When are you community and when are you not?

Two simple but powerful images from an experiment with community in Amsterdam, run by City Eyes.

title: BREAKFAST
date: Wednesday may 6th
window: Private home, Indische Buurt

Delicious breakfast for two. At a table that connects street and living room. Inside and outside. They belong together.

We have an inner and outer front door. In the summer we will sometimes leave the outer one open – allowing the sun to flow in through the coloured glass of the inner door.  When people come to call they’re not sure if they should  just walk in or tap on the glass or ring the bell – they don’t know if they’re in public or private space.

The fact that this practice feels both welcoming and a little risky is a measure of how I’ve been accustomed to my home being essentially a private place – within a community but separate from it.

Perhaps that’s why I find this idea so strong!

Hat tip One Floor Up and Tessy .

3 comments

Comments are closed.