Prison Break? (Re)constructing the Spatial Memory of Bijlmerbajes through the Senses

Established as the first and only ‘humane’ prison in the Netherlands, the prison
complex Bijlmerbajes in Amsterdam is currently undergoing an extensive
transformation to become a ‘green’ neighborhood. From an understanding
that (former) prison sites have become a commodity (Morin 2013), this chapter
explores how the memory of the Bijlmerbajes changes – and is changed –
through the sensory, spatial and mediated experience of events both taking
place in and drawing on the past, present and future of the site. The fine-dining
pop-up ‘De Maaltuin’ and the art exhibition ‘Big Art’ function as key examples
to trace spatial memories between online and offline experiences. Through an
analysis of the visual and discursive framing by organizers, participants and
visitors, this chapter argues that these events can be understood as a
(re)framing of the past, a (re)writing of the present and a (re)construction of the
future at the complex intersection between media, memory and the senses.