Watching: Amsterdam via Amsterdam

Overview

Four centuries ago Willem Barentsz sailed north and Cornelis de Houtman sailed south from Amsterdam, opening the way to two islands that bear the city's name, in Spitsbergen and in the southern Indian Ocean. Rob Rombout and Rogier van Eck, both with their roots in Amsterdam, follow their tracks. Their expedition is of another kind, but their doubts measure up to the daring of those navigators. Between the polar ice and the southern wind, the city comes into view as a triptych.