Amsterdam is built on wood. Amsterdam also has a long tradition of planting trees for aesthetical reasons, and presumably also for the wellbeing of the population. We know about the 17th century policy of planting trees along the newly built canals. Today Amsterdam is still a city of trees. No wonder I propagate that everyone should have a view on a tree from home, even from the tiniest home thinkable, the '3hoog achter', which means the 3rd floor on the rear side.
live drawing at residential homes, to capture the inhabitants views
The project Amsterdam 3hoog achter started during the lockdown in 2020. I made small drawings of the trees I looked upon from home. Friends and family invited me to draw 'their' tree, on the street or in their or their neighbors' backyard, because they knew a history about that tree, or they felt attached to the tree in another way. Tree experts of the municipality of Amsterdam helped me finding homes with nice views on trees... and soon I was drawing trees at homes I didn't know, inhabited by people I hadn't seen before, all over Amsterdam. While drawing the trees the residents told me their stories about these trees. Moving stories I couldn't resist to write down. A poet at whose address I made a drawing, sent me her poem about my visit afterwards. Thus I invited more poets to write a poem about their view on a tree, inviting myself to their places to portray their trees.
exhibition & publication & performances by poets and tree experts
These 52 drawings, made over the past 5 years, and tree stories and poems together document our contemporary urban living with trees. A publication containing these elements is presented at the exhibition of the project in April 2025 at WG Kunst gallery in Amsterdam. All 52 drawings were presented as a panoramic plan of Amsterdam, leading you from view on trees in the far West of Amsterdam to the ones in the most East side parts of Amsterdam. In addition poets' performances and municipal tree experts readings and tree walks in the neighbourhood.
Author: Jet Nijkamp
Publisher: Tienstuks
ISBN: 978 90 8860 198 9
Poems by Rozalie Hirs, Co Woudsma, Jos van Hest, Sanja Percela and Tsead Bruinja
Many thanks to the Amsterdam 750 Foundaton, the Jaap Harten Foundation, donations to crowdfunding organisation Voordekunst, Cultuurfonds Noord-Holland.
Schinkelbuurt Zuid Vloedlijn achter | view from the back of a houseboat - several kinds of trees - 2022
Program in April 2025
• Friday 4th April 5 PM: opening exhibition + book presentation
• Sunday 6th April 11 AM: walk along monumental trees in the neighborhood of the exhibition with tree experts Wouter van der Wulp and Luc Sour; visit of the exhibition afterwards
• Saturday 12th April 3 PM: poetry by Rozalie Hirs, Co Woudsma, Sanja Percela, Tsead Bruinja and Jos van Hest
• Saturday 19th April 3 PM: talks about urban tree planning and preservation of monumental trees and old urban nature, with three tree experts of the municipality of Amsterdam: Hans Kaljee, Pieter Boekschooten and Emma Reeskamp
A selection of the drawings in the series:
sycamore 1840/1883 & chestnut - De Pijp roof terrace '3 1/2 hoog achter' - 56 x 39 cm - 2023
chestnut - Schinkelbuurt '2hoog voor' - 2020
Schinkelbuurt 2hoog voor - white horse chestnut - Collection Amsterdam City Archives
Swedish rowan, silver maple, ash, poplar, oak - 'Geuzenveld 1hoog achter' - 49 x 32 cm - 2024
Staatsliedenbuurt 1hoog achter - prunus lusitanica - 2023
Norwegian maple, gold ash - 'Harmoniehofbuurt 2hoog voor' - diptych - 2x 49 x 32 cm - 2024
chestnut, birch, maple - 'Weesperbuurt 2hoog achter' - 50 x 65 cm - 2023
Marathonbuurt 3hoog achter - American oak - 49,5 x 64,5 cm - 2023
Park de Meer 1hoog achter - curly willow, black alder, maple, cat willow - 2023
silver lime 1950 - 'Kazernebuurt 4hoog voor' - 65 x 50 cm - 2024
The Mayor's home ground floor - 2021 - beech tree 1870
Kadijken 3hoog achter - sweet chestnut | unfortunately the nut may not be eaten because the tree is rooted in a polluted ground
IJplein veranda ground floor - cherry tree - 2023 - private collection
Rivierenbuurt 1hoog achter - 2022 - private collection
Watergraafsmeer 1hoog voor
Slotermeer 1hoog achter - cipres - 2022
Kraaiennest 8hoog achter - gray poplar - 2021
Oosterparkbuurt 2hoog achter
Spaarndammerbuurt 3hoog voor - oak - 2022
Schinkelbuurt Noord 2hoog achter - cipres - private collection
Nieuwendam dijkniveau achter - private collection
Amsterdam is built on wood. Amsterdam also has a long tradition of planting trees for aesthetical reasons, and presumably also for the wellbeing of the population. We know about the 17th century policy of planting trees along the newly built canals. Today Amsterdam is still a city of trees. No wonder I propagate that everyone should have a view on a tree from home, even from the tiniest home thinkable, the '3hoog achter', which means the 3rd floor on the rear side.
live drawing at residential homes, to capture the inhabitants views
The project Amsterdam 3hoog achter started during the lockdown in 2020. I made small drawings of the trees I looked upon from home. Friends and family invited me to draw 'their' tree, on the street or in their or their neighbors' backyard, because they knew a history about that tree, or they felt attached to the tree in another way. Tree experts of the municipality of Amsterdam helped me finding homes with nice views on trees... and soon I was drawing trees at homes I didn't know, inhabited by people I hadn't seen before, all over Amsterdam. While drawing the trees the residents told me their stories about these trees. Moving stories I couldn't resist to write down. A poet at whose address I made a drawing, sent me her poem about my visit afterwards. Thus I invited more poets to write a poem about their view on a tree, inviting myself to their places to portray their trees.
exhibition & publication & performances by poets and tree experts
These 52 drawings, made over the past 5 years, and tree stories and poems together document our contemporary urban living with trees. A publication containing these elements is presented at the exhibition of the project in April 2025 at WG Kunst gallery in Amsterdam. All 52 drawings were presented as a panoramic plan of Amsterdam, leading you from view on trees in the far West of Amsterdam to the ones in the most East side parts of Amsterdam. In addition poets' performances and municipal tree experts readings and tree walks in the neighbourhood.
Author: Jet Nijkamp
Publisher: Tienstuks
ISBN: 978 90 8860 198 9
Poems by Rozalie Hirs, Co Woudsma, Jos van Hest, Sanja Percela and Tsead Bruinja
Many thanks to the Amsterdam 750 Foundaton, the Jaap Harten Foundation, donations to crowdfunding organisation Voordekunst, Cultuurfonds Noord-Holland.
Program in April 2025
• Friday 4th April 5 PM: opening exhibition + book presentation
• Sunday 6th April 11 AM: walk along monumental trees in the neighborhood of the exhibition with tree experts Wouter van der Wulp and Luc Sour; visit of the exhibition afterwards
• Saturday 12th April 3 PM: poetry by Rozalie Hirs, Co Woudsma, Sanja Percela, Tsead Bruinja and Jos van Hest
• Saturday 19th April 3 PM: talks about urban tree planning and preservation of monumental trees and old urban nature, with three tree experts of the municipality of Amsterdam: Hans Kaljee, Pieter Boekschooten and Emma Reeskamp
A selection of the drawings in the series:
Schinkelbuurt 2hoog voor - white horse chestnut - Collection Amsterdam City Archives
sycamore 1840/1883 & chestnut - De Pijp roof terrace '3 1/2 hoog achter' - 56 x 39 cm - 2023
Swedish rowan, silver maple, ash, poplar, oak - 'Geuzenveld 1hoog achter' - 49 x 32 cm - 2024
Marathonbuurt 3hoog achter - American oak - 49,5 x 64,5 cm - 2023
chestnut, birch, maple - 'Weesperbuurt 2hoog achter' - 50 x 65 cm - 2023
Park de Meer 1hoog achter - curly willow, black alder, maple, cat willow - 2023
Staatsliedenbuurt 1hoog achter - prunus lusitanica - 2023
IJplein veranda ground floor voor - cherry tree - 2023 - private collection
Rivierenbuurt 1hoog achter - 2022 - private collection
Schinkelbuurt Zuid Vloedlijn achter | view from the back of a houseboat - several kinds of trees - 2022
Spaarndammerbuurt 3hoog voor - oak - 2022
Schinkelbuurt 2hoog achter - private collection
The Mayor's home ground floor - 2021 - beech tree 1870
Watergraafsmeer 1hoog voor - valse acacia - 2022
Bos en Lommer 1hoog achter - Italian poplar - 2022 - private collection
Oosterparkbuurt 2hoog achter - 2021
Nieuwendam dijkniveau achter - private collection
Kraaiennest 8hoog achter - gray poplar - 2021
chestnut - Schinkelbuurt '2hoog voor' - 2020