On Wednesday, May 14, at sunset, a helicopter will fly over the city center. From that helicopter, 106,000 poems will be scattered over the Binnenrotte. This is Bombing of Poems. Link opens an external page, a project by the Chilean artist group Casagrande. Link opens an external page.
Bombing of Poems has previously been performed in cities like Warsaw, London, and Madrid. Like Rotterdam, those cities have also been destroyed by bombings in the past.
(article continues below the photo)
Resistance Against War
Diana Chin-A-Fat is the director of Poetry International. Link opens an external page. When she saw footage of Bombing of Poems in Madrid, she knew: we have to do this in Rotterdam too. Its art as a resistance against war. Instead of destruction and bombs, Bombing of Poems spreads hope and poetry.
‘The Binnenrotte is the ideal place. On one side stands the Laurenskerk, which survived the bombing in 1940. Further down is the Markthal. You can see it as a symbol of reconstruction. It will be a spectacle that makes poetry accessible to everyone.’
Bombardment of Bookmarks
Bombing of Poems starts on Wednesday at 21:15. Then, 106,000 poems will be scattered over the Binnenrotte. The poems are printed on bookmarks. 106 poets participated: 50 Chilean, 50 Dutch-speaking poets, and 6 students from Wolfert College ISK.
Because Bombing of Poems is originally Chilean, all poems are printed in Dutch and Spanish. With (former) city poets. Link opens an external page like Benzokarim, Elfie Tromp, and Derek Otte, Rotterdam poetry is well represented in the bombardment of bookmarks.
(article continues below the photo)
Ed Aldus on the App
A few days before the event, Chin-A-Fat receives a message. ‘From Ed Aldus, the weatherman from Rijnmond! He keeps us updated on the weather. The weather determines the flight direction of the helicopter. Really, there is a lot involved in organizing such an event.’
‘On Sunday, we as the Poetry International team will powder the bookmarks with talc. This ensures that the paper does not stick together. So the poems can flutter on Wednesday.’
Poetry International
This year is not only 85 years after the bombing. In June, the 55th edition of Poetry International. Link opens an external page will also take place in the city. This is a poetry festival that has been held in Rotterdam for 55 years. This combination of anniversaries makes 2025 the best time for Bombing of Poems.
Poetry International is well visible in Rotterdam. For the poetic lines on Rotterdams garbage trucks. Link opens an external page Poetry and the municipality have been collaborating for a long time.
(article continues below the photo)
Will the garbage collectors have to pick up poems after Wednesday? Chin-A-Fat: ‘I don’t think so! In previous editions, all bookmarks were picked up. There was a run on the poems.
I hope that Rotterdammers will also dive into the poetry. If there are still bookmarks left, we will ensure that everything is cleaned up nicely. Even if we have to clean up, we will work together with the municipality.’
More Information
Bombing of Poems starts on Wednesday, May 14, at 21:15 at the Binnenrotte. You can attend the event for free. Via this link, you can reserve a free ticket. Link opens an external page.