by Marcel Beijer
STAFF at the Culture House in the Dutch city of Almere were puzzled when a notebook was delivered in March by someone who had found it on a public bench.
The A4 notebook was full of mysterious notes. A drawing of a soldier from a previous century, some notes about meridians, and terms like “head up, hopeful, sincere – bit hurt”. Only one word was Dutch: nieuwsgierigheidsschriftje. The rest of the notes were in English. This raised the inkling that the owner might not be from Holland. The feeling became even stronger when no one showed up to pick up the book.
The volunteers of the Culture House therefore decided to alert the local newspaper. Their story next aroused the curiosity of Almere resident Dounia Carels who, like a true detective, used what she saw from the book to do research.
THE owner turned out to be Diana Guzijan of Fairfax, Virginia, a Dutch woman who already feared she would never see her book again. “My colleague Don Russell showed me an e-mail from Dounia Carels with the newspaper article. Bizar. I’ve been living in America for a few years and am currently doing research at George Mason University on art perception.”
But what exactly is in the book?
“The sketches are about designing an Art Amplifier, which can increase the impact of an exhibition, through more interaction between audience and art. Most of the sketches are about my last project, an Art Amplifier for an exhibition about the prison system in America.”
This summer, Diana will visit the Netherlands again and will stop by Almere to collect her sketchbook.
* Marcel Beijer is a journalist in Almere and winner of the Dutch News Magazine Journalism Prize 2023.
