Boat Tour Whispers of the Wind

Wind touches everything—carrying with it stories of movement, power, and connection—and yet, it is often invisible, intangible, and overlooked. This workshop is an anti/decolonial transnational inquiry, where we will engage with the wind as a reservoir of knowledge, something to be listened to and learned from.

How are Dutch windmills related to the colonial occupation of the Caribbean? How is Hoorn connected with the control of the island of Curaçao? During presentations and a boat trip through Hoorn, we will contemplate the wind not only as a natural force but as a political and historical agent that shaped trade routes, plantation economies, and colonial violence.

Through exercises, shared readings, and conversation we will think critically and creatively about the role of the wind while making visible hidden stories. Together we will explore how the wind moves and touches all of us, and experiment with how we can collaborate with something we can’t hold but attempt to give form to.

Program

12:30 – Walk-in
13:00 – Introduction by fellowship residents Skye & Mirjam
13:15 – Presentation by Rianne Giesen
13:45 – Writing assignment (we will take this writing with us on the boat)
14:00 – Walk to the harbor; boarding at the ‘t Jeudje parking lot
14:10 – Boat trip
15:10 – Closing at HMK

During the boat trip, we will discuss several locations we pass by, such as the Karperkuil, the ABC site, and the West India House. We will also reflect on Hoorn's role in the colonial era and the (historical) ties between Hoorn and the Caribbean. We'll share the story of the ship Groot Hoorn, which played a crucial role in the Dutch invasion of Curaçao in 1634. Rianne Giesen will guide one or two exercises around sensing the wind. We will read excerpts from the Dictionary of the Wind and share our own texts—with each other, and with the wind.

This workshop/lecture is free and will be held in English.
Would you like to sign up? Then email: danisha@hotelmariakapel.nl

Limited spots available!