Photo: Hans Karssenberg
Rotterdam CityPoem: ElectriCity, Jeroen Bodewits
This poem in the Gouvernestraat in Rotterdam was part of a series of events for ‘September in Rotterdam’, the start of the new cultural season. The phonetic rhythm refers to talking about music, but also the sound of radios of cars passing by in the street, and the sound that comes into the streets out of windows in the summertime.
Artist Jeroen Bodewits: “With the famous Rotterdam club Nighttown around the corner, and Odeon (a podium for young fresh musical talents) a little further, this location is loaded with electricity. The poem is opposite a small park where youngsters hang out, as you can see from the graffiti around the streets. ElectriCity indicates that a large part of the energy and music in Rotterdam comes from this group.”
About the artist
Jeroen Bodewits is visual artist in Rotterdam. For more information see his website: http://www.jeroenbodewits.nl/introductie.html.
- Rotterdam (1) - mirroring the water of the Singel
- Rotterdam (2) - Surinam's national poem
- Rotterdam (3) - on waste disposal trucks
- Rotterdam (4) - Lucebert's neon poem
- Rotterdam (5) - Rotterdam's night mayer Deelder
- Rotterdam (6) - for the visitors of Blaak market
- Rotterdam (7) - on a children's hospital
- Rotterdam (8) - by Leopold
- Rotterdam (9) - haikus on the pavement
- Rotterdam (10) - boomp boomp
Inspiring Cities Museum of CityPoems
Inspiring Cities has collected many citypoems over the years, as well as organized salons with citypoets and cities doing special projects. We have two criteria for what a citypoem is: the intention must be poetic, and it must be in the public realm of cities. Shapes, form and locations can and do differ.
The Museum of CityPoems has citypoems from cities all over the world. From Alhambra to Zonnebeke, from Taipei to Lima.
Got one yourself? Mail us your pictures (free of rights) and description, and we will publish.