She is working about the economic structures in the art world itself.

http://www.biennial.com/corporate/archive/2004/artists/Maria Eichhorn/project.htm

http://www.voxphoto.com/en/exhibitions/eichhorn/eirchhorn_en.html

This story is quite interesting in relation to questions of exchange and economy in relation to artistic practice. The theft itself is not so interesting so much as the original concept of the work - and the fact that it was sold for face value.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6398203.stm

This may be an interesting website, Dutch but with a lot of pictures: http://www.cq3meter.nl/actueel/index.php.

It is about all kinds of interventions in public space.

benammar-outline-lezing.pdf
handout of his lecture at the DAI 22.02.07

please remember: This theory is not reality, but an attempt in describing it.
adam-smith1.pdf

In the posts below I wrote down some general info that I’ve found on the internet (I also mention the links to these sites).

Flag of Opsterland

The information is about:
General info about Beetsterzwaag and the municipality of Opsterland;
A map of the area;
Industrial activity in Opsterland;
Short history of the region;
Tourism and recreation.
I hope this info will be helpful to specify the site and/or subject you want to choose for the economy project.

General information

http://62.221.253.2/~tymo/Beetsterzwaag%20Digitaal/home.htm

The Village Beetsterzwaag (translated from Dutch)

Beetsterzwaag is a small village situated in the beautiful landscape of Friesland. The village has about 4.000 inhabitants and belongs to the municipality of Opsterland. The county hall is situated in Beetsterzwaag. The Sister city of Beetsterzwaag is Ra’anana, a town in Israel.
There is a large area of broad-leaf and pine tree woods around the village, as well as sand dunes, lakes and heatherland. Here one can enjoy a walk and do some sightseeing, such as visiting the histoical residences of Lycklama, Lyndensteyn and Van Harinxmastate.

*****

http://www.opsterland.nl/content.jsp?objectid=4190
Welcome to Opsterland
Beautiful countryside, tranquillity, space in combination with liveability and good accessibility (…..?) makes Opsterland one of the most attractive residential and recreational municipalities. Opsterland lies in the centre of the Frisian woodlands, has 16 characterful and lively villages with in total 30,000 denizens. The region covers some 23,000 hectares making Opsterland one of the largest municipalities in Friesland. Opsterland is situated along the A7 motorway and the N381 rural trunk road and is on account of this perfectly accessible. Large towns such as Heerenveen and Drachten can be reached by car in 10 minutes and Groningen and Leeuwarden within 30 minutes.

The surroundings of Beetsterzwaag and the east side of Opsterland look very different. Here it was the aristocracy and large landowners who made the landscape what it is. The locality is characterised by woodlands, tree copses, grassland, leafy gardens and splendid estates. At Lippenhuizen lies the Liphúster heath and at Bakkeveen you can find an extensive sand plain with drifting sands.

There is a website about Beetsterzwaag, but unfortunately it’s only in Dutch.
The location is: www.beetsterzwaag.org

Tourism, day trips and free time
Characteristic for the Opsterland countryside is that of the many pingos . These are small lakes which arose more than 10,000 years ago during the last ice age. There are more traces from that geological era to be seen in the landscape. The Koningsdiep (also known as Ouddiep and as Boorne) is a unique old rivulet that meanders through the Opsterland landscape. It arose through the meltwater from the ice tongues which covered the Opsterland landscape. In earlier times the Koningsdiep flowed into a firth (the Middelzee) which debouched via Sneek and Leeuwarden into the Waddenzee. Many Opsterland villages were built on the upper sand soil of the rivulet valley.

The Holle Weg over the heath at Allardsoog (vicinity of Bakkeveen). When everything in Opsterland could be considered nature in all its resplendence, those of high esteem determined the location of the connecting roads in the countryside. The Holle Weg at Allardsoog lies on sand soil beneath Bakkeveen. Over the centuries, the road has become worn through heavy use. Sun and wind did the rest. Initial use of the Holle Weg dates back to more than 10,000 years before the start of the solar calendar. From the Middle Ages, this formed an important route from and to Groningen and Drenthe over which peddlers, monks and herdsman with their droves passed by.

Old and new farmsteads fit nicely into the Opsterland landscape. Opsterland has a long tradition of both land and cattle husbandry. On some farms you can buy self-produced products and view the production process.

Beautiful countryside, tranquillity, space in combination with liveability and good accessibility make Opsterland a very attractive residential and recreational municipality. There are basic facilities in all villages, such as a primary school, a family doctor, a village hall, sport accommodations and a supermarket. Each village is of local importance. In the larger villages of Beetsterzwaag, Ureterp, Bakkeveen and Gorredijk there are more facilities. Gorredijk is the largest village in Opsterland and has a regional function. Most facilities can be found here such as a pleasant and varied shopping centre, cultural centre with playhouse De Skâns and a combined secondary school.

Gorredijk is the brisk shopping centre of Opsterland. Here you can find a pleasant shopping centre with graceful old buildings. During the summer the pleasure boats course right through the centre of Gorredijk. A look at the lock is certainly worth your while.
It is good living in both the small as well as the large villages in Opsterland.

Museums, galleries, works of art, sculpture (gardens)
Within the area of art and culture, Opsterland has certainly many sights to offer. Such as the Streekmuseum (*Regional Museum) in Gorredijk. Here you can find regional information concerning the history of Opsterland. In Nij Beets there is an open-air low peat bog museum ‘It Damshûs’. Here you can, in an active manner, experience how people lived and worked in the low peat bogs during the period 1863 to about 1920. In Nij Beets there is also a Sudergemaal, one of the first electric pump works in Fryslân (*Friesland). In Opsterland, there are various art galleries in Gorredijk and Beetsterzwaag. In Tijnje and Ureterp you can find inspiring sculpture gardens. In Tijnje there is also the Opel museum. In Beetsterzwaag you can find opposite the former Lyndensteijn Children’s Hospital (now a school and rehabilitation centre), a by the 19th century Frisian garden architect ‘Roodbaard’-designed bordering garden. Just a bit further, there is in the bordering garden of the Lycklamahûs (town hall) a tropical glasshouse with exotic flowers and fruits.
Open-air peat bog museum ‘it Damshûs’ in Nij Beets
In this open-air museum, you will be taken some 100 years back in time and get a good impression of the poor and toilsome existence of the peat workers during the peat-turning period.

Tourism, day trips and free time
Opsterland is perfect for all kinds of outdoor activities and is an excellent cycling and walking municipality. The many kilometres of cycling and walk paths along the low peat bogs, polders, canals, woodland, heaths, nature reserves and featureful villages are a real treat. There is also various horse riding routes. Another recreational relaxation is that of canoe or boat sailing on the Turfroute. The route links to the Frisian lakes and it is even possible to sail to Germany via Drenthe and Overijssel, or of course vice versa. A pleasure cruise gives you a good impression of the countryside and villages in Opsterland. Golfers are also catered to in Opsterland. At the Lauswolt Estate in Beetsterzwaag, there is an 18-hole golf course amid the woodland.

Bakkeveen is the tourist heart of Opsterland. Right in the centre of the woodland and countryside you can find here, amongst other things, various family and farm camping’s, camping farmsteads, estates and theeschenkerij (*tea pourer) De Slotplaats , an old fighting battlement or rampart, an open-air maze, watchtower, open-air swimming pool, labyrinth park, covered children’s playground, bicycle and canoe rental, covered wagon rental and party centres.

The Himrikerpaad, cycle path from Beetsterzwaag to Hemrik. In the beautiful countryside with which Opsterland is blessed, you can find tranquil paths. Not only through the nature reserves around Bakkeveen, Hemrik, Wijnjewoude or Beetsterzwaag, but also elsewhere in the municipality will tou travel across rural areas which are a feast for the eye.
The woodlands of Beetsterzwaag conceal a considerable number of fine walking and cycling routes. There is a good chance that wild deer, birds of prey or a grass snake will cross your path.

It is also at a culinary level that Opsterland has a lot to offer. In Beetsterzwaag and Olterterp there are various quality restaurants to be found. In the Lauswolt Estate in Beetsterzwaag you can eat and spend the night in the style of the ‘beau monde’ (Michelin star). Also in Gorredijk and Bakkeveen you can find various pleasant eating places and party centres.

http://www.opsterland.nl/content.jsp?objectid=4190

History
The village of Beetsterzwaag, the administrative seat of Opsterland, is situated on a sand bar. During the 17th and 18th century the gentry sought each other’s company in Beetsterzwaag. The monumental mansions with their leafy parks and splendiferous courtyards can still be admired. Large land ownership also meant the originating and conservation of a varied ecosystem around this village. Heath and inutile farmland was afforested by the nobility. There are various art galleries and first-rate restaurants in the village. The woody surroundings and the historic buildings make Beetsterzwaag one of the most scenic villages in Friesland.

The landscape of Opsterland recounts to a large degree that of the history of the region. One can find on the west side of the municipality open countryside with ditches, canals, grassland and peat bogs. Here the peat-turning period took place. Peat Masters let their workers beaver away in the peat bogs under the most wretched circumstances. The end product, that of peat, was shipped via the Turfroute (Polderhoofdkanaal and Opsterlandse Compagnonsvaart).

Peat workers houses on the site of the open-air low peat bog museum in Nij Beets. The turf was gold for the gentry, but the peat workers lived and worked under miserable circumstances. That area of Opsterland to the West of the A7 motorway was due to this for a long time a scene of social unrest. At the end of 1800, the socialist Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis denounced the harrowing impoverishment of the workers. In the open-air low peat bog museum “It Damshûs” in Nij Beets, can the work and living conditions be relived. You can also see there the consequences that peat turning had on the landscape.

Snug mooring in Gorredijk / Kortezwaag
Many villages in Opsterland, such as Nij Beets, Gorredijk, Hemrik and Kortezwaag, have a history with peat. At the beginning of the 17th century, turf was a valuable fuel, which was transported hither and thither. The turf traversed over water in skûtsjes (*flatboats) and barges. For this, a system of waterways and closed ditches was constructed. The Opsterlandse Compagnonsvaart was excavated in the period 1630-1830. This waterway is now a part of the Turfroute. To this very day, water sport enthusiasts make thankful use of this.

http://www.opsterland.nl/content.jsp?objectid=4190

Industrial activity in Opsterland
In Opsterland there are various industrial estates. There was as such established in collaboration with the neighbouring Municipality of Smallingerland, that of the Drachten Azeven estate. The industrial estate is centrally situated along the A7 motorway and the N381 rural trunk road. The estate covers 70 hectares and is suitable for, amongst other things, the establishment of logistic and affiliated companies. The estate is being enlarged in stages of up to 110 hectares. This new part is suitable for different forms of activity.

At the edge of Gorredijk, at some 3 (freight) car minutes from the A7, is situated the industrial estate of Overtoom. This site is 100 hectares in size and is suitable for larger companies and medium-sized businesses.

In the villages of Tijnje, Ureterp, Wijnjewoude and Gorredijk, there are a number of smaller company locations with a commuter function.

To get a broader idea of where Beetsterzwaag is situated, a map of the northern part of The Netherlands:

Below a more detailed map of the area:

alternative local currencies in Germany