In line with the growing number of visitors and tourists in the city, some of the remnants are nitrous oxide containers. In the Netherlands it is a legally and easily accessible drug because the containers are normally used to make whipped cream, and can therefore be purchased without restrictions.
The containers, laying numerous in Amsterdam's streets, are as seeds sown in the city's gutter. The gas, in contrast to its commonly used name ‘Laughing gas’, is a less innocent drug, which can cause damage to the lungs and brain and in severe cases to the cause of death.
‘Laughing gas’ containers in the gutter is a sign of a way of life, a valve – a need for escapism and an extrovert entry in the public domain.
The collection comes from the gutters of Amsterdam. I’ve picked from under my feet, glittering objects in the gutter, shiny and tiny nitrous oxide containers, leftovers of festivities – an outcome of the basic human need for escapism, joy and self destruct.
People leave marks and traces on their city, which can be subtle or provoking, and they are exercised either consciously or unconsciously. Sometimes the tracks are seen as vandalism, or waste, or maybe as a reflection of our social and cultural habitus – an indication of a western hedonistic way of life. Amsterdam's City Centre, my own habitat, has changed radically over the last few years, with an exponential growth in the number of visitors.
