“Do you live in North? Deranged North! ” was one of the first things I heard about my new home. When I started living in Amsterdam in 2017 I had no prejudgement. I just felt madly in love with my house in Tuindorp Nieuwendam. People no longer just shout “North-deranged”, but also “North is trendy”.

This shift from deranged to trendy takes some time to get used to for the people of Amsterdam who have lived in this neighborhood for years. Old northerners sometimes feel lost in their own neighborhood. The cohesion that used to be there has become a lot less.

As a new Amsterdam resident, I wondered, who are these old Northerners? And can I, as a rookie, narrow that gap between old and new residents? I decided to walk around the neighborhood, start random conversations, drink coffees and get to know the neighbors and their stories.

This curiosity about my fellow neighbours is the start of this photo series. The spontaneous talks on the streets created a connection between me and my neighbors.

My neighborhood will be a hundred years old in 2024. Therefore I will continue taking portraits the coming months and years.