Waiting for a bus on the Emmaplein in 1990 did not necessarily mean boredom: sheltered from wind and rain in Rem Koolhaas' Video Bus Stop, bus passengers were entertained with videos of Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson. Thirty years later, the Video Bus Stop is still the most exciting bus stop in the Netherlands. It currently hosts eMMa (experimental Multi Media art), part of the art platform NP3's programming. Kunstspot is delving into the story behind Koolhaas' bus shelter, and we spoke to Ruud Akse and Zwaan Ipema of NP3 about eMMa, where art can be seen 24 hours a day, 365 days a week.
In August 1990, the Groninger Museum opened the What a Wonderful World! exhibition. In five pavilions that were designed by well-known architects and erected in a short period of time in the city centre, the project questioned the role of video clips in public space. Led by then-director Frans Haks, the museum aimed to reveal that the music videos of well-known pop idols such as Prince and Madonna had increasingly developed their own visual language. Was it art? And what would happen to the answer to that question if video clips were moved from your living room and to public spaces? To explore this, the Groninger Museum purchased 275 video clips and asked Coop Himmelb(l)au, Peter Eisenman, Bernard Tschumi, Zaha Hadid and Rem Koolhaas to design structures in which to display them. It was a bold concept and generated a lot of national attention.
The ambitious event not only led to the construction of the well-known Tschumi Pavilion on Hereplein, but also to Rem Koolhaas' Video Bus Stop. Inspired by Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona pavilion, the bus shelter, with its iron mesh curtain and glass ceiling, is hardly striking — apart from the pop music it blares across the Emmaplein. Stichting de School provided alternative programming for a while after the event. However, after complaints from local residents about the loud noise, the Video Bus Stop soon fell silent.
50 HOURS OF ARTISTIC VIDEO CLIPS
It would remain so until 2007. Ruud Akse, who co-founded NP3 with Zwaan Ipema four years earlier, watched that with sorrow. ‘I decided to check whether there was a zoning plan with our point of contact at the city council,’ says Akse. ‘Then I was told: if you are interested, you can get the key,’ he said As long as NP3 does not change anything on the outside of the Video Bus stop and does not play any sound, they can go ahead with the programming. NPeG was born.
To stay in the tradition of videos, Ipema and Akse decided to develop a varied programme. They drew up a call for material to which hundreds of artists enthusiastically responded. ‘We were very happy with all the applications,’ says Ipema. ‘In the end, we had up to 50 hours of footage.’ The clips are categorised according to the themes Koolhaas placed on the wall of the bus shelter: humour, sentiment, politics, hi-tech, dance, erotica, exuberance, glamour, and specials. Specially designed software determined the final programming. Ipema: ‘That way, you could keep seeing new clips all the time, even if you waited for the bus at the same time every day.’
WAITING FOR THE BUS WHILE GAMING
Technological developments in the years that followed made increasingly new dimensions possible for the Video Bus Stop. In 2013, it would gain a touchscreen, and the audio would reappear via special speakers whose sound did not carry far across the square. NPeg was eventually renamed eMMa. Everything was custom-made so that nothing would need to be changed on the outside of the bus shelter. The introduction of touch and sound enabled other forms of interactive art: while waiting for the bus, you could now play games (work by Alex Myers) or generate a poem (a contribution by Stefan Nieuwenhuis). As a result, the Video Bus Stop became a stable feature against which art could constantly reinvent itself. ‘I think it is important for there to be an experiment available in which artists can express their work in public spaces,’ says Akse. ‘So when an artist proposes something that is not yet technically possible, we explore the options together.’ For example, Akse is now investigating the possibilities of sensors around the Video Bus Stop in order to create an experience that involves the entire square, including plants and trees. Ipema: ‘There is no limit to the possibilities, as long as we maintain respect for the Video Bus Stop as a work of art. That keeps it very exciting.’
VIEWING ART AT NIGHT
eMMa brings experimental art into public spaces during the day and at night. Sometimes this involves a few practical problems, such as when a few years ago a tree root grew right through an electricity cable, sidelining the bus shelter for an extended period. On the other hand, the location also allows the work on display to reach a particularly wide audience. ‘It's just a very small space, but you can have a lot of impact,’ says Ipema. ‘I also find it rather special that people who sometimes feel the trepidation of entering an institution do not experience that pressure here. That makes it approachable for people to just enjoy looking at art, even in the middle of the night.’
eMMa is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year