In de laatste weken van Call of the Mall vindt in de stationshal van Utrecht Centraal de bijzondere voorstelling Niemandsland van Dries Verhoeven plaats.

Niemandsland
In de drukte van Hoog Catharijne en het station worden we voortdurend geconfronteerd met de ander. We zien mensen voorbij komen, maar kijken we echt?  Vaak plaatsen we iemand in een hokje op basis van uiterlijke kenmerken, soms positief en soms negatief. De voorstelling van theatermaker Dries Verhoeven (1976) biedt deelnemers de mogelijkheid om met onbekende bestemming te vertrekken vanaf het stationsgebied. Niemandsland is een ervaringsvoorstelling over de angst voor het vreemde en de behoefte om gezien te worden, te bestaan in de blik van een ander. Bezoekers worden opgehaald door een migrant en meegenomen op een wandeling langs onbekende gebieden en onuitgesproken gedachten.

Bekijk de trailer hier.

13 - 22 september, diverse aanvangstijden, zie agenda.
Kaarten: €18,50, Kaartverkoop alleen via Stadsschouwburg Utrecht.
Maximaal 20 bezoekers per keer.
Verzamelpunt: Bij de in/uitgang van Utrecht CS (Centrumzijde), naast de kleine BRUNA en de incheckpoortjes.
(LET OP: Het verzamelpunt is gewijzigd. We verzamelen niet langer op het Jaarbeursplein maar bij de entree van het station, zie hierboven.)
De voorstelling speelt meerdere malen per dag voor steeds maximaal 20 bezoekers. Vooraf reserveren is noodzakelijk en goede wandelschoenen worden aangeraden.

Met dank aan Corio, NS en ProRail.
In coproductie met Stadsschouwburg Utrecht.

Al sinds de opening heeft Call of the Mall een eigen radiozender. In de studio van Radio Homo Ludens, midden in Hoog Catharijne, wordt dagelijks live radio gemaakt door kunstenaar Melle Smets en zijn radiomakers.

Luister hier online naar reportages, soundscapes, interviews, oproepen, advertenties én de Radio HL koppelrubriek. Er worden steeds nieuwe fragmenten toegevoegd.

Hoog Catharijne is gebouwd naar de idealen van de Homo Ludens: de spelende mens. Het moest een plek worden voor consumptie, ontspanning en vertier. Op zoek naar wat er nog over was van die idealen ontdekte Melle Smets een opmerkelijke dorpscultuur: hier wonen, werken en recreëren dagelijks honderden mensen met veel genoegen. Met zijn radiozender geeft Smets deze dorpelingen een stem.

Short introduction of Call of the Mall:

Building a rope fountain:

​

Trailer of Call of the Mall:

 Transport of a teapot:

Kunst in Catharijne: documentary by RTV Utrecht, deel 1: (dutch)

Kunst in Catharijne, documentary by RTV Utrecht, part 2: (dutch)

Who wants to be Tank Man?
Artist seeks a face for hotly-debated artwork

For the high-profile artwork Tank Man in the exhibition Call of the Mall, the artist is seeking someone who wants to be the face of the sculpture. Tank Man is the figure who obstructed a column of tanks in China in 1989, but his identity is unknown. For Call of the Mall, Fernando Sánchez Castillo placed a lifelike sculpture of Tank Man in the midst of the shopping public. As soon as the work was installed, people started crowding around and discussing it. What is he doing here? Is he real? Who or what is he obstructing here?

A fitting face for Tank Man
Tank Man is a symbol of the brave individual who offers resistance to the power of a system in which the human measure is in danger of being lost. Who wants to follow in his footsteps? And why? The artist calls on the public to nominate themselves or others. He is looking for someone with an extraordinary story, who has, in his or her own way, demonstrated the courage to make a stand in a difficult situation for a world in which every individual can speak freely and be heard. Depending on the nominations, Castillo will select one person and make a lifelike model of their face. Our aim is to show the new version of Tank Man in the final weeks of Call of the Mall. Photographs and motivations can be sent to info@callofthemall.nl before 15 August 2013, with the subject ‘Open Call Tank Man’. 

Where is Tank Man?
The artwork Tank Man is such a success that many people really wanted to touch him. Due to this, the work was in danger of becoming damaged. For the time being, Tank Man is only on display in Hoog Catharijne during the weekends, accompanied by an attendant, who ensures that the public can view the work from close by without touching it.
Because people often come to Utrecht specifically for this work, it is possible to view Tank Man under supervision on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The work then stands in a safer location. Those interested can report to the information desk at 11.00 and 15.00 hrs. From there, they will be taken to see Tank Man. We are, however, seeking a better solution for this.

The international art exhibition Call of the Mall will take place at one of the busiest crossroads in the Netherlands: shopping mall Hoog Catharijne and Utrecht Central Station. New work by more than 25 national and international artists will be displayed in the halls, on the walls, under and on top of the roofs, and within the hidden cavities of Hoog Catharijne.
Download the concept here.

Artists Christian Jankowski, Henrik Vibskov, Wilfredo Prieto, Antonio Vega Macotela, Sylvie Fleury, Robbie Cornelissen, Nathan Coley, Pilvi Takala, Fernando Sanchez Castillo, Gabriel Lester, Melle Smets, John Miller, Troika, Bik Van der Pol, Matthew Darbyshire, Krijn de Koning, Ligna, Lily van der Stokker and many others have created new work that reflects on Hoog Catharijne as an area embodying our current times. Economic changes, failings of existing structures, transformations in personal relationships; these are some of the topics that are manifest in the art works and that relate to the area in which Call of the Mall takes place.

Most people have a strong reaction to Hoog Catharijne: you either love it or you hate it. When it opened forty years ago it was Europe’s largest indoor shopping centre. Thanks to its luxurious interior design – marble floors and walls, palm trees, an aviary, roof gardens, art and a bronze fountain, even a small theatre – a visit to Hoog Catharijne was an experience. However, the grand dame has lost much of her charm in the course of time, and a major renovation is now taking place of the entire area surrounding the train station. Call of the Mall is happening at the height of the (re)construction of the Utrecht CS and Hoog Catharijne.
Exhibiting art in Hoog Catharijne and Utrecht CS means presenting in a place brimming with social, political and cultural significance and tensions. Everything is clamouring to be seen and everyone is busy doing something. A number of works jump out at the passer-by, such as a spectacular ‘rope fountain' by the art collective Troika. Other artworks by Germaine Kruip and Ester van de Wiel offer the public a glimpse of otherwise off-limits places such as the roofs and the expedition cellar. A new film by Gabriel Lester can be seen in the shopping centre’s own Mirliton Theater. The exhibition also offers a programme of one-time presentations and performances.

Call of the Mall is organised in collaboration with the municipality of Utrecht.

An exhibition of this size, in this location, would be inconceivable without volunteers. Do you love art, are you sociable and do you have time this summer? Then sign up as a volunteer for Call of the Mall below!

We offer

Volunteering for Call of the Mall means:
–  collaborating on one of the largest art events in the Netherlands
–  being taken seriously as a volunteer and receiving good instructions
–  meeting new people and making new friends
–  acquiring interesting contacts and experience for your CV
–  getting a glimpse behind the scenes

We take good care of our volunteers, they receive:
–  a volunteers’ allowance averaging €5 per shift
–  the official Call of the Mall T-shirt
–  travel expenses
–  food & drinks during working hours
–  a hospitality- and task-focused training

We require

Call of the Mall attaches great importance to the hospitality during the event; it’s very important that you are sociable. Friendliness, patience, enthusiasm and having an open, approachable character are qualities we seek in all volunteers.

Moreover we ask the following commitment:
–  your availability for12 weeks in the period from 17 June to 22 September (2 weeks holiday)
–  14 hrs per week

The number of days per week that you’ll be present depends on the task you’ll be performing. In the job description you can read about the different teams and decide which one suits you the best. This is explained in more detail during an introductory interview and together we consider to which team you’ll be assigned.

View all the job descriptions here and click here to apply.

Do you have any questions? Send an email to Hanneke Hulshof via vrijwilligers@callofthemall.nl.

photo: Anna van Kooij

Watch the video of our try out in 2012 here.