'Los Zand' — An investigation into the Tower of Babel
When I think of the Tower of Babel, I think of language, of Breughel's tower lying like a cake in the landscape, of God and the tarot card with figures tumbling off a burning tower. I'm thinking of confusion of speech, the risk of collapse and the human desire to understand the divine.
The Tower of Babel at the NDSM shipyard is an idea by artist Guido van der Werve. The goal is to create an architectural installation where polyphony is central. By inviting Amsterdammers to bake bricks, edit textiles and have street art created under the direction of artists such as Fouad Lakbir, Tina Lenz, Mick La Rock and Bengin Dawod, we are working on the one hand to build an installation and, on the other hand, to facilitate a place to exchange stories and deepen everyone's perspective on the city.
In the Bible story, all people speak one language, they decide to build a city with a tower that reaches to the sky because they want to “make a name for themselves” and avoid being scattered all over the Earth. Where, on the one hand, this story reads as a historical explanation for why people speak countless languages, but on the other hand, I read an illustration of thinking ahead. The tower is the crowning glory of the city that has just been built, as a symbol of what people are capable of when they join forces.
If the tower in the Bible story symbolises what people are capable of, perhaps the question underlying God's intervention is as follows: What are people prevented from when they focus on building the tower?
Imagine the Earth without cities. Can you see into the distance? Do you hear an animal calling? Are there open fields, dense forests, tall mountains, and winding rivers that expand as far as the power of the water reaches? A group of people form clay blocks with their bare hands and bake them in the fire, coat the blocks with potato starch and stack them on top of each other. I imagine a rhythm, buzz, stories shared as the city unfolds in a nature reserve and then moves slowly upward. Was the goal to achieve a certain prestige or is a connection with the divine being sought in the construction of this tower? Each stone as a prelude to heaven, a staircase to the house of God. In the Bible story, God comes down to intervene. While observing people and listening to the rhythmic stacking of stones, he says in Genesis: “This is just the beginning.” Was that a prophetic note with a look at the present?
The tower in the tarot deck is on the table in front of me. In the distance, I hear piles, a highway, sirens, a truck rushing by. With my finger, I follow the contours of the tower on the map. I wonder why God intervened. Why did He descend and confuse people with speech? In the tarot, the tower refers to the crumbling of a strong conviction, putting everything on loose sand. It is an insurmountable thing, so that there is room for something new. This tower can be a lonely place, where old ideas and mummified feelings prevail. On the tarot card, I see a green door in the tower where three steps lead. The steps refer to acceptance and integration of a new form of knowledge, such as a new worldview or a new narrative about the self. Only then can the tower door open and the
reveal the inside. Only then does the construction of a narrative that no longer serves you collapse. The tower is also compared to an oven where the philosopher's stone unfolds.
If the tower in the Bible story symbolises what people are capable of, perhaps the question underlying God's intervention is as follows: What are people prevented from when they focus on building the tower? What story is being created and does it actually help people? According to God, all strength, knowledge and energy are combined and used to gain outer strength, in the desire for fame. Cultivating the earth is forgotten, caring for each other is on the back burner. In the tarot, God's intervention is therefore explained as a solution instead of punishment. Because of the confusion of speech, people are returning to the question of what it means to be human. Like the tarot card refers to deconstructing a story you've told yourself. The tumble of the tower offers space to start again, to reconnect with the Earth, with yourself, with each other.
In this light, the art project at the NDSM shipyard is an interesting sequel. God is not sought in the air, but within interaction with fellow Amsterdammers. The construction of the installation is not the goal, but the means to facilitate a space where meetings can take place. The word “building” takes on a new meaning in the workshops that are organized at the NDSM shipyard, where polyphony (or confusion of speech) is approached as something positive. Not one building block is the same, each person brings something unique and building is about creating and participating from that individuality. The workshops thus form spaces for connection and the exchange of stories. Something that may have become rare in the city and something that the tarot card with the tower provides insight into. Which wall should you let go of, what can you let go of to experience (again) connection?
