Amsterdamers - Episode #2

The Agency Boss, Gesina Roters

In this episode, we meet Gesina Roters. She runs a design agency here in Amsterdam called DAY and we find her in her apartment talking to her former student Amna Mulabegovic.

What I like about this film is how it captures this special dynamic between Gesina and Amna as they talk about philosophy, art, music, and other things that interest Gesina.

GESINA ROTERS: My name is Gesian Roters. People know me best for being a driven, and creative mind person in my profession. I run a company with two other people called “DAY”. We decided to name the company “DAY” because every day is different in our line of business. Each day is beautiful and every day is an opportunity to make something out of nothing. I am a free-spirited person. I love to dabble in different disciplines, and I don’t like to be put in a box

AMNA MULABEGOVIC: Where are we, and what does this place mean to you?

GESINA ROTERS: We are in my home and this place is my horizon. As you can probably see in the way I have designed my apartment, the horizon line is important because it has a kind of emptiness. Emptiness to me is freedom and it is important because we are constantly filled with impressions and words and pictures. When I come home I like to find emptiness as this often means inspiration.

AMNA MULABEGOVIC: If you are to recommend a “must read” book, what book would that be?

GESINA ROTERS: Well, I thought about this and was unable to come up with just one book. However, I find reading books focused on philosophy enlightening. It is not so important whether you read the natural philosophers or Plato or modern philosophy, to me, it’s all about leaning back so you can get a wider perspective through which to see the age you are living in. Philosophical books help me remember that there is not one truth. This also helps inform me in my line of work on how you shape things and how you share your thoughts.

AMNA MULABEGOVIC: What kind of music would you recommend people listen to?

GESINA ROTERS: For me, it is most definitely- the Canto Ostinato written by Simeon Ten Holt. He is a dutch modern composer who writes modern classical and minimalist music. It’s a piece for one to four pianos and it’s based on repetition featuring the same sequence over again. It can go on for hours but it’s so beautiful and it changes your mind and it opens your mind. You can have it in the background at the same time you can listen to it carefully and it’s amazing.

AMNA MULABEGOVIC: Who would you consider the most interesting person in Amsterdam?

GESINA ROTERS: I would say Willem Baars. He is an art historian writer and curator of his gallery in Amsterdam. He is very interesting and inspiring because of his knowledge of contemporary art. He has a controversial way of thinking and believes that good art has to be a little bit uncomfortable.

Check out DAY creative agency https://day.nl/

Follow Gesina here https://www.instagram.com/gesinaroters/