observatie contra observatie
Pieter Paul Pothoven

Pallet with posters on the occasion of Pieter Paul Pothoven’s presentation ‘observatie contra observatie’ in Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, ‘In The Presence of Absence’, proposals for the Museums Collection, 2020.

In observatie contra observatie, a spoken monologue takes center stage. It dramatizes the events surrounding the initial RARA attack on a Makro establishment in Duivendrecht on September 17, 1985, and subsequent actions between 1985 and 1987. These attacks compelled the SHV, Makro's parent company, to withdraw from South Africa. Pothoven crafted the script from the perspective of multiple activists, drawing from interviews and historical documents. The monologue is broadcasted on a radio station constructed by a RARA participant. The script is available on a takeaway poster, featuring a photo of a wood stove used by RARA not only for heating but also for incinerating evidence after illegal actions.

Printed in offset at Zwaan Lenoir on 90 gr/m2 Etibulk.