Big Book

A meeting this afternoon with the structural engineer and the supervisor about Hirschhorn’s Big Book. It is one of the most complicated things in OSA. Of course it has to comply with all sorts of regulations, so that the book – which will be 11 meters high! – will stand for at least 2 months. We should also find some way so that it won’t sink in the blubber (the Bijlmer is a polder after all and one with an extremely high ground water level at that). Then we have to use materials that won’t cost that much money. And last but not least, it should be low tech enough so that it can be built by amateurs i.e. inexperienced youths from the Bijlmer. If this isn’t a challenge, I don’t know what is…but we are very fortunate to have a top class structural engineering firm and architectural office working on it. And the supervisor is a retired, very experienced building inspector. So I am optimistic.

There is other good news: Thomas just e-mailed me from New York, where he is working on an exhibition at Gladstone. He has contracted the first world famous philosopher to come to the festival. I am dying to tell who, but I may not (yet).

The website for The Bijlmer Spinoza-Festival will go on air pretty soon. Maybe he'll disclose the name on the site.