Selwerd residents are the unhappiest Groningers, according to a study that appeared earlier in the media. Artists Inge and Martin Riebeek were commissioned by the CBK (Kunstpunt Groningen) to investigate and made a film about it: Home = here. Spoiler alert: they do not agree with the study.
Some 6,000 people with as many as 88 different nationalities live in the Selwerd district. As you cycle through the neighbourhood, you come across various houses: well-maintained single-family houses, neglected student flats and small flats for the elderly. According to artist Inge Riebeek, the neighbourhood is ‘a total society in miniature’.
Inge and her husband Martin Riebeek were commissioned a year and a half ago to find out whether people in Selwerd really are the unhappiest Groningers. The artists from Breda had never heard of the Selwerd district. But their first impression was positive: ‘If you come here thinking that the most unhappy people live here, of course everything is not so bad,’ Martin says with a chuckle.
The couple travel the world together. They ask different people the question: what is the essence of your life? In turn, they get to hear the most beautiful but sometimes shocking stories. They incorporate these stories into various projects. In this case, it became a film.
When asked to describe the film in a sentence, the room stays silent for a long time. ‘The theme that came up in all the interviews is charitas, or caring for each other, and freedom. That is what matters most to people,’ says Inge. According to Martin, the essence of the film is: ‘How do you relate to another person.’
The people featured in the film are simply people the artists encountered on the streets. Prior to the on-camera interview, several conversations are held. ‘'It is a slow process. You meet someone, you talk to someone and then you ask “well, would you like to talk about this on camera”?’, Martin explains. ‘We want people to trust us and feel comfortable with us.’
The film alternates between monologues from Selwerd residents and monologues from people around the world. There are similarities among the stories. For instance, a woman who owns a farm between large flats in Kiev is interviewed, after which a couple from Selwerd tells their story about the chicken farm they have set up in the middle of the neighbourhood behind their house.
The premiere of the film Home = Here was on Friday 20 November at the community centre in Selwerd. The small auditorium was quite crowded during the screening of the film. People even had to stand. Some of the residents interviewed for the film were in the audience. Every time one of them comes into view, you hear whispers: ‘Ah, that's me’ or ‘Hey, that's you!'
The artists' final verdict on Selwerd? ‘I can't imagine that these are the unhappiest Groningers,’ says Inge. Would the artists themselves want to live in Selwerd? ‘I don't think it's such a bad neighbourhood,’ laughs Inge. ‘But I’d like a courtyard like this!’
The premiere was part of the Groningen festival Let's Gro, which took place in the city on 19, 20 and 21 November. At more than 30 locations, people could learn about initiatives, ideas and inspirations for and by Stadjers (a nickname for Groningen denizens) for free.