Viewpoints – Placecloud

Burning Man is an annual carnival of creativity that takes place on the playa of the Black Rock Desert, in northwest Nevada. It typically attracts 60,000 people, and is considered by many to be the biggest and best party in the world. Participants pay a few hundred dollars admission, and spend a number of days immersed in the spectacle, full of music, performances, continuous raves, and spontaneous events. Burning Man compels a staggering amount of creative production, including temporary sculptures as large as buildings, and culminates in a wicker-man-like conflagration on the last day. After the event, all of the structures and infrastructures of the temporary city, briefly the third largest community in Nevada, disappear. Some of the material is stored in rows of shipping containers at a ranch nearby, and much returns to the San Francisco Bay area, where the majority of the organizers and participants come from.

Inyokern, United States. This 2,000-foot long tunnel, approximately seven feet in diameter, was chiseled through a mountain by William Henry "Burro"  Schmidt with hand tools and explosives. Begun in 1906 as a means of transporting ore from his mine to the processing site, Schmidt devoted the following 32 years of his life to digging the tunnel, apparently losing interest in his mining enterprise, until he broke through the mountainside on the other end.

Camdenton, United States. A tourist cave with a wedding theme. Thousands of couples have taken their vows in the natural chapel within this cave.

Branson, United States. This resort city in the Ozarks calls itself "The Live Music Show Capital of the World." This city contains over 30 live performance theaters playing an average of 60 stage shows at any given time. While Branson is traditionally known for its country western music performances it currently features a wide array of family oriented entertainment including musical variety, dance, comedy and magic.

Braddock, United States. Braddock, Pennsylvania is a deflated old steel town which became known for a recent and unusual redevelopment effort. From a peak population of 18,000 after World War II, there are now just over 2,000 residents. In 2005, a new young mayor, John Fetterman, was elected and promoted the town’s dystopic qualities as an asset. His highly publicized ideas for the town include urban farming, and free loft space to artists. A few post-urban homesteaders have moved to town, including artists from Brooklyn, New York. Community gardens and bread ovens are cropping up, next to the looming Edgar Thompson steel works, still operating at a large scale.

London, United Kingdom. Holding the North Sea at bay to protect London from flooding, the Thames Barrier is an extraordinary feat of engineering. It is also constantly under threat, in a world where time and tide are slowly, inexorably, winning. How long can it hold? Nobody knows.

London, United Kingdom. Standing at the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, this short audio viewpoint explores the line from which global time and longitude are measured. It explains how and why this point was fixed here, and considers how Britain’s drive to measure the world continues to shape how we locate ourselves within it.

The Hague, The Netherlands. O Portão dos Prisioneiros, aqui em Haia, foi usada de 1420 até 1828 para abrigar pessoas que haviam cometido crimes graves enquanto aguardavam a sentença. Desde então, já foi sede de um clube literário, de um museu e de uma galeria de arte. É também o local onde, a única vez na história mundial, um primeiro-ministro foi comido pelo seu próprio povo.

The Hague, The Netherlands. De Gevangenenpoort, hier in Den Haag, werd van 1420 tot 1828 gebruikt om mensen op te sluiten die ernstige misdrijven hadden gepleegd terwijl zij op hun vonnis wachtten. Vervolgens heeft het gebouw onderdak geboden aan een literaire club, een museum, en een kunstgalerie. Het is ook de plek waar, de enige keer in de wereldgeschiedenis, een minister-president door zijn eigen volk werd opgegeten.

The Hague, The Netherlands. The Gevangenenpoort, Prisoner’s Gate, here in The Hague, from 1420 until 1828, was used for housing people who had committed serious crimes while they awaited sentencing. It has since then been home to a literary club, a museum, and an art gallery. It’s also the location where, the only time in world history, a prime minister was eaten by his people.

Terme, Türkiye. Encontramo-nos a poucos quilômetros da pequena cidade de Terme, nas margens meridionais do Mar Negro, na Turquia. Logo à frente, vemos uma estátua de uma guerreira amazona, erguendo arco e flecha.

Terme, Türkiye. We bevinden ons hier een paar kilometer buiten het stadje Terme, aan de zuidelijke oevers van de Zwarte Zee, in Turkije. Recht voor ons zien we een standbeeld van een Amazone krijger, met gespannen pijl en boog.

Terme, Türkiye. We find ourselves a few kilometers outside of the small town of Terme, on the southern shores of the Black Sea, in Turkey. Just ahead, we can see a statue of an Amazonian warrior, raising a bow and arrow.

Fortaleza, Brazil. O estado brasileiro do Ceará é uma das regiões mais pobres do Brasil. O PIB per capita é apenas um terço do das pessoas no estado de São Paulo, e nem mesmo um quinto do que se vê na região do Distrito Federal, ao redor da capital Brasília.

Fortaleza, Brazil. De Braziliaanse deelstaat Ceará is een van de armere regio’s van het land. Het BBP per hoofd van de bevolking bedraagt slechts een derde van dat van de inwoners van de deelstaat São Paulo, en nog niet eens een vijfde van dat van de regio rond de hoofdstad Brasília.

Fortaleza, Brazil. The Brazilian state of Ceará is one of the poorer regions of Brazil. The GDP per capita is just a third of that of the people in the state of Sao Paulo, and not even a fifth of those in the district around the capital of Brasilia.

Vera Cruz, Brazil. Hoje, de pé na Ilha de Itaparica, com a brisa do mar acariciando as muralhas do antigo Forte de São Lourenço, é fácil se deixar embalar pelo ritmo lento da Bahia. Mas sob essas águas e pedras corre uma corrente mais profunda e sombria, uma que remonta a um império fugaz, construído sobre comércio, ambição e sangue.

Vera Cruz, Brazil. Staand op het eiland Itaparica, met de zeebries die langs de wallen van het oude fort São Lourenço waait, is het gemakkelijk om mee te deinen op het trage ritme van Bahia. Maar onder deze wateren en stenen schuilt een diepere, donkerdere stroom; een die teruggaat naar een vluchtig imperium gebouwd op handel, ambitie en bloed.

Vera Cruz, Brazil. Standing on Itaparica Island today, with the sea breeze brushing past the ramparts of the old fort of São Lourenço, it’s easy to be lulled by the slow rhythms of Bahia. But beneath these waters and stones lies a deeper, darker current; one that stretches back to a fleeting empire built on commerce, ambition, and blood.

The Hague, The Netherlands. Você está no Binnenhof, o coração da República Holandesa. Imagine: é o inverno de 1642; janelas estreitas filtram a pálida luz do norte nas salas abobadadas. Pisos de pedra ecoam passos suaves. As portas pesadas de carvalho estão fechadas, mas atrás delas está reunida a Assembleia dos Estados Gerais, um grupo de burgueses, regentes e enviados que têm nas mãos o destino de um império.

The Hague, The Netherlands. Je bevindt je op het Binnenhof, het hart van de Nederlandse Republiek. Stel je voor: het is de winter van 1642; smalle ramen filteren het bleke noorderlicht in de gewelfde zalen. Stenen vloeren weerklinken met zachte voetstappen. De zware eiken deuren zijn gesloten, maar daarachter is de Staten-Generaal in zitting, een gezelschap van burgers, regenten en gezanten die het lot van een rijk in handen hebben.

The Hague, The Netherlands. You are standing in the Binnenhof, the heart of the Dutch Republic. Imagine this is the winter of 1642; narrow windows filter the pale northern light into the vaulted chambers. Stone floors echo with quiet footsteps. The thick oak doors are shut, but beyond them, the States-General is in session, a body of burghers, regents, and envoys who hold the fate of an empire in their hands.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Era a primavera de 1642, e os corredores da sede da Companhia Holandesa das Índias Ocidentais estavam silenciosos, fracamente iluminados pela luz do dia que entrava inclinada por pequenas janelas. O ar estava impregnado do cheiro de pergaminho e fumaça de cachimbo. Atrás de portas fechadas, um punhado de diretores, comerciantes, não monarcas, examinava livros-caixa e cartas vindas dos trópicos. Entre eles, uma decisão começava a tomar forma. Não seria anunciada com trombetas. Não haveria confronto aberto. Mas faria ruir uma corte do outro lado do oceano.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands. In de lente van 1642 waren de gangen van het hoofdkwartier van de West-Indische Compagnie in Amsterdam stil, zwak verlicht door het daglicht dat schuin door kleine ramen naar binnen viel. De lucht was zwaar van perkament en pijptabak. Achter gesloten deuren bladerde een handvol directeuren, kooplieden, geen koningen, door boeken en brieven uit de tropen. Onder hen begon zich één besluit te vormen. Geen poehah. Geen confrontatie. Maar dit besluit zou een hof aan de overzijde van de oceaan doen instorten.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It was the spring of 1642, and the corridors of the Dutch West India Company headquarters were quiet, dimly lit by daylight slanting through small windows, the air heavy with the scent of parchment and pipe smoke. Behind closed doors, a handful of directors, merchants, not monarchs, reviewed ledgers and letters from the tropics. Among them, one decision had begun to crystallize. It would not be announced with trumpets. There would be no open confrontation. But it would collapse a court across the ocean.

Teotônio Vilela, Brazil. Ficar hoje nos terrenos ventosos do Forte Maurício, próximo às margens do rio São Francisco, no nordeste do Brasil, torna difícil imaginar o drama colonial que um dia se desenrolou nesse local; onde o estrondo dos canhões ecoava pelos manguezais e bandeiras holandesas tremulavam sobre terras recém-conquistadas. Este não era apenas um limite do império, mas também a fronteira externa de um conflito que abalaria os alicerces da governança colonial no Brasil Holandês.

Teotônio Vilela, Brazil. Vandaag de dag, op het voormalig terrein van Fort Maurits, nabij de oevers van de São Francisco-rivier in het noordoosten van Brazilië, is het je moeilijk voor te stellen welk koloniaal drama zich hier ooit afspeelde. Deze plek bevond zich niet alleen aan de grens van een rijk, maar was ook een onderwerp van bureaucratisch conflict met flinke gevolgen voor het bestuur van Nederlands-Brazilië.

Teotônio Vilela, Brazil. Stand on the windswept grounds of Fort Maurits today, near the banks of the São Francisco River in northeastern Brazil, and it’s hard to imagine the colonial drama that once unfolded here, where cannon fire echoed across the mangroves and Dutch banners flew over newly conquered land. This was not only a frontier of empire, but also the outer edge of a conflict that would shake the very foundations of colonial governance in Dutch Brazil.

Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Brazil. Estamos na Praça do Córrego da Batalha, no município de Jaboatão dos Guararapes. A praça dá início à uma avenida que igualmente é chamada de Córrego da Batalha e também à subida para os Montes Guararapes. Tudo aqui no entorno parece fazer referência ao período holandês em Pernambuco, entre 1630 e 1654, mais especificamente aos dois conflitos entre holandeses e portugueses, conhecidos como Batalha dos Guararapes, travadas em abril de 1648 e fevereiro de 1649.

Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Brazil. We bevinden ons op het Praça do Córrego da Batalha, in de gemeente Jaboatão dos Guararapes. Een córrego is een riviertje. Het plein markeert het begin van een avenue die eveneens Córrego da Batalha heet, en leidt naar de Guararapes-heuvels. Alles in de omgeving hier lijkt te verwijzen naar de Nederlandse periode in Pernambuco, van tussen 1630 en 1654, meer specifiek naar de twee conflicten tussen de Nederlanders en de Portugezen, bekend als de Veldslagen bij Guararapes, die plaatsvonden in april 1648 en februari 1649.

Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Brazil. We are at Praça do Córrego da Batalha, in the municipality of Jaboatão dos Guararapes. A córrego is a brook, or stream. The square marks the beginning of an avenue also called Córrego da Batalha, as well as the ascent to the Guararapes Hills. Everything in the surrounding area seems to reference the Dutch period in Pernambuco, lasting from 1630 to 1654, more specifically, to the two conflicts between the Dutch and the Portuguese known as the Battles of Guararapes, fought in April 1648 and February 1649.

Cidade Velha, Cabo Verde. Estamos diante do pelourinho de Cidade Velha, no sul da ilha de Santiago, em Cabo Verde. O centro histórico de Cidade Velha é um Patrimônio Mundial da UNESCO. A cidade de Ribeira Grande, rebatizada como Cidade Velha no final do século XVIII, foi o primeiro posto colonial europeu nos trópicos. Ela ainda preserva parte do traçado original das ruas e impressionantes estruturas históricas, incluindo duas igrejas, uma fortaleza real e esta Praça do Pelourinho com sua ornamentada coluna de mármore do século XVI.

Cidade Velha, Cabo Verde. We staan hier bij de pelourinho in Cidade Velha, in het zuiden van het eiland Santiago, in Kaapverdië. Het historische centrum van Cidade Velha is een UNESCO-werelderfgoedlocatie. De stad Ribeira Grande, die aan het eind van de 18e eeuw werd hernoemd tot Cidade Velha, ‘Oude Stad’, was de eerste Europese koloniale nederzetting in de tropen. De stad bevat nog steeds delen van de oorspronkelijke straatindeling en indrukwekkende overblijfselen, waaronder twee kerken, een koninklijk fort en dit Pelourinho-plein met een sierlijke marmeren zuil uit de 16e eeuw.

Cidade Velha, Cabo Verde. We’re at the pelourinho in Cidade Velha, in the south of the island of Santiago, in Cape Verde. The historic centre of Cidade Velha is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town of Ribeira Grande, renamed Cidade Velha, ‘Old Town’, in the late 18th century, was the first European colonial outpost in the tropics. The town features some of the original street layout and impressive remains, including two churches, a royal fortress and this Pillory Square with its ornate 16th century marble pillar.

Livorno, Italy. Estamos em frente à nova sinagoga de Livorno. Ela foi concluída em 1962, a poucos metros de onde ficava a antiga sinagoga, destruída durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial. A sinagoga original foi construída em 1607, tornando-se o principal local de culto da comunidade judaica sefardita de Livorno.

Livorno, Italy. We staan voor de nieuwe synagoge van Livorno. Deze werd voltooid in 1962, vlak om de hoek van waar de oude synagoge stond, die tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog werd verwoest. Die oorspronkelijke synagoge werd gebouwd in 1607 en werd het centrale gebedshuis voor de Sefardische joodse gemeenschap in Livorno.

Livorno, Italy. We’re standing in front of the new synagogue of Livorno. It was completed in 1962, just around the corner from where the old synagogue used to stand, which was destroyed during World War 2. That synagogue was originally built in 1607, when it became the central place of worship for the Sephardic jewish community in Livorno.

Bergen, The Netherlands. Estamos no antigo escritório do Noorderkwartier, uma das câmaras da Companhia Holandesa das Índias Ocidentais, em Hoorn. No século XVII, os oficiais dessa câmara foram influenciados por panfletos anônimos que tentavam moldar a política comercial com o Brasil.

Bergen, The Netherlands. We bevinden ons naast het voormalige kantoor van het Noorderkwartier, een van de kamers van de West-Indische Compagnie, in Hoorn. In de 17e eeuw lieten de bestuurders van deze kamer zich beïnvloeden door anonieme pamfletten die het beleid over de handel met Brazilië trachtten te sturen.

Bergen, The Netherlands. We’re at the former offices of the Noorderkwartier, one of the chambers of the Dutch West India Company, in Hoorn. In the 17th century, its officers were swayed by anonymous pamphlets attempting to influence policy on trade with Brazil.

Pedro Régis, Brazil. É certo que o litoral paraibano é um dos destinos mais procurados pelo turismo no Brasil. São belas opções de praias ao longo da costa da Paraíba, uma delas esta onde estamos agora, a praia chamada de Baía da Traição. Hoje, o mar de águas mornas e a longa faixa de areia garantem um cenário calmo e paradisíaco, muito diferente do contexto do ano 1645, quando inicia-se a guerra de expulsão dos holandeses do Brasil. O que liga esta praia em particular ao período holandês, de 1630 a 1654, é um personagem ilustre dessa pacífica região do litoral nordestino, cujos povos originários eram, obviamente, indígenas.

Pedro Régis, Brazil. Het is een feit dat de kust van Paraíba een van de populairste toeristische bestemmingen van Brazilië is. Langs deze kust liggen talloze prachtige stranden, waaronder het strand waar we ons nu bevinden: Baía da Traição. Tegenwoordig zorgen de warme zee en het lange zandstrand voor een kalme en paradijselijke sfeer, heel anders dan wat we hier in 1645 zouden hebben aangetroffen, toen de oorlog om de Nederlanders uit Brazilië te verdrijven begon. Wat dit specifieke strand verbindt met de Nederlandse periode, die liep van 1630 tot 1654, is een illustere figuur uit deze vreedzame regio van de noordoostelijke kust, waar de oorspronkelijke bevolking uiteraard inheemse volkeren waren.

Pedro Régis, Brazil. It's true that the Paraíba coast is one of the most popular destinations for tourism in Brazil. There are many beautiful beaches along the coast of Paraíba, one of which is where we are now, the beach called Baía da Traição. Today, the warm sea and long stretch of sand guarantee a calm and paradisiacal setting, very different from what we would have found in 1645, when the war to expel the Dutch from Brazil began. What links this particular beach to the Dutch period, which ran from 1630 to 1654, is an illustrious character from this peaceful region of the northeastern coast, whose original peoples were, of course, indigenous.

Quando pensamos na ocupação holandesa no Brasil no século 17, geralmente pensamos na região Nordeste, onde os invasores financiados pela Companhia das Índias Ocidentais ficaram por 24 anos, mas eles também chegaram a ocupar territórios do Norte, floresta a dentro.

Wanneer we het hebben over de Nederlandse bezetting van Brazilië in de 17e eeuw, denken we meestal aan het noordoosten van het land, waar de Hollandse bezetters, gefinancierd door de West-Indische Compagnie, 24 jaar verbleven. Maar de Hollandse tentakels reikten verder, tot diep in het noorden, diep in het regenwoud.

We are on the banks of the Xingu River, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. When we think of the Dutch occupation of Brazil in the 17th century, we usually think of the Brazilian north-east, where the invaders financed by the Dutch West India Company stayed for 24 years, but they also came to occupy territories in the north, deep into the rainforest.

Recife, Brazil. Estamos aqui, parados diante da estátua da deusa Atena — ou Minerva, para os romanos — na cabeceira da Ponte Maurício de Nassau, no Recife. A deusa da sabedoria, das artes e da estratégia chegou aqui em 1917, como parte de uma grande reforma urbana. Recife queria se vestir de capital moderna e, para isso, buscou inspiração na Europa. O governador à época, José Rufino Bezerra Cavalcanti, mandou importar da fundição Val d’Osne, em Paris, quatro esculturas alegóricas que hoje ornamentam as extremidades da ponte.

Recife, Brazil. We staan hier voor het standbeeld van de godin Athena, of Minerva, mocht je jezelf meer associëren met de Romeinen, in plaats van de oude Grieken, aan het begin van de Mauritsbrug in Recife. De godin van wijsheid en kunst kwam hier aan in 1917 als onderdeel van een grote stedenbouwkundige hervorming. Recife wilde zich presenteren als een moderne hoofdstad en zocht daarvoor inspiratie in Europa. De toenmalige gouverneur, José Rufino Bezerra Cavalcanti, gaf opdracht om vier allegorische beelden te importeren van de gieterij Val d’Osne in Parijs. Ze sieren vandaag de dag nog steeds de uiteinden van de brug.

Recife, Brazil. We stand here before the statue of the goddess Athena, or, if you’re more Roman inclined, Minerva, at the head of the Maurício de Nassau Bridge, in Recife. The goddess of wisdom, the arts, and strategy arrived here in 1917 as part of a major urban reform. Recife wanted to present itself as a modern capital, and to do so, it looked to Europe for inspiration. The governor at the time, José Rufino Bezerra Cavalcanti, ordered four allegorical sculptures to be imported from the Val d’Osne foundry in Paris. Today, they adorn the ends of this bridge.

The Hague, The Netherlands. O alemão João Maurício de Nassau-Siegen alistou-se no exército holandês ainda muito jovem, aos 16 anos. Embora fosse de uma família respeitável, com ligações reais, seu pai havia gasto quase todos os seus recursos apoiando a guerra de independência dos Países Baixos contra a Espanha. Isso significava que, para Maurício, o décimo terceiro filho, pouco havia restado.