Exhibition Time Trial:

‘this brings the festival feeling to life’

Pieter Malfliet and his son Dajo are looking at a few frames they’ve fixed to the wall, which will soon contain special images. But just as important: the frames cover a few windows where too much light shines through. That light obstructs the view of three display cases. “Nice solution,” they think.

Pieter and Dajo are busy on Thursday afternoon setting up the Time Trial exhibition, about 37 years of ZomerJazzFietsTour. The exhibition is in the Passage in Garnwerd. A large wall with about a hundred photos by ZJFT photographer Jurgen Moorlach is now complete. It gives a picture of decades of ZJFT. From the time when a sandwich with Groningen mustard cost one and a half euros. Record players. Landline phones. But what also stands out is that not much has really changed. A love for surprising music. Bicycling, old churches, farm barns, the cultural landscape. The good mood of musicians, visitors, and volunteers.

Thank You Letter
The exhibition is for the residents of Garnwerd and regular visitors of the ZJFT. Pieter emphasizes that it’s not a large exhibition, as the available space is too small for that. What people can see is a large number of photos from previous editions, entry tickets, brochures, a thank you letter from Han Bennink to the organization, posters, t-shirts from a number of previous editions (some of which are available for purchase on-site), newspaper reviews, and, for example, a documentary made about the ZJFT. “The beautiful stories have to be created here, by the visitors,” says Pieter. “This has to bring the festival feeling to life. Some have only been cycling for a few years, while others have experienced all the editions. Everyone has their own story.”

For Pieter himself, the ZJFT began when he moved to Garnwerd. “One day, suddenly hundreds of people were cycling past our house. And a poster was stuck to our window. Then you just have to check it out. What is this? Within a few years, I had rolled into the bike tour as a graphic designer.”

And what will he miss after the last edition? “That there’s something unique that soon won’t exist anymore. For me, the ZJFT has always been: ‘you don’t have to do anything, but anything is possible.’”

Satisfied
There is still one window to be covered. Dajo cuts a piece of cardboard to size and sticks it to the glass. Father and son look at the result. With their polished sense of design and artistic expression, they are not satisfied. “We’ll paint the piece of cardboard black,” Pieter suggests. “Then it’ll be less noticeable.” Dajo nods in agreement. Problem solved. Improvisation, that leads to beautiful things.

Exhibition opening hours:
Saturday, August 31 from 11:30 AM to 9:00 PM
Sunday, September 1 from 1:30 PM to 6:30 PM