Embedded Narrative: The Parking Lot

Despite its central location, Het Landje by Paradiso, Amsterdam, has never been built on. From the early development of its urban surroundings, the plot served various uses, and was the subject of numerous future plans, each of which weaves a narrative – and collectively they tell the story of this small plot of land. Reimagining its rather dreary function as a parking lot during the 1960s-1980s, we attempted to reconstruct its image as a surreal urban landscape, drawing inspiration from the paintings of renowned local artist Carel Willink. This theatrical image attempts to grasp the tension between the two occupants of the land: the cars, and the participants of the alternative cultural scene of Paradiso, viewing the parking lot as its extension.

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This small exercise formed the foundations of my reading of this plot, which resulted in the architectural proposal titled Post-Foreign.