Cities are usually photographed from the outside.
Their skylines, their landmarks, their best angles.
We Are Amsterdam starts somewhere else.
The campaign is built around a single object: a bed.
A place where people rest, argue, create, recover, fall in love, think too much, do nothing. A place where public life briefly disappears - and something more honest can surface.
By placing this most private object into a public context, the project asks a simple question:
What does a city look like when it lets its guard down? What do you feel when I say "Amsterdam"?
Amsterdam becomes the first chapter.
As a presence - shaped by the people who pass through it, stay in it, leave it, return to it. Musicians, artists, founders, locals, visitors. All part of the same rhythm, the heartbeat of a city.
We Are Amsterdam is conceived as a growing series.
Each city will add its own layer, its own tone, its own tension.
This is the beginning.
A short overview of the press release can be found here, otherwise ...
...let's dive into it...
THE BED RETURNS TO AMSTERDAM
Fifty-five years after John Lennon and Yoko Ono turned a hotel bed into a stage for peace, the bed is back! This time carried through Amsterdam during the city’s 750th anniversary, appearing in churches, under canal bridges, over the roofs of Amsterdam and inside modern creative spaces.
As a new cultural symbol. A place where people could lie down, breathe, create, perform, record, talk, and just be for a moment, in a world moving faster than ever.
Kids climbed into it. Artists wrote in it. Musicians rehearsed in it. Strangers met in it. It became a moving stage, a living installation, a quiet rebellion.The ‘Bed-In: Reimagined’ was conceived as a living artwork: the bed returned to Amsterdam as a moving symbol culminating at creative salon held at The Forbidden Garden in A’DAM Tower on 29 October 2025. The entire project was in support of the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus and their mission of creativity, peace, experimentation, and community.
This is the heart of
THE HOMEcoming OF A MULTI-GENERATION MUSIC LEGACY
During ADE, one story became the anchor of the entire activation:
Grammy award-winning Dutch-American artist Leven Kali returning to the country where he was born while his parents were on tour.
Leven carries his family’s musical lineage inside him:
His mother and vocal coach, Vida Simon, and father, renowned bassist, Jerry Seay, performed in Mother’s Finest: a group connected to the Commodores, Ohio Players, The Who, ACDC, and Parliament-Funkadelic.
Today, Leven himself has collaborated with Parliament-Funkadelic.
Past meets present, Legacy loops back into itself. A photo series about music, legacy and a piece of Amsterdam.
Photographed by international portrait & documentary photographer Anna-Luisa Ballauf, in a former Amsterdam church, Bloemgrachtkerk, on the canals, and inside the reimagined Bed-In, Leven appears as both rock-star and cultural heir: guitar in hand, bridging decades of music history.
This narrative echoes the spirit of the original Lennon-Ono Bed-In: highlighting the cultures that shape our communities ... from the stillness of the bed
WHY WE TELL IT NOW
This idea of legacy being actively carried forward is echoed in Sean Ono Lennon’s recent CBS News (Dec 2025) conversation about his parents’ global and cross-generational impact.
We can come together and present the age of Kali as a time of using our creativity in imagining peace.
About: John Lennon Educational Tour Bus
The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus Europe is one of the most influential mobile creative studios in the world: a non-profit initiative founded to give young artists, musicians, and creators access to high-end production tools, mentorship, and a platform for cultural expression.Equipped with cutting-edge Dolby Atmos technology, the Bus offers state-of-the-art audio and video production facilities normally reserved for top-tier artists.
RZA has recorded from the Bus using its Dolby Atmos setup and the same equipment is made accessible to young people, students, and emerging creators whenever the Bus visits schools, festivals, and communities across Europe.Rooted in the legacy of Lennon and Ono’s original Bed-In for Peace, the Bus has carried forward the same values of creativity, peace, experimentation, and community, transforming them into a modern framework for artistic innovation. Equipped as a fully functional recording and production studio, the Bus travels across Europe supporting emerging talent, cultural institutions, and major music acts.
Over the past years, it has collaborated with artists including Wu-Tang Clan (supporting their North American final tour), and plans to accompany them again for their forthcoming European tour in 2026. The Bus is also deeply embedded in youth culture, city festivals, artistic residencies, and community-driven creative programs, making it one of the most respected cultural bridges between generations of musicians.
CELEBRITY MENTORS: Yoko Ono, Ringo Starr, Katy Perry, Jacob Collier, Post Malone, RZA...
About: Leven Kali
Leven Kali is a Dutch-American Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer whose music fuses soul, funk, and forward-thinking R&B. Born in the Netherlands while his parents were touring with the iconic funk-rock group Mother’s Finest, Leven’s music is connected to other continents, cultures, and musical eras.
His lineage is steeped in legacy. His mother, Vida Simon, Leven’s long-time vocal coach, and his father, Jerry “Wyzard” Seay, played alongside global icons including the Commodores, Ohio Players, Parliament-Funkadelic, The Who, and ACDC. Today, Leven extends that heritage into a new generation: he has collaborated with Parliament-Funkadelic, with both featuring on Jay Worthy’s track P Funkentelechy. His recent singles Sleepwalking and one2three with Disclosure have been streaming heavily in 2025 as he prepares for his upcoming DefJam album release.
Leven previously connected with ANOTR, one of the Netherlands’ most influential electronic duos, recently spotlighted by the Montreux Jazz Festival as next-generation artists to watch. Their collaboration How It Feels merges ANOTR’s Amsterdam-rooted electronic world with Leven’s soulful lineage, deepening the Dutch dimension of his homecoming story. Just after ADE, ANOTR came out to support Leven’s first-ever concert in Amsterdam at Paradiso.
In 2025, the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus Europe officially welcomed Leven as a contributor to its Bed-In legacy, recognising his role in bridging past and future, and reinforcing the cultural relevance of his participation in Bed-In Reimagined.
Leven’s presence in the project is not just a collaboration.
It is a return to the city where his story began – a circle closing, a lineage continuing, and a new chapter in a multi-generational music legacy.
Auction Note:
One selected portrait of Leven from Bed-In: Reimagined will be released as a limited-edition artwork and auctioned in Spring 2026. The piece will serve as a cultural artefact of the project – with proceeds supporting expanded educational programming of the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus Europe, presented through future, global activations from WeAreEvents.
THE VISUAL STORY & THE GLOBAL CULTURAL BRIDGE
Credits
Creative Direction and Photography: Anna-Luisa Ballauf
Art Direction/Styling: Rebekah Roy
Talent: Leven Kali
Production: We Are Amsterdam (We Are Events)
Creative Partners: John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, COCO-MAT, Mokumboat
Wardrobe Provisions: Oona/Baas, Fashian, and The New Originals
Videography: Stefano Caggianelli Soundtrack: Vida Simon
Mandatory credit line: © Bed-In: Reimagined /Just_MyCameraAndEye. Creative Direction and Photographer: Anna-Luisa Ballauf. Art Direction: Rebekah Roy. Talent: Leven Kali. Use only with caption and credits.
The project is rooted in the values of the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus Europe, a long-standing home for creativity, peace-building, and innovation (more information below).
The Bus has supported modern Bed-Ins and worked with artists from New York to Europe, including supporting Wu-Tang Clan on their North American final tour, and soon on their European tour beginning March 2026.
We Are Amsterdam became the cultural bridge between the bed’s original meaning and its future.
Between Amsterdam and America.
Between legacy and what comes next.
© Anna-Luisa Ballauf
About: Our Cultural Partners and Advisors with special thanks
Andreas Tzortzis
Journalist, brand strategist & author
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Founder of Hella Brand, a narrative-driven studio helping brands grow without losing integrity
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Former editor and correspondent for outlets such as Monocle, The New York Times and NPR, bringing long-form journalism into brand storytelling
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Has crafted strategy and stories for brands including WeTransfer, Red Bull Media House and Apple Retail
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Co-author of Not a Playbook with WeTransfer founder Damien Bradfield, documenting the brand’s journey
Daniel
Dugan
Visual artist (continuous-line work)
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American-Cuban artist known for meticulous single-line drawings made from one continuous, never-overlapping line
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Practice explores “not knowing” through meditative repetition and organised chaos
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Works invite stillness and contemplation
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Shows internationally with studios in Los Angeles, Mexico City and Ibiza
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Currently exhibiting during Art Basel Miami
Rebekah
Roy
Fashion stylist & creative director
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One of London’s leading fashion stylists and creative consultants
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Works across editorial, music, jewellery and beauty
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Corporate clients include Visa, Nintendo, Harvey Nichols, John Lewis, Virgin and Wella
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Celebrity styling for artists such as Kate Nash, Billy Idol, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, The Feeling and Sarah Brightman
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Regularly styles and hosts shows at London Fashion Week and major venues including Harrods, Royal Ascot, Kensington Palace, Barbican and British Council
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Editorial credits include Tatler, Vogue Italia, Schön, Glamour, Grazia, Harper’s Bazaar and The Sunday Times Travel
Autumn
Collins
Film producer & capital strategist
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Former Netflix camera operator who now advises filmmakers and founders on structuring investor-ready film slates and media ventures
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Led global marketing strategy at luxury auto group O’Gara Coach for Rolls-Royce, Bentley and McLaren
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Later moved into institutional finance at PIMCO and AVANA Capital
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Specialises in closing multi-million-dollar raises bridging film, luxury and finance
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Helps creatives translate vision into fluent “investor language”
Syreeta
Gates
Archivist, filmmaker & studio founder
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Founder of The Gates Preserve, a multimedia company archiving and celebrating Black cultural history through film, exhibitions and digital experiences
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Founder of Most Incredible Studio, creating limited-edition cultural collectibles using LEGO bricks to make memory tangible
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Collaborations include Museum of Pop Culture, the Jimi Hendrix Estate (Mini Jimi), Paper Planes, Because Of Them We Can and Black Archives
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First Black woman to appear on LEGO Masters (US)
Heidi
Psyk
Producer, founder of PSYK Studio
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Producer and development executive with over 20 years of experience between Los Angeles and Europe
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Founder of PSYK, a film fund and development studio focused on culturally resonant films and series
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Began career in script and film development
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Coordinated post-production at Jerry Bruckheimer Films on franchises such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Bad Boys
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Spent nearly a decade at TOMS shaping global visual and brand storytelling
ARTO
group
Global creative & branding agency
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Design-culture-technology agency with over 15 years of experience
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Offices across New York, Toronto, Mexico City and Madrid
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Developed major public-art and cultural projects
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Worked with over 500 international artists and fairs including ZⓈONAMACO
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Brand partners include Google Arts & Culture, Herman Miller Cares, Jack Daniel’s and AB InBev
Juliette
Vartikar
Art sustainability advisor
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Founder of ArtSustainability, embedding sustainability thinking into the art world
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Advises collectors, fairs, institutions and brands
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Director of Sustainable Investing at UBS Asset Management
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Focuses on intersections of art, AI, sustainability and the future of luxury
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Created panels and conversations with partners such as Times Radio and ArtTactic
Claude
Fidelin
Value architect, Nike executive & founder
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Founder of The Black Negotiator, focused on wealth equity and negotiation power for Black professionals
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General Manager at Nike EMEA (Jordan/Basketball)
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Leads cross-functional teams growing basketball culture across the region
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MBA from London Business School
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Has negotiated over $1B in deals
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Global speaker on leadership, value creation and financial independence
Afia
Anim
Singer-songwriter, actress & curator
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Ghanaian-Dutch artist blending Afrobeats, R&B and neo-soul
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Work explores healing, empowerment and transformation
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Creator of Freedom Through Healing, a recurring music-and-conversation series at venues such as Paradiso
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Released the EP Healing in Her Eyes
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Shares music and reflections through the Afia x Healing platform
MAIM
C. Ibink
Circular art studio
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Amsterdam-based studio transforming retired solar panels into high-gloss contemporary artworks
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Each piece saves panels from landfill
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Philosophy “My Art Is Mine” positions art as a mirror of the collector’s identity
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Featured on platforms such as VT Wonen and Masters Expo
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Creates bespoke commissions for private collectors
Laser3.14
Street artist, poet & cultural icon
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Amsterdam’s most recognisable street poet for over 15 years
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Known for bold English-language text works on construction fences and panels
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Author of "Are You Reading Me?"
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Regular presence in galleries and museums
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Collaborates across music, fashion and cultural projects
Dean
Medina
Musician, producer & live-music curator
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Amsterdam-based singer, musician and producer
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Active in projects such as The Shaggy Greys, The Three Hearts and Bankje Collectief
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Founder and organiser of Beats on a Boat and Amsterdam Music Project
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Curates intimate, genre-blending live sessions connecting local and international artists
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Works across venues and the city’s waterways
Maryama
W.Marong
Strategic advisor & podcast host
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Founder of Open Vision, a consultancy and podcast exploring regenerative leadership and systems thinking
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Hosts Open Vision – a forward-thinking podcast
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Manager of the Innovatielab at Amsterdam Economic Board
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Convening public-private coalitions shaping the future of the Amsterdam region
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Over 10 years in management consulting, strategy and communications
Kevin
Ruda
Graphic pop artist & creative director
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Medellín-based illustrator and graphic pop artist
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Creative director of Kinder Estudio
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Works across branding, illustration and merchandise
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Clients include Katy Perry (Prismatic World Tour visuals), Whirlpool France, Grupo Éxito and Universidad de Medellín
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Created award-winning identities for Extinto Café and Neverland Bookshop
Stefano
Cagianelli
Videographer & director
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Independent videographer and director working across music, fashion and culture
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Often collaborates within the Amsterdam creative scene
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Moves fluidly between documentary texture and cinematic polish
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Known as a one-stop visual partner from shooting through edit
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Trusted for agility and strong aesthetics on tight timelines
Caleb
Ennis
Creative director & film editor
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Amsterdam-based creative director and editor
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Roots in Los Angeles and North Carolina
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Experience across commercial and entertainment post-production
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Edited work for Apex Legends and campaigns for Netflix and Hulu
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Works end-to-end from creative direction to final cut
Partners of We Are Amsterdam:
@weare.eventss
John Lennon Educational Tour Bus: @lennonbus
Anna-Luisa Ballauf: @just_mycameraandeye
Leven Kali: @levenkali
Rebekah Roy: @rebekahroy_
Amsterdam & Partners: @iamsterdam
COCO-MAT: @cocomatnl
Sir Hotels: @sirhotels
Forbidden Garden: @thebutchersocialclub
Mokumboat: @mokumboat
Stëlz: @drinkstelz
Staal-Kade: @staalkadeworkspace
YellowKorner: @yellowkorner_official
Oona Baas: @oona.baas
Fashian: @highendfashian
The New Originals: @theneworiginals.eu
Stefano Caggianelli: @blackseagull_
MAIM: @maimamsterdam
Laser 3.14: @laser314
Nay_Kid: @naykid
Sound2Light Events: @sound2light.nl
Special thanks:
Brian Rothschild – Executive Director, John Lennon Educational Tour Bus & John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Vida Simon, Zsuzsa Cook, NyAsia Burris, Josh Pleeter, Kelvin Etwi – Kre/ate Events, Foam Photography Museum, Eben Badu, Sammie and Ebbo at Stëlz, Ben van Ekeris – van Ekeris Tenten, Damien Duarte – Renaissance Leather, Hidden Agenda, Maxim Piano Bar, Jessica van der Pluijm – Batavia Stad Fashion Outlet, Chantal – Sound2Light, Semih Kalyoncuoglu – Soho House Amsterdam, Mischief Makers, Sarah Briar – Rose Vision, Fedor Sendak – Paperdisque, Tom Heckmans – Re:invent, Josephine Warnaars – FLOW Real Estate, Caleb Ennis
CONTACT
For preview assets, interviews, and first-look material, please contact Anna-Luisa Ballauf for any further information on collaboration and media relations, please contact Renée Waters.
