THURSDAY 18 DECEMBER
Fashion: Christophe Coppens—No Reference
Whatever may rouse the DIYer in you—tightening of the global purse
strings, winter weather, reality TV shows—you won’t want to miss
Christophe Coppens’ installation. Not only are the Belgian designer’s
pieces being uniquely shown as works-in-progress, but you can help him
stitch. Those who are handy with needle and thread are invited to
assist putting the finishing touches on the collection of 33 couture
accessories. And who knows where the objets d’art will land?
Brussels-based Coppens has bonneted members of the Belgian royal family
and singer Roisin Murphy frequently appears on stage in one of his
surrealist capes or Alice in Wonderlandian hats. For visitors sans
inner couturier, No Reference will still be an interesting display of
pageantry: on just how Coppens is spending the €20,000 H+F Fashion
Award he received last year. (Karina Hof) Platform 21, 14.00-18.00. Until 18 January.
FRIDAY 19 DECEMBER
Photography: Frits Lemaire—The Chocolate Expedition
In 1951, chocolate producer Van Houten commissioned a film about the
harvesting of cocoa beans in Ghana. A team was picked, that included
the photographer, cameraman and tribal art expert Frits Lemaire, and
they drove a military truck from Weesp via Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris,
Alger, Sahara, Kano and Lagos to finally arrive in Accra. It was an
old-fashioned adventure. This exhibition of Lemaire’s photography shows
the Sahara as a desert but not as deserted: with its waves of sand,
mines of salt and oasis dwellers. Besides voodoo, the Tropenmuseum now
has another excellent reason to visit it. (Steve Korver) Tropenmuseum, 10.00-17.00. Until 14 June 2009.
SATURDAY 20 DECEMBER
Rock: Amsterdam Hard
It’s a merry ol’ potluck of the city’s underground scene tonight
with a band for every taste—as long as your taste embraces the rocky,
rootsy and/or rancid. Representative is Amsterdam’s psychobilly legends
Asmodeus who are saying farewell after 15 years of being the band Elvis
would join if he ever rose from the dead as a blood sucking zombie.
Also featured are the salon anarchists Human Alert, the surfing birds
Los Tiki Boys, the tasteless rockers The Works, the rockin’ raw
bluegrass boys The Pedro Delgados, the sex blues duo 69ers and—the only
non-Amsterdam act—.357 String Band who pump out an amphetamine-fuelled
streetgrass. It should all be joyous as fuck. (Steve Korver) Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 19.00, €15 + membership.
SUNDAY 21 DECEMBER
Art: Lost & Found
Nearly everybody has one—a little collection of useless things that
are impossible to throw away because they are nice, or funny, or cool.
But you only ever come across these things in the process of moving
house, or a very thorough cleaning extravaganza. Then you look at them
and they make you smile—but the rest of the time they just rot away in
the back end of some cupboard. Unless you’re an artist. Those lucky
people have a profession that allows them to take useless things and
make something out of them that might still be useless, but is looked
at by a large quantity of other people. Here’s where Lost & Found
comes in. They ask around in their network of artists and other
interesting people, and make them hand over their things, and then
organise events where all that is exhibited. Completely useless. But
funny, and nice, and cool. (Sarah Gehrke) Escape, 21.00, €9.
TUESDAY 23 DECEMBER
Gospel: The Very Best of Black Gospel
When the nuts start cracking at the ballet house, it’s time for
gospel at the Concertgebouw. This year, the rather unhumbly-titled
‘Very Best of Black Gospel’ features some dozen singers and musicians
from all corners of the US and from as far off as South Africa,
offering high-spirited renditions of mainstays—‘Whole World in His
Hands’, ‘Oh, Happy Day’ and ‘Down by the Riverside’—along with
chestnuts of the Christmas season. No great innovations here, just a
tradition kept aglow. They’ll surely raise spirits and fill the hall
with full-throated warmth—and who could want for anything else. (Steve
Schneider) Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 16.00, 20.15, €36.12/€42.50.
Electronica: Kraak & Smaak
You know you’ve made it when American cop shows with initials in
their titles are using your songs. Leiden’s upbeat, funky breaks trio
Kraak en Smaak scored just that with feelgood single ‘Squeeze Me’
earlier this year. That said, they don’t really need CSI’s help—the
song’s own video, of flick-book trick photography was cool enough for
Kanye’s tick of approval. Their most recent album Plastic People, has
been a huge break-out overseas, allowing them to tour the world, sell
out New York gigs and appear on US talk shows. Onstage, it switches
between DJ and band mode, but this week’s show will see a busy stage
with singer, MC, drums, bass, keyboards and percussion to leave a
crunchy after-taste. (Colin Delaney) Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 20.00, €12.50 + membership.
