Every Chapter Het HEM organizes a Swap Talk where visitors are invited for a conversation with one of our ‘human books’; people with a wish to share their personal story in a one-to-one conversation.

The Chapter 2WO edition of Swap Talk takes place on November 10 from 16:00 to 18:00 in the Living Room of HEM. This edition we mainly focus on heritage and the people who used to work and live on the Hembrugsite.

For this second edition of Swap Talk, the "human books" that have been selected all have a special relationship with the Hembrug site and the building that now houses Het HEM. Our storytellers have had many conversations with the Shock Forest Group and Nicolás Jaar and contributed to the current exhibition through sharing their knowledge and experience.

On November 10 we invite visitors of Het HEM to immerse themselves in the stories of this site during a Swap Talk. A talk takes a maximum of 20 minutes. During the conversation, both book and reader can end the conversation earlier, if wished for.

Are you curious to listen to someone else's story? Register via info@hethem.nl or come by and see who you want to have a talk with.

Jan & Tonnie Pook: Jan is a former employee of the munition factory, he used to work in the shooting range under the building. Together with his wife Tonnie, he will tell his story about working in the shooting range and his obligation to remain silent. Tonnie draws a picture of Zaanstad in the 60s and 70s and what it is like to live with someone who had to remain silent about much of his work.

Agnes Boer: is a writer and has written 3 books about the Defence Line of Amsterdam. In her third book she writes about the Hembrug site and the stories of former employees, whose loyalty towards the munition factory deeply touched her.

Annelie David: In 2015, writer and poet Annelie David discovered a small forest on the outskirts of Zaandam near the North Sea Canal; The Shockforest. She began to observe the forest and spent many days there, in all seasons and at all times of the day. These intensive observations inspired her to write her latest book: ’s c h o k b o s’.

Peter de Vries: is an former employee and was responsible for the transports of AI-Eurometaal. Today, he guards a lot of the heritage of the site and has made it possible that there is a Hembrug museum. Peter still comes to the Hembrug site every day to work among all the old industrial objects.

Loek Libert: is the former company nurse and knows all old employees in a very different and physical way. He was responsible for the health of the team and therefore knows stories that nobody else does.