49m2, year 7, winter 2023 | Observation by Anne Leijdekkers

Behind me, a large building is being demolished by heavy machinery

people get off their bikes and stand watching with open mouths for a good five minutes

A man with a child, an elderly couple, a woman in a wheelchair, two children

they stand in a row and watch

I, on the other hand, am looking at a piece of ground measuring exactly 49m²

wondering what there is to see here

In my field of vision, everything seems still, nothing appears to move

no action (arm of the machine reaches for the wall) followed by reaction (wall collapses)

Everything in me wants to look back

at that impressive scene

But I don’t,

because I believe something is happening here too

– Anne Leijdekkers, March 2023