| • A chip off the old block ... the Kommers, father and daughter | ||||
| • The Expatriate Archive in the Archipel | ||||
| • Local resident organizes protest against child labour | ||||
| • Bridging the Gap - 5 | ||||
| • Bridging the Gap - 4 | ||||
| • Irene Vonk and her studio Colour Magic | ||||
| • Bridging "a" Gap - 3 | ||||
| • Bridging a Gap - 2 | ||||
| • Bridging the Gap - 1 | ||||
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the Kommers, father and daughter Father and daughter – Bob and Karen Kommer, both creative and with a passion for photography and people, live in a house typical of the Archipel neighbourhood.
video. He started the firm in 1952, in the basement of his house in another part of The Hague on the street Mient. Before that he made his living as a freelance photographer. In 1955, the company moved to more spacious premises in Riouwstraat, a splendid building assigned to him by the city council on condition that it would be put to both residential and commercial use. By that time, his activities included not only photography, but also films, which were commissioned by trade and industry. Caltex (Chevron) was one of his main customers, but he also worked for various shipyards and technical firms. “To begin with we hired a camera and didn’t even own a projector”, says Bob Kommer. In the sixties part of the firm moved to Van de Spiegelstraat, and the first floor was refurbished for use as a sound studio and the second floor became a film studio. Within a few years, adjacent premises were purchased to house the film production department, which of course meant more equipment and an increase in the number of staff.
He produces a pile of photographs to illustrate his point. “I also made a documentary on the work of the famous artist Co Westerik”, Kommer proudly adds. One big happy family One of Wim Kan’s first television shows broadcast by the BRT (Belgium Radio and Television) was recorded in his studio. “On this occasion a grand piano had to be hauled up to the second floor”, Kommer remembers. (Wim Kan hosted a series of New’s Year’s Conferences for the TV channel VARA that started in the 1950s.) The NTS (the national TV station now known as NOS) also made regular use of the studio in those days. “We were like one big happy family”, tells Kommer. He and his wife also took an interest in the staff from a social point of view. Kommer’s firm was one of the first to organize media training by well-known journalists and television hosts. In 1990, Bob Kommer felt that enough was enough and he brought his many activities to a close. The studio was sold to one of his staff and the production of programmes was discontinued a few years later. He is still in regular touch with his former colleagues as well as with the present owner, who transformed the sound studio into a successful video and audio production studio. Karen Kommer, photographer and illustrator Karen Kommer (b. 1954) virtually grew up her parents’ firm, helping out there during the school holidays from a very young age. She certainly is a chip off the old block, for it is clear that she has inherited her parents’ creativity. It was almost inevitable that after completing her secondary education she should train at the School for Photography. She has worked as a freelance photographer since 1976 for various publications and magazines, making numerous photo reportages of exhibitions and galleries. Polaroid camera During those days she regularly made use of a Polaroid camera, a type of camera that has been out of use for some time now. “Polaroid has purchased a total of fifteen photos from me. Recently, a special edition of The Polaroid Book was published presenting a survey of the Polaroid Corporation’s photography collection and features three of these photos”, Karen proudly states. “This book can be seen as a collector’s item and has been published worldwide by the Taschen publishing house”. By the end of the eighties, Karen had had enough of making photographs and started making “colimages”, collages composed by an elaborate system of “cutting and pasting”. She took her pieces along to publishers and art directors, who regularly purchased and published her work. Green Lips For 20 years now Karen Kommer has been active as photographer/illustrator for a variety of media clients as well as producing work for public spaces. However, her favourite activity is travel photography. She works together with her American husband, Fritz Griffin: architect, artist and author of travel stories. They have executed three-dimensional projects for Eneco, such as an advertising column located on the Trekvliet and telephone cards with the Eneco logo, also now collectors’ items. Green Lips is the creative Griffin-Kommer partnership’s latest project. It is a bilingual (Dutch-English) book of interviews with 28 young people from all over the world; all living in The Hague. They describe their favourite green spot in the city and give their views on climate change. Some remarkable ideas and solutions are presented. Climate change is a subject particularly close to the heart of this couple. They believe “the future belongs to our children”. In 2007, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the A&W Residents Association, Karen was one of the organizers of the art exposition featuring the work of Archipel and Willemspark professional and amateur artists alike in Frederikstraat. The A&W purchased the photos Karen made for the occasion and presented them to the Klokhuis Community Centre, when it was reopened after refurbishment in the same year; where they are on permanent view. Karen, always an active local resident, “was commissioned by the recently opened Hotel Mozaic on Laan Copes van Cattenburch to make photographs to be incorporated into the wallpaper for the bedrooms featuring The Hague and Scheveningen, some of which are 8 m x 3 m in size!” Reportages about animals and people are something she particularly focuses on. She is a very spiritual person, and makes photo reportages exploring the theme “illuminate yourself”. “At the request of clients I make an exploration to ‘throw light on’ a side of them that may have previously remained underexposed throughout their life. Or illustrate something emotionally important in that person’s life in some special way. As Karen puts it, “illuminating yourself through the light of the camera”. In short, these are the Kommers; multitalented residents of our neighbourhood! More information about Karen Kommer and Frits Griffin can be found at MW - January 2009 (Translated by Antoinette van der Maas) |
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The Expatriate Archive Centre in the Archipel - also an Archipel resident
The Expatriate Archive Centre, housed in the Paramaribostraat at number 20, collects, catalogues and preserves original documents and primary source material that record the social history of expatriate life. The archive was established in 2001 to provide a home for the collected writings of the Shell Ladies Project, which narrated family life experiences in 64 countries for the period 1928-1996. Since it’s inception this historical collection has grown and diversified to include a wide range of documentation such as diaries, letters, memoirs, photographs, videos, DVD’s, weblogs and oral history recordings about the lives of people abroad. The Archive became an independent foundation in April 2008. Thanks to a generous donation by Royal Dutch Shell it can now reach out to the wider international community in international organizations as well as businesses. The Archive is there for all who experience or have experienced expatriate life, whether in employment or as a partner and/or family member.
The Archive Centre always welcomes new contributions and additional sources for the collection. Documents and memorabilia forming part of the expatriate’s “paper trail” will become – with the passage of time – the evidence for reconstructing and interpreting expatriate life.
Research The Archive Centre provides a research centre for historians, sociologists and other social scientists. We also hope to inspire writers to recreate new writings from our collection for books, theatre and film. The Expatriate Archive Centre holds regular information mornings to introduce you to the history, mission and work of the archive. You will also be given the opportunity to have a look behind the scenes and see how the collection is registered and stored. To book a place contact Katrin Fraenkl at welcome@xpatarchive.com or call 070 427 20 14.
Other activities
Download 2010 Programme January - June for more detailed information. Contact In addition Archive staff and board members are available to give presentations about the archive and its activities in English or Dutch to groups and organizations, throughout the year. To find out more about the Archive and its activities come and visit us at 20 Paramaribostraat. We offer a diverse programme of introduction mornings and workshops which support the activities of the Archive. Details of the workshops and how to participate can be found on www.xpatarchive.com. You can call The Archive during office hours on 070 – 427 20 14 or send an e-mail to welcome@xpatarchive.com. We are open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday10am - 3pm; Monday by appointment only. |
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 Schoolchildren say 'Child labour must disappear from the world'
On 26 March scores of schoolchildren publicly requested Development Cooperation Minister Koenders, the Lower House of the Netherlands government and nine embassies to take an active stand against child labour. Minister Bert Koenders has emphasized that the fight against child labour is a spearhead of the Dutch human rights policy. He recognizes that there is still a lot to be done to bring a permanent halt to the exploitation of children in this way. Various parliamentarians have promised to make every effort to ensure that the policy focuses on getting all these children back to school. The ambassadors of Venezuela, Brazil and Morocco support the initiative and will advocate that that their governments take measures to combat child labour.
For more information: www.kinderarbeid.nl
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“It all started in a bar”, says Madeleine Vrielink when I asked her how she became involved with ICE – the International Cultural Exchange Group. Madeleine has lived in the Archipelbuurt since 1998; first in Balistraat and now in Burg. Karnebeeklaan. After several jobs abroad she now works for Shell in financial support. When Madeleine returned to her homeland she wanted to continue the interaction she’d enjoyed so much with her work colleagues in other countries. She is in fact vice secretary of ICE – founded in April 2003 – having become part of the organising board in May 2003; so she has been involved pretty much since its inception. A group of twelve people including a Brit, two Celts - one Irish and one Scottish, an Indonesian and a Swede decided to start an international network while chatting in the Panonica Jazz Club in The Hague’s city centre. A Dane, who was also one of the original eight main organisers and has been involved with organising events since the start of ICE in May 2003, is now chairman, whilst a Frenchman and two Dutch people are still active ICE board members and too organise group events. From the twelve who originally decided to start ICE, only the Indonesian, the Brit and the Scot are still active participants. The idea was to offer locals and internationals working or studying in The Hague a Q&A forum and social circuit through which they could find new friends, have an informal chat and as the name implies benefit from an exchange of information about the first-hand experiences of fellow participants in order to learn how things work in the Netherlands and what pitfalls to avoid. Participants vary from locals of mixed parentage (Dutch and …) or with non-Dutch partners and foreign students to short- and long-term expats. Twenty-five per cent of the more than 200-strong participants are Dutch. More seasoned “ICErs” introduce newcomers to the local scene; Madeleine for example enjoys introducing someone keen on tennis to the Bataaf - one of the nicest tennis clubs in The Hague just on the edge of our district or pointing out the wonderful array of local specialist shops in the Archipelbuurt to someone who appreciates interesting and exotic products. The age range is varied too: students in their twenties doing a masters here to more mature professionals including a rocket scientist of 55! ICE is also affiliated with Club Scandinavia which boasts 900 participants all of whom are welcome to take part in ICE’s social activities.
ICE at the recent Feel at Home in The Hague Fair: Madeleine and Jiri can be seen on the extreme right. He was looking for somewhere with plenty of storage space for his four bicycles! Two for work and two racing bikes. As it turned out the location is ideal too because of its proximity to the city centre and the beach and all the greenery. He has already made friends with a number of his neighbours - not surprising because he’s extremely charming - and even sends one of them postcards when he is on his travels! Jiri found out about ICE through the Young Shell Network and became involved in May 2007. Word of mouth is usually the way it works and although the organizers are hoping to introduce more structure to the forum on their new website (having already set up a very secure database to protect members’ privacy), they do want to preserve the “informal” character of ICE and the internal networking system of passing on “real-life” experiences to others through the Q&A forum or when participants meet each other during mid-week drinks in the centre of The Hague or monthly bowling evenings, dinners, museum trips or other events like ICE’s 4th Anniversary Party on 15 September. No wonder the Archipelbuurt is such a cosmopolitan and pleasant neighbourhood when there are energetic young professionals like Madeleine and Jiri living here, doing their bit to bridge the gap while having fun with all their international friends and acquaintances. |
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 Bridging the Gap - 4
The familiar were people like Tina Keogh and Irene Vonck who have already featured in this series. The new included a British couple from the Petroleum Wives Club who, although officially living just outside our district on the other side of Mauritskade, were very interested to hear about our residents association and this information-packed website. A North-American from Willemspark was very interested too; as were a lovely Italian man who has lived in Borneostraat for four years and a Texan couple who stayed in Billitonstraat for three months last year while visiting their daughter and “just feel in love with the Archipelbuurt”. It was also a chance to put faces to names. Madeleine Vrielink for example who is a Dutch local and a volunteer with ICE, the International Culture Exchange Group. This Group’s aim is to socialise and forge links, and to establish a support group for those temporarily or permanently based in the Netherlands… and to have fun… She and her fellow volunteer Jiri, who works at Shell and also lives in the Archipel, will shortly be featured in this edition of Bridging the Gap series - coming soon. |
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| Irene Vonk and her studio Colour Magic
She is really excited about having found the ideal premises on the corner of Billitonstraat and Borneostraat: a house with a separate studio which she recently moved into full of atmosphere. The light floods into the studio from all sides and it faces south. Wonderful… and to think that a year ago the place was full of bicycles! It’s also fortuitous that she’s located opposite Niels, who sells all sorts of second-hand articles. Customers are always coming and going; very inspiring, and she even found a couple of lovely convent benches there. She’d been looking for living accommodation with studio attached (not in the house) in the Archipelbuurt for a while; not easy to find. “It was quite by chance. Previously a bric à brac shop, and before that a business selling and repairing bikes.” She has two enormous cellars too and discovered a small storehouse on the groundfloor, which she has transformed into three bedrooms, each with en-suite bathroom. It was originally a wine importers, hence the cellars and the street-door into the studio designed to resemble a wine vat. She is justifiably proud of the window awnings recently installed on the outside of the studio, “It’s funny but they make the studio seem bigger.” Irene has decided to hold workshops and courses in decorative painting techniques in her studio. Too numerous to list here but to name just a few: stenciling, colour washing, sponging, crackle varnishing, fresco painting and trompe l'oeil. She also gives advice on colour and styling and can teach you to draw house plans to scale for example so that you can redesign your interior. She likes to focus on English-speaking women in The Hague because in her experience they have more spare time to follow courses. Irene was born in Dublin in 1952 and later grew up in England in London. She went to Falmouth School of Art in Devon and then went to Brighton where she studied interior design in the early 70s. In 1973, she made the switch to Amsterdam and decided to devote her herself to ceramics and glass making at the Rietveld Academy. After graduating she became a ceramic artist practicing the art for more than thirty years. A great quantity of clay has passed through her hands and been transformed into artworks. Her pieces can be seen in many museums here and abroad. The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam has a large number of her works in its collection. The one drawback is that clay itself is not particularly colourful; this has to be added during the latter stages of the process. Colour is her passion. It’s no coincidence that her studio is called “Colour magic”. Colour has a great influence on people. “We have an extremely strong relationship with colour. Different colours convey different things. Pale blue and green are soothing for example whereas red is the colour of passion. Yellow is sunny and cheerful and pink gives a sense of well-being and warmth. Orange is hot and lively.” Irene loves warm colours. After thirty years, Irene has literally thrown open the doors of her studio and everyone is welcome. She gives drawing and painting lessons specially for children. It’s a combination of learning techniques and professional draughtsmanship, and slowly developing a feel for perspective and above all learning to “see”. It involves the more serious aspects of technique which she combines with more natural elements that can stem from the seasons. “And in particular letting children use their imagination.” Incidentally, she conducts the lessons in English as well as Dutch, as many English-speaking children follow her courses. On 9 September, she will be participating in an initiative by Billy Allwood (The Hague Online website), who promotes activities for expats living and working in The Hague. With Kathy Voyles of Kids in the City, Irene will be offering lessons in colourful, creative drawing and painting to children from all parts of the city. Currently, she is extremely busy organizing children’s parties in her studio. The birthday boy or girl chooses a favourite theme (mermaids or princesses or cowboys or …) and after the party all the guests can take their “creations” home. Incidentally, recently a local resident celebrated his 70th birthday in the studio with his family. A very enjoyable event altogether. So big children too can go to Irene’s to celebrate a birthday creatively! Contact: hivonck@hotmail.com or 070- 3642545 Jacqueline de Vreese, June 2007 Photo: Karen Kommer |
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| Bridging "a" Gap - 3
Having a Baby in The Archipel Birth, Baby and Beyond Birth Three years later I qualified with my Diploma from Luton University in the UK and then we were relocated back to The Hague. I am very supportive of natural childbirth and it makes up about 40% of the components of my childbirth preparation course. but I also realised that although approximately 65% of women will have a straightforward labour there are a significant amount of women we are not preparing for the unexpected, including getting to grips with a different way of doing things in another country.
Baby We also have a baby music group run by one of our mothers (a fully qualified music and drama teacher). Join Monique’s Music Makers on a Wednesday morning also in the Church Lounge from 10.15 – 11.00 am. Songs in English and Dutch. After lots of encouragement from my Mums I trained in baby massage with the International Association of Infant Massage last Summer and now offer classes which combine baby massage with a postnatal follow-up course. Anxieties are shared and questions are answered mainly by the group on how the transition to parenthood is progressing. These sessions are fun, filled with laughter and relaxed and informal. And beyond Monique’s Music Makers also has a Toddler Music Group on Wednesday mornings from 11.15 – 12.00 pm. More action songs, movements and instruments for the tiny tearaways. If you are planning on having a baby and have particular anxieties or have questions about the Dutch system, are pregnant, would like antenatal classes, would enjoy learning about baby massage, or would like to join any of the groups above please feel free to contact me any time via telephone or e-mail even if it’s just for a chat. Tina Keogh |
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| Bridging "a" gap - 2
She says that the group has been running for more than twenty years and is currently attended by a total of around sixty parents and carers (including dads) of all nationalities and from various districts in The Hague, including Statenkwartier, Scheveningen, Benoordenhout and of course Archipel/Willemspark. An estimated twenty to thirty per cent of the members are local.
Broadening horizons Details: Tuesday & Wednesday: 09:45 - 11:30 Joining fee to cover administration costs: €5 per family Contact: Sarah Zijderveld sarah@zijderveld.com |
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| Bridging the Gap - 1
My name is Soul Robertson. I am South African and married to a Dutchman. We have lived here in the Archipel for 4 years now and I am a stay-at-home mum of two little girls under 3 years old. Linda Nash, who coordinates the international part of the community website run by the A/W Residents Association, asked me to introduce myself by way of a start to a “bridging the gap” initiative in our little “buurt” (neighbourhood). An attempt to draw more expats to the website with the objective of bringing the Dutch and the international residents in the Archipel and Willemspark together. Bridging the gap Make an effort Meet the locals Contact: passionateparenting@gmail.com or call 064 185 7773 |
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History and Mission
New Contributions
Peter de Ruiter – travel photographer and writer from the Archipelbuurt – and the initiator of this action campaign, believes this is a step in the right direction. 
A rather newer ICE participant who is also a local resident is Jiri Beran. Jiri is Czech and did his masters in physics in Prague after completing a number of international engineering internships. He too works at Shell doing applied research and moved to Burg. Patijnlaan almost a year ago now, having arrived in the Netherlands in November 2006. 
During our day at the Feel at Home in The Hague Inter- national Community Fair we saw some familiar faces and some new ones too.
Irene Vonck is as bright as a sunflower, especially colourful with lovely scarves tied in her hair; energetic and high-spirited as she cycles by. You can’t fail to miss her.
My name is Tina, I am married to a Dutchman Richard and have two children aged 8 and 6, and since my return to the Netherlands in 2000. I have lived in Willemspark. Nearly nine years ago I was pregnant with my first child. I must say I was happy with the Dutch system back then and probably would have had my baby here except that we were relocated to Brussels when I was 7 months pregnant. Tossed into a very different maternity system with no friends or family support I realised that the Belgian way of giving birth did not match the Dutch way and I became very confused and angry that some sort of compromise could not be reached. In the end, mindful of the fact that I had no idea how to have a baby, I bowed to the medical system and my first child was born healthy and well, epidural in place and a nice episiotomy as my battle scar. 
am trying to bridge a gap for clients from all around the world. Last year I taught 35 different nationalities including Dutch. About 20% of my clients are Dutch which normally means one of the partners. However in the last year or so I have had Dutch couples attending the class as they are looking for the alternative to Zwangerschap gymnastieken and Dad can be involved in the course 100% of the time. The aim is to address not only the physical aspects of labour and parenting but also the emotional.
Sarah Zijderveld, British, married to a Dutchman and currently celebrating the birth of her third child, is one of the eight committee members who with the help of parents and carers – run Rainbow Tots: an English speaking parents and toddlers group at the English Church of St. John & St. Philip..jpg)
Bridging a gap in social activities for very young children
A lifeline too
Hello fellow expatriates