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“I like drawings that are not perfect but carry a message” – Interview with tattoo artist and vegan Mattys

It wasn’t the plan to become a tattoo artist when he picked up drawing again in his early twenties, but it just turned out that way. “Just for fun, some illustrations, which were from the beginning already a bit political or with some sort of message. I posted them on Instagram, then some friends said it would be cool as a tattoo.”

Mattijs, or as his tattoo name Mattys, started off doing stick and poke tattoos in student rooms, after some time got asked to work in a tattoo studio and by now it is his fulltime profession.

“For a long time I thought I wasn’t good at drawing at all. And a lot of drawings from the early days I couldn’t really tattoo in the beginning. I liked the drawings but wasn’t really paying attention to how I could make it into a good tattoo. I didn’t start off with becoming a tattoo artist as the goal, so it still amazes me sometimes that it happened like that.” Read more

The animals around us: taking care of Amsterdam’s city pigeons

pigeon rescue amsterdam

Being the most common bird in Amsterdam, probably you’ve seen pigeons walking around with great difficulty, as some toes or even the whole foot is missing. I never thought much about it and assumed that this individual had an unlucky accident. But they are not isolated cases and it’s actually very common among city pigeons. It’s caused by little strings, threads or human hair from the city streets which get wrapped around the toes and feet, eventually can lead to those body parts dying off. This is known as stringfoot.

In Amsterdam a group of people is determined to help them and are checking on pigeons on a regular basis. Many pigeons can be helped by just catching them and cutting the strings with a small scissors. I’m talking to animal rights activist Billie Savage, who initiated the project. Read more

Cook and vegetable farmer Andres Jara: “Food has been my path since a very early age.”

They met eight years ago while studying at the renowned University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy, also known as the university of the Slow Food movement. Now, Andres Jara and four others are running the Stadsgroenteboer farm in Osdorp. On 0,4 hectares at the western outskirts of Amsterdam, they are growing no less than 60 different kinds of vegetables, plus 15 different herbs.

I cycle there to meet Andres, who besides being a vegetable farmer, is also a chef and is selling plant based food products under the name of Roots, Rice & Beans. I find him working behind his laptop, underneath a makeshift canvas roof, his office for the day. While he shows me the property, he tells me all about De Stadsgroenteboer and his other projects. Read more

Educating people about the meat industry with Ongehoord’s newest project Dier in Blik

How can we make people empathise with animals in the meat industry? Animal rights group Ongehoord believes they found the answer with their newest project Dier in Blik 2.0 Build entirely by themselves, it’s a smart and unique project to educate the public, allowing visitors to experience the life of a pig in the meat industry.

Vegan Amsterdam went to have a look at a try-out in Amsterdam and got to ask a few questions to spokesperson Johan Boonstra.

The interview is in Dutch, if you want to switch on/off English subtitles just click in the bottom of the screen to select.

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Check out other inspirational people we interviewed!

Eva Meijer: “Rational arguments are not sufficient for vegan outreach”

We recently met up with multitalented Eva Meijer. This year she published a book on animal language called ‘Dierentalen’. Her third novel ‘Het Vogelhuis’ got published in September and was well received in national newspapers and on tv. She is also writing her PhD thesis at the University of Amsterdam, on political animal voices.

Accompagnied by her dog Doris, she discusses the role of philosophy within the animal rights movement, animal rights at the university and the relationship between her literary and philosophical work.

The interview is in Dutch, if you want to switch on/off English subtitles just click in the bottom of the screen to select. Filmed at Beatrixpark, Amsterdam.

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Check out other inspirational people we interviewed!

Activist Kaja: “Our style of activism is direct yet subtle at the same time”


 
Earthlings is a well known documentary showing a.o. the abuse of animals in the food industry. The Earthlings Experience started last year by London Vegan Actions. Inspired, Dutch activist Kaja set up a similar campaign in the Netherlands.

She tells us about how she started out, the way people in Amsterdam react and she shares her views on effective activism.

The interview is in Dutch, if you want to switch on/off English subtitles just click in the bottom of the screen to select.

Have fun watching and be inspired!

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Check out other inspirational people we interviewed!