Some ideas appear so straightforward that we simply take them for granted and rarely, if ever, question them. The existence of - and difference between - here and there, and the related terms of now and then, are just a few of those concepts that most of us likely never think about in depth.

Hello world, we are approaching March of 2022, and looking over the Dutch horizon, wildflowers are blooming, the wind is gusting through these frail tree branches. Pondering on these thoughts, what were you doing last December? Where were you in February 2021? Do you remember the last time you made a goal?  As we roll into the year of 2022, with most having aged two whole COVID years, a lot of people dread the question - So… what is your new year resolution?

Ron Barten’s photographs are part of his personal research for the Interiors Building Cities graduation studio at TU Delft.  They portray the streetscape of Rotterdam with a careful eye, looking at how the city indirectly converses with its citizens, either through text, signs, graffiti, labels, and symbols. Such a diversity of languages often occurs in the space of two metres, on the buildings’ plinth. Here, the formal language of the landlord intersects with the informal response of who dwells in the city. A discussion that changes over time; a confrontation, questioning to whom the street really belongs.