Every time photographer Robbert-Jan de Witte passed by Bijlmer Bajes prison his curiosity was aroused. There was a strange contradiction in the iconic building - open and exposed along the train track towards Amsterdam Central Station and at the same time mysteriously closed. Two years ago, in the run-up to the Bijlmer Bajes demolition, he was asked to do a photo series. No photographs had been taken inside the building before because of the privacy of the prisoners and guards. But now that the building was empty, he had the opportunity to immortalise a vanishing piece of heritage.
There are no people in the photos, but through the traces prisoners and wardens have left in the building, you feel their presence. The photos give you food for thought about what it was like in Bijlmer Bajes. At the same time, the design of the building and its dilapidated state conceal an enormous beauty.
For a while, the building served as a refugee reception centre. The Bijlmer Bajes no longer exists. All that is left are Robbert-Jan’s photos. ‘Bijlmer Bajes R.I.P.' is a documentary photo report of a concept that is etched in the memory not only of all Amsterdammers, but all Dutch people.
