In experiencing Amsterdam, the presence of water is ubiquitous. The cities place in history as a trading power, second to none for a period of half a century, partly makes it the place it is today. This museum was a chance to think about this more deeply. The museum chose to use video and actors to try to animate 17th Century Dutch life. I cringe a little at historical re-enactment and attempts to engage like this just feel a little uncanny, but I soon got used to it. By isolating individuals I suppose a more personal journey can be traced and the life of the anonymous individual is as valuable as the grand narrative. I really enjoyed the surprise of seeing so many early maps. Ptolemys atlas and other Renaissance artifacts from a time when a great deal of the world was still unknown. The map above of England and Ireland is way off but in the same map (Italian) Sicily is perfect. It opened up for me a line of questioning about knowledge and the quest for what lies beyond the horizon. There were examples of metals such as copper lead and iron taken from wrecks, dozens models of different ships, naval paintings and of course the recreation of a ship itself. I visited the actual location of the sinking of the Batavia in Western Australia, camping on the same coral island that the mutineers and crew lived on. It brought back memories. The whaling exhibition was also interesting. Valuable for meat products and the oil, the material that filters out plankton in the whales were used to create things such as umbrella frames, walking sticks and corsets. After hearing about Gesine's research on the Dutch still life and ornamental design, I noticed in more detail the different lithographs with their different motifs and imagery. Naturally these things also have a meaning and function beneath their mere appearance. Speculating on this provokes the imagination and stimulates for me a useful line of questioning.
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