when you're happy you do some sort of a dance. "How could it get better than to dance every day of your life? Right Frank?". That’s what cats do. They're fun little creatures. Frank is a crazy looking cat, with ginger hair and a nice white chest. In winter he has that spiky hair in-between the ears. “The little ginger punk". During summer he turns a bit purple and loses his winter fur. If he could recommend a song to you, he would go for "Black Napkins" by Zappa.

 Cats are crazy. They love to see things from the side, from the top, from the other side, and back again. It's great. They love adventures once in awhile. Frank has this look that says this one worked for him. It intrigues you. Amazing. This isn't the jungle, but it’s a great adventure.

Ray Winstone in “Sexy Beast” directed by  Jonathan Glazer

 

Post by Ignasi Tudela

 

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A really fast guide to Yekaterinburg

I was born there and lived there all my life. So I think it’s a good idea to introduce you to this wonderful Russian city – Yekaterinburg.

First thing first – how do you pronounce it?

Try this:

Yeah

Cat

Earring

Burg

Great, now that you have almost grasped the Russian language, let’s move on. 

Yekaterinburg is the capital of Ural region, a city with a population of 1,500,000 wonderful people. The first president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin was born here. You will find Boris Yeltsin’s Street, a university named after him and of course the Boris Yeltsin statue, which kind of looks like frozen Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back.

 

But wait, this is not the only crazy statue in my city. If you walk along the local river Iset you will find a keyboard monument.

 

Beatles monument...

 

And even a statue of an invisible man...

 

If you’re interested in street-art then you’re going to be very happy in Yekaterinburg. It’s the unofficial capital of Russian street-art and hometown of the amazingly talented and young artist Tima Radya. Here are some of his greatest works within Yekaterinburg.

 

“I can see you” on the roof of a building.

 

“Keep it together”.

 

And my personal favorite – portraits of World War II soldiers painted with fire. 

 

All of the portraits were placed in the windows of a local abandoned hospital.

 

Walking by all these wonderful art objects will surely make you hungry. So go to any café and order some pelmeni. It is like ravioli but much more tasty. Be sure that you eat it with Ural’s famous mayo. Funnily enough Yekaterinburg holds the Guinness World Record for the most-mayo-eating city in the world. Mostly because our mayo is the best mayo you can eat. Try it, and if you disagree, punch me in the face. 

 

Ask for mayo in the ‘blue boxes’.

Regardless of how tasty the mayo is it’s still 67% FAT! So you will have to do some dancing after you finish your meal. When picking a night bar/club, always remember NOT to go to one place – the Eldorado nightclub. It could be a kind of extreme experience for you, but to keep a long story short, I wouldn’t recommend this. To get some adrenaline you could always jump out of a plane. It’s less dangerous.

Instead of the Eldorado club go to Gornostay bar. It’s always crowded and fun, and if you’re lucky enough, you might bump into some famous Ural rock bands. The Sansara band plays there quite a lot, and they’re amazing, listen:

 

After the party ends, get some sleep and repeat everything in the morning. Congrats guys, now you’ve been Yekaterinburgered.

Post by Evgeny Primachenko, creative.

Street art images sourced from http://www.t-radya.com/

 

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FDXX Friday, March 30

7:00 am

Just woke up, took a shower, brushed my teeth, ironed my shirt. Getting ready for another day at the agency when my wife asks, “Is that what you are going to wear?”

“Yeah, why?” 

“Well, the last e-mail you forwarded to me said something about wearing clothes you're prepared to have stuff thrown all over and underwear you're prepared to be found dead in. Seems you are going to ruin that shirt…”

Somewhere between 9:00 and 10:00am

I arrive at the agency.  Everyone is buzzing with excitement, people running around trying to get their work done before noon when the big celebration kicks off. This will be my first Founder’s Day. It’s W+K Portland’s 30th anniversary, and to top that, our agency W+K Amsterdam turns 20 this year. The day starts with a little present, W+K Amsterdam style.

 

Lunchtime

"Bing-Bong-Bing,” the intercom bell sounds. “Attention, lunch is ready in the kitchen.” It's the lovely Kelli over the intercom. And man is it incredible - pasta, chicken, risotto balls. Everything the stomach needs to prepare for the party of the year.

Laid out at reception are 16th century wigs, golden diamond incrusted crowns for the ladies, beards and shoe buckles for the lads. Theme of FD XX is the Golden Age of Amsterdam. What an amazing way to start a party! Everyone hurry! Busses leave 1:30 sharp.

 

1:30pm

Waiting for the bus. People passing by must think we are crazy. 100+ wearing wigs and fake beards, striking white make up and red lipstick. Don't forget your birthmark and rosy cheeks.

 

2:00pm

On the bus. Two busses driving the Golden Children of W+K AMS north. Destination unknown. True to FD tradition, the day’s festivities remain a surprise. We make a short stop at the gas station to grab more beers from the trunk. Feels like I’m going on a school trip but without having to sneak the booze along. 

 

Somewhere between 2:30 and 3:30pm (It’s starting to get fuzzy…)

We just arrived at the destination. We are on a dock and everyone starts walking towards an enormous sail ship.  Karaoke/dance party below deck, bar at the stern, wigs and crowns bopping up and down. Enjoy the breeze on deck or sweat on the dance floor below. Golden Age baby! That's how the Dutch roll. Eh, float. Proost! 

 

 

5:00pm?

We sail to a picturesque Dutch village off the Ijsselmeer. We dock. In reverse! Neat trick Captain. Everyone is given a mask, and we begin walking towards a medieval castle. Per Dan Wieden’s request, the entire network has invited former employees to their respective FD. This is crazy. Party in a castle! Nice glasses of bubbly and a terrific dinner await. I haven't seen you in ages… How are you… Wassup! People around me are meeting up with old colleagues and old friends.  A warm glow of reunion radiates from everyone.

 

What time? Party time!

This party should go on forever! A dinner feast in the dining room and a massive dance vibe on basement floor below thanks to our 2 London DJs. Everyone who wasn't there, I'm so sorry you missed it. FD XX is definitely one I won't forget any time soon. So looking forward to next year. I love this place.

Post by David de Jong, head of IT

 

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Voting withdrawal

When I cast my last vote for the One Show Awards 2012 last night, I started to feel a bit uneasy. The thing is, I’ve been through 4 voting rounds since September, evaluating over 1,000 entries and debating what deserves a pencil with one of the best judging panels I’ve been a part of. And now what? Am I supposed to quit voting cold turkey? Easier said than done. So if you want to help me, please tweet me a picture of anything you want me to rate – from art to hairdos or, yes, cute cats - @edupou, with the hashtag “#Pouvote”, and I’ll tweet back a number from 1 to 10 and my most sincere gratitude.

Post by Edu Pou, addict.

 

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