Architecture highlight and museum of migration

DW (English)

Rotterdam has a new architectural highlight: the Fenix art museum, where the focus is on migration.

Transcript

00:00The new Phoenix Museum of Migration in the Dutch city of Rotterdam brims with history.

00:05Courage, despair, hope, migration has many faces and facets.

00:11Above all, it brings both hope and uncertainty into the lives of the migrants and those around them.

00:18Even with this politically charged subject, the museum isn't just about statistics and laws.

00:23Migration is part of who we are as human beings.

00:26As long as we exist as people, we move and we migrate.

00:31And we will always keep on doing that.

00:34There is really a migration story to tell in every family.

00:37And what we want to show here is that migration is timeless and universal, but above all, very personal.

00:45The museum is located in a former dockside warehouse,

00:49which served as a departure point for millions of Europeans during the 19th and 20th centuries.

00:55Many of them were seeking their fortunes in America.

00:58The newly opened museum is already making an impression with its architecture.

01:03The building is crowned by the tornado, a double helix steel staircase that winds its way through the entire museum

01:10and ends in a viewing platform on the roof.

01:14The idea came from Chinese architect Ma Yansong.

01:18At a certain level, you can choose different routes, come down and go up from different routes,

01:25and then you can run into different people.

01:28Strangers, for example.

01:30And then you start to meet other visitors.

01:33So I think that's become the metaphor for migration.

01:39You know, you start your journey, you have your destination, and then you walk through the time.

01:48Approximately 150 exhibits by international artists all deal with migration in one way or another.

01:56Many have incorporated their own experiences into their works.

02:00A lot of our artists, they have a migration background.

02:05So they either have like an own migration experience or they did research.

02:10And that can be quite emotional because it's about homesickness, it's about saying farewell,

02:16it's about communication or not able to communicate, and it's also about finding a home.

02:23These clay heads depict 116 Rotterdam residents and are the work of Israeli artist Efrat Zehavi, who moved to Rotterdam in 2001.

02:34She discovered that when you ask people where they are going, they often tell you where they have come from.

02:40In the bus designed by American artist Red Grooms, visitors can briefly immerse themselves in New York City life.

02:48You can step inside and soak up the vibe of this multicultural metropolis, imagining yourself as part of it.

02:56Few migration stories come without baggage.

02:59It usually has more than just practical meaning for its owners.

03:06Two thousand luggages are two thousand very personal stories that talk about sacrifices being made for a better life.

03:15Which means going towards an uncertain future, optimistic, but also leaving behind the people you love.

03:21So the luggages are full with hope and full with pain.

03:26And that's the universal element of this labyrinth.

03:30The oldest suitcase in the Phoenix Museum came to the Netherlands on the Trans-Siberian Railroad in 1898.

03:38Visitors can listen to the stories behind the luggage in the suitcase labyrinth.

03:44In the Family of Migrants photo exhibition, 136 photographers chronicle farewells, journeys and arrivals.

03:54The photos illustrate what it means for people to emigrate, find their way in a new home and settle down.

04:04At the Phoenix Museum, visitors are provided with insights into the feelings, emotions and stories surrounding migration.

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