Before the Storm

It’s everywhere, TV, radio, social media, and even a guy handing out flyers by the subway.

They all say the same thing. It’s coming. They call it ‘the Storm’.

They talk about it like it’s a natural disaster, but there’s this unspoken fear that we built it ourselves, or let it grow, unnoticed.

Or choose not to look—even when it was right in front of us.

And now, they say, the system won’t save us, because they’re out of care. Not in some dramatic movie kind of way, but in the slow, quiet collapse that we maybe all see coming.

When the systems we’ve always counted on stop working the way they should. When help isn’t coming fast enough. When it’s clear we’re on our own.

What will you do?

Me? I don't know, but I hope I’ll pay attention and help where I can. Check on people. Talk to my neighbours, not just wave at them from the driveway. I’ll try to grow something— food, maybe, or just a bit of hope. I’ll try to be someone others can rely on, even if I don’t always know what I’m doing.

I don’t have all the answers. But I know I don’t want to face it alone.

Because if this thing—whatever it is—is really coming, then we don’t beat it by ourselves. We get through it together.

That’s the only way it makes sense to me.

SHEBANG's Issue 6: Before the Storm kicked off during 24 uur Zuidoost. Guest curators MOHA welcomed residents of Zuidoost and other interested parties for a sneak peek at their project. At our location on Hettenheuvelweg, visitors could engage in a care conversation, enjoy soup, and share thoughts and dreams about what a shelter can be for you, me, and us. This led to the first exciting steps toward developing and building a collective shelter.

Before the Storm was developed in collaboration with a diverse local working group of people from different walks of life and backgrounds. Through a series of inspirational and creative sessions where participants and MOHA came together for shared conversations, experiments, food, and the exchange of experiences and ideas, the installation and exhibition took shape in our temporary building in Amsterdam-Zuidoost.

It's coming...

During the lively opening of Before the Storm, MOHA's interactive exhibition was open to the public, and members of the working group were present to explain all the components and their personal concepts. The audience naturally formed a group, with an uninhibited closeness, creating an intimate experience of being drawn together into the stories, performances, and exercises. A large barbecue was built from bricks by participant Sjoerd and there was a spoken word performance by Hermano.

“We are excited to invite you to BEFORE THE STORM, a two-week program we've curated under SHEBANG in Zuidoost. Over the past months, we’ve been working in an abandoned carpet showroom, exploring the theme of the storm. The result is a beautiful collaboration with different local individuals and this program we're truly proud to share. SHEBANG is a nomadic art space that is coming to an end at this location (the building is shortly before being destroyed) so it adds some extra special layer we think to have a look :) “ (MOHA)

I'll pay attention and help where I can

A karaoke evening organised by MOHA in collaboration with COA (Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers) in Amstel III, especially for women.

I’ll try to grow something—food, maybe, or just a bit of hope.

One of the key building blocks of Before the Storm was (sharing) food. During a communal dinner featuring Ethiopian food prepared by Adunya, a new and diverse audience met in the same natural way. We enjoyed a mini-concert by cellist Yah Yah in the "living room" installation by MOHA member Wafa, and stepped through temporary imaginary portals into small personal shelters that gave us tools to brave our own storms and the courage to persevere and dream further.

I don’t have all the answers. But I know I don’t want to face it alone.

We gathered one last time to be guided through the various parts of the exhibition. This evening marked our farewell to MOHA and their process, but also to the building itself. Our temporary location in Amstel III, where we had happily built a solid cultural foundation in this area over the past few years, had already been abandoned, about to be demolished. There was delicious food from Adunya, a live concert by the Valerio de Gama Latin Band, a movie night for the children, and we danced. The evening ended with a hopeful bonfire—a beautiful contrast to the backdrop of the ruins of surrounding demolition sites. Together with the Before the Storm team, the truly adventurous were even able to stay for a collective sleepover.

Personal histories and poetic perspectives formed Before the Storm, a space-filling installation and temporary home within the framework of SHEBANG, as well as the final exhibition at our previous location. Together with a working group of residents and local creatives, artist collective MOHA built this interactive exhibition, bringing together various skills and strategies—which we all possess when braving our own personal storms—and transforming them into shared tools that visitors could activate and ‘take home’. We were drawn into each other’s life stories and bid farewell to a special place. A short documentary by filmmaker Lorenzo Gentili highlights the Before the Storm project, featuring footage of the heart-warming exhibition, interviews with the curators and participants, and reflections on our shared future—and that of SHEBANG. In December, we screened this film at our new location in Amstel III, accompanied by performative acts by participating makers. It was a final moment to come together and create new memories one last time—around our many storms.