Slinging steel wool at the NDSM wharf in Amsterdam by Jeroen de Jongh Photography

About "Slinging steel wool at the NDSM wharf in Amsterdam"

by Jeroen de Jongh Photography

About the artwork

The NDSM site is the former site of the NDSM shipyard, and now a neighbourhood in Amsterdam North.

The vacant buildings on the south-eastern part of the NDSM site were squatted in the 1990s. From this developed one of Amsterdam's 'breeding grounds', affordable living and working spaces for artists, craftspeople and supporting businesses. They united in the Kinetic North Foundation, which from 2001 was allowed to try the new uses with subsidies from various bodies. In July 2006, the large ship shed, the outdoor area and the slipways were handed over to the foundation.

Another part of the huge site is in use by the Maritiem Kwartier Amsterdam-Noord, which focuses on managing and maintaining a collection of historical sea-going ships and exploiting them for all kinds of purposes. A monumental carpentry shop housed the headquarters of MTV Networks after restoration, and since 2002 a number of discarded trams have stood on the site, which have been put to use by artists. In 2012, facilities for a marina were built. A six-hundred-metre long breakwater in the IJ was made for this purpose.

The large crane, Hensen Crane 13, on the NDSM site was dismantled in July 2013 and transferred to a yard in Franeker to be refurbished and rebuilt. In October 2013, the crane returned to the NDSM site as the Crane Hotel, consisting of three hotel suites and a television studio.

Since 2021, the STRAAT museum has been located on NDSM, a museum with changing street art objects. Currently, NDSM-West is being transformed into a high-rise urban district with up to 5,000 homes. This development will last until 2034. A 120-metre tower should become a landmark for the neighbourhood.