You Can Sleep Inside These Otherworldly Structures at Urban Campsite Amsterdam

Val Ross, Mud Projects/Boris Duijneveld. Photo: Airbnb.

Bedbug, Franka teLintel Hekkert and Ronnie Kommene.
Photo: Airbnb.

Dutch designers Annette van Driel and Francis Nijenhuis have concocted a way to effortlessly combine art, design, and the great outdoors with Urban Campsite Amsterdam, an open-air, pop-up exhibition of artworks that can also serve as overnight accommodations. It’s perfect for the adventurous art enthusiast who craves something a little more stylish than a pup tent and sleeping bag.

In its second year, UrbanCampsite settles in IJburg, Amsterdam’s newest neighborhood, which was built on three artificial islands in the IJ Lake. The islands, Steigereiland, Haveneiland and Rieteilanden, were created to deal with the city’s housing shortage.

The otherworldly objects, which resemble a giant disco ball, a tipi, and even a “bedbug,” will be on display until August 31. Reservations for the campsites can be made via Airbnb, and surprisingly, most can be rented for about €85 (about $95) per night. The program, which feels like a more lo-fi Burning Man experience, also includes a campfire conversations series, performances, and workshops with artists.

“Due to the fact that [the artworks] also serve as accommodation, the usual distance between viewer and artwork is eliminated, which paves the way for a new view of the works,” a press release reads.

Airbnb has been enthusiastically collaborating with artists and designers as of late (see Airbnb Gets into Arts Patronage), recently sponsoring a floating house installation in the River Thames which hosted a few lucky winners for one evening only (see Spend a Night on Airbnb’s Floating House Art Installation on the River Thames). But we have to say, we much prefer Urban Campsite’s more accessible, egalitarian model.

See images from the pop-up project below.