The Dutch poet Alfred Schaffer.

These pictures were taken on the ferry to and from North Amsterdam, which resulted, in collaboration with the poet (and my bf) Joost Baars, in the photo-installation "Halverwege" ('Halfway there'). The installation was exhibited at the Tolhuistuinfestival in 2007.
Click here to hear two poems from the "Halverwege" installation (in Dutch).

Z magazine, January 2008

Z magazine, August 2007

(Published in Z magazine, september 2006).

Igor de Kort: 'The university-world was sometimes cold and distant. I tried to stay myself by doing a magic trick whenever I had to give a lecture, or making something creative when there was something to celebrate. Also, I didn't think I was a brilliant scientist. Again and again I would ask myself: who needs me as a scientist? That question didn't let go of me anymore. Collegues and professors thought it was a shame that I didn't finish my thesis, but maybe they couldn't think outside their own world and couldn't see that I can do much more for the world as a clown.'

Excerpt from: Z magazine, February 2006. Text: Maaike Lange.

NRC Handelsblad, January 2006 (photo from the book De vijfde verdieping)

Truus, 72, former owner of a supermarket, and Chippy. At the Gaasperplas.

'I come here every day, for Chippy. Sometimes I take him for a walk around the entire lake, which is a beautiful walk and takes about half an hour. I live nearby, in a very quiet area. Not far away from here there are neighboorhoods with all kinds of bad things happening. But here by the Gaasperplas and where I live, I don't feel unsafe. I used to go on vacation to see beautiful nature, but not anymore since my husband died. Now the Gaasperplas is enough for me.'

Excerpt from: Z magazine, July 2005

Below some textfragments and photos from the book "De vijfde verdieping" (Uitgeverij Podium, 2005), ('The fifth floor'). This book was made by myself and my mother, Pieke Stuvel, who wrote the text. The fifth floor is a small closed psychogeriatric ward of an old people's home, where patients in different stages of Alzheimer's disease live together. My grandmother Boemel lived there too.

In the text below, the people who are called by their first names are caregivers.



Jeroen (23) admits that, since he began working here, he has adopted a different view of life. 'I started living wild. After all, you have only one lifetime. When you're old, you can't do that anymore.' He takes a bite of his sandwich. 'So I seize the day.'

'Apparently, taking care of people comes naturally to me,' Jeroen says, somewhat surprised, 'I like this job because of the residents. I like the way they can touch me and how I seem to cheer them up. They make me feel appreciated. I can be myself here. That is difficult, you know, in some jobs, to stay who you are.'

(Photo above: Doctor Sutorius at work)

All her life my mother has been sensitive to men. Handsome men especially.
A few years ago she had such a heavy epileptic seizure after which she remained unconcious for so long, that Rosalieke called for doctor Sutorius. At the very moment that he was bending over her in concern, she opened up her eyes. She looked straight in the doctor's face and, barely recovered, she said: 'Do you... know... that with... such a face... you will make... every young... girl...crazy?'
A few days later when I ran into him on the stairs, Flip Sutorius told me the story, shaking with laughter.


"Boemel is wakker. Ze ziet eruit alsof ze zich gevangen voelt. Ze slaat het dekbed steeds een eindje op. Ik zoek in de boekenkast naar vermaak. Hebbes: De Schoolmeester.
'Aardig.' fluistert ze als ik een gedichtje heb voorgelezen.
De Schoolmeester kent ze nog wel. Mijn vader was niet voor niets met hart en ziel een rasechte schoolmeester. Iedere keer verrast me het enorme contrast tussen wat mijn moeder zeggen kan en begrijpen kan - hoewel het begrip en de herkenning op praktisch hetzelfde moment weer uit haar geheugen worden gewist. Dat betekent overigens niet dat het korte moment van herkenning haar gevoel van welzijn niet veel langer gunstig kan beïnvloeden.
Vandaag gaan we het toch maar weer eens met de rolstoel proberen. Ze is meer dan een week haar bed niet uit geweest.
'Ze ziet er ineens heel anders uit,' zegt Brenda als we even later in de huiskamer zitten. 'Ze kijkt zo wakker uit haar ogen.'
Zal De Schoolmeester haar deze keer wakker hebben gekust?"

Foto boven: Mijn moeder en oma

Excerpts from:
De Vijfde verdieping, De wereld rond een dementerende moeder. Uitgeverij Podium, 2005.
Text: Pieke Stuvel. Photos: Liza de Rijk. (Published in Dutch).