Amsterdam Alternative just launched a new video department called Fragmenta.
Check out the Fragmenta page for more info about this project and how to join as a video maker.
The first two videos are now online. Episode one is an interview with David Bollier, episode two an interview with Katie Duck.
In 2024 Amsterdam Alternative published a very extensive webdocu about collective ownership. This multimedia project portrays people and organisations that use a collective ownership construction for housing, free spaces, agriculture, nature, energy, care and other things. It is an inspiration document as well as an archive and manual for everyone interested in collective ownership and the cooperative movement.
Check out the full webdocu here
The new issue of our newspaper has just been published in print as well as digital. We can always use some extra hands to help distributing these newspapers through every corner of Amsterdam. Please contact if you have time to help: info(at)amsterdamalternative.nl
Amsterdam Alternative publishes articles about free spaces, gentrification, politics, climate, music, art, housing and other urgent topics. We publish in our bi-monthly free newspaper as well as online.
See all articlesIt’s typical Amsterdam weather, rain pounding on the windows, as I sit in the warm environment of A Lab. It’s a large building of around 5000 square metres, four floors, and forty labs, located in Amsterdam-Noord, just a short walk from the ferry. This space is provided to a community of people who are curious and willing to learn and contribute to society. As their slogan states, it is a place “where curious works.” A Lab is a proud member of the AA collective and organi
Het Amsterdams Stadsjournaal was een filmcollectief dat van 1974 tot 1984 actief was. In tien jaar maakten zij 36 korte documentaires over thema’s als woningnood, gastarbeid, arbeidsomstandigheden, de positie van Surinamers in Nederland, dienstplicht, stadsvernieuwing en de kraakbeweging. Hun films waren niet bedoeld als vermaak, maar als middel om te informeren, bewust te maken en aan te zetten tot actie. De films werden buiten de reguliere bioscopen vertoond, altijd voorzien van een nage
Dialogue between Frida (Fossil Free Culture NL) and David Limaverde (Home of Participation) David and Frida are two of the current gardeners of the Disobedient Art School, a project growing from the soil of Fossil Free Culture NL. On 13 December at OT301 they will launch the first publication, Compost for Wild Weeds. In this conversation they unpack the school’s origins, its commitments, and why they treat art as infrastructure for social movements. Think of .d.a.s. as an anti-extractiv
The tip top 5 is a small selection of books and/or magazines. We will share these titles with you but you’ll have to do the judging of the books yourself. Tips and links to releases are always welcome. Geld genoeg, maar niet voor jou Thomas Bollen Dit boek laat je anders naar de euro’s op je bankrekening kijken. Waarom kan de een ondanks hard werken en sparen geen woning betalen, terwijl de ander slapend rijk wordt van stijgende huizenprijzen? Waarom is er wel
Amsterdam Alternative has initiated a wide variety of projects since 2015. Some were temporary but most are still running. Check some of the most current projects below or visit the projects page to see a full overview.
See all projectsFrom the 1st of February 2023 Amsterdam Alternative is running the cinema + bar on the second floor of the OT301. The spaces are being used for film & documentary screenings, discussion nights, comedy, music, dance performances, workshops, book launches, podcast recordings and more.
This modular web documentary is intended as an inspirational document, a guide and an archive. It is a compilation of stories about and quests for other ways in which we can shape society. We (and many others with us) are convinced that things really can be done differently and that a different view of ownership can play a major role in this.
Sometimes, you sense it. A gesture, a sound, something pulses quietly beneath the surface of the city. A story waiting to be heard. Rad-Ish is a podcast about the silent dreamers, everyday radicals and hidden dissenters who keep the city alive. We seek out the voices of the underground, the pillars of movements that often go unseen yet build the foundation for collective spaces and a desirable future for the many, not the few. On a regular basis we release a short episode where we pull that little red thread that runs through Amsterdam, from the people directly shaping alternative culture to those nurturing it in the background. We're here to pay attention to those who resist the obvious, and talk to those who quietly practice other ways of being.
Amsterdam Alternative wants to buy permanent space for experiments and projects that do not fit the commercial world, as they aren’t profit driven. We want to create new free spaces where living, working, education and public functions are combined. Where art and culture are not necessarily the main focus, but social, political and social activities have a place too.
Thanks to all the talented photographers in the Amsterdam Alternative collective we always have great images in our newspaper and lots of nice photo reports online.
See all photographySky is a one hour real-time performance created and performed by Katie Duck (Amsterdam) and Sharon Smith (Devon), in collaboration with cellist Ben Roberts (Devon). The piece is performed with text, movement, music and a film that fills the room with silent, slow moving images of skies.
Performed on Sunday 30 November, Ventilator cinema.
Photography © Roman Zotter
The ADEV (Amsterdam Danst Ergens Voor) parade 2025 took place on a rainy 25th of October. Despite the rain it was a great day with lots of happy people. All dancing and peacefully protesting for the freedom of movement for everyone.
Photography © Hanna Rudner
The ADEV (Amsterdam Danst Ergens Voor) parade 2025 took place on a rainy 25th of October. Despite the rain it was a great day with lots of happy people. All dancing and peacefully protesting for the freedom of movement for everyone.
Photography © Roald Verkerke
Amsterdam Alternative started as a network of solidarity and free newspaper but we’ve alwys had the ambition to create inspiring videos as well. In 2024 we created and published about 50 hrs of video about collective ownership, in 2025 we started a new video department called Fragmenta.
See all videoCamera: Pablo van Wetten
Audio/music: Peter Rutten
Edit/animation: Ivo Schmetz
Met dank aan/Thanks to:
People: Ad Vlems, Diny
Funding: AFK, Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie
Camera: Pablo van Wetten
Audio/music: Peter Rutten
Edit/animation: Ivo Schmetz
Met dank aan/Thanks to:
People: Melissa Koutouzis & Cody Hochstenbach
Funding: AFK, Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie
Veertig jaar geleden, op 24 maart 1975, joeg de burgemeester van Amsterdam 800 man politie de Nieuwmarktbuurt in. Om gekraakte panden te ontruimen voor de aanleg van de metro, maar vooral om de laatste slag te leveren in een strijd van jaren. Aan de ene kant stond het gemeentebestuur die grootschalige plannen had voor de inrichting van de stad. Aan de andere kant verzamelde zich een steeds grotere schare actievoerders die het historische karakter van de stad wilden behouden en de verkrotte huizen renoveren. De actievoerders wisten menig plan tegen te houden of om te buigen. Maar op het punt van de metro hield de gemeente de poot stijf: die moest en zou er komen. En dus kwam het in maart en april 1975 tot hevige gevechten.
© Andere Tijden // Website
In the Amsterdam Alternative agenda you’ll find the public programming from our participating venues.
See the complete agendaBuurtwerkplaats Noorderhof is een doorlopend social design project. Het is een ontmoetings- en ontwikkelplek aan de Sloterplas in Amsterdam Nieuw-West, gedragen door buurtbewoners en een netwerk van makers. Het bestaat uit een hout- en metaalwerkplaats en een groot, groen terrein waar een zeer uite
De Nieuwe Anita is a place where artists of all colors can live their dream, a relatively small stage for starting or touring musicians, try-outs, stand up comedians, film screenings, literary nights or lectures, we provide a cosy atmosphere and a great audience. Although we try to keep an altern
De (roze) Tanker, een voormalig pompstation in Amsterdam-Noord, is een podium en vitrine waar kennis en cultuur wordt aangeboden in de vorm van voorstellingen, concerten, exposities, workshops, debatten enzovoorts. De Tanker, a former gas station in Amsterdam-Noord, is a stage for music, theatre,
From Brazil originating theater group Munganga (pronounced: moen-gang-gaa) is a Brazilian word, derived from Mganga, a tribe in Africa. The priests of this tribe make great and exuberant gestures during their rituals. Their way of communicating consists of expressive faces, grimaces and dancing. Si
Sinds 2008 lagen de gebruikers van de Fabriek pand in een clinch met de gemeente, wat graag nieuwbouw had gezien in plaats van de voormalige drukkerij. Het pand in de Van Ostadestraat werd in 1980 gekraakt, waarna in 1983 een erfpachtcontract werd afgesloten met de gemeente. Dat liep in 2013 af. Gel
Volta is hét podium van Amsterdam West. We fungeren als oefenruimte en concertzaal voor jonge bands uit Amsterdam. Volta ligt vlak voor de Spaarndammerbuurt, naast het Westerpark. In de podiumzaal worden door vrijwilligers verschillende avonden georganiseerd, doorgaans met Amsterdamse bands.
LI-MA plays a key role in the future-proof archiving, conservation and distribution of works from the field of media art. LI-MA is a platform for digital art and media art in Amsterdam. With years of experience in conservation and management and as a leading pioneer in the field, LI-MA plays a ke
Located in Amsterdam’s creative heart, Treehouse NDSM is a playground for artists that are committed to their work. Whether you’re a new graduate looking to build your professional network, or a seasoned professional in search for the next direction in your career, we get it. Our goal is
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Fragmenta: fragmenta(at)amsterdamalternative.nl
Ventilator Cinema: ventilatorcinema(at)gmail.com
Vrij Beton: vrijbeton(at)amsterdamalternative.nl
Collectief Eigendom: collectiefeigendom(at)amsterdamalternative.nl
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If interested in an interview or presentation about Amsterdam Alternative, Vrij Beton, Collective Ownership or another AA project please contact info(at)amsterdamalternative.nl.