Retelling Utopia: Unfolding Spaces exhibition (2022)
Part of Fluctoplasma Festival’s programme
Curation: Nina Reiprich
Westwerk, Hamburg
Steel lighbox with tracing paper prints behind satin glass, 100×100x30cm. Part of Post-Dam Forest series.
When we hear the words “city” and “water” together, most of us conjure up images of harbors, dams or floating structures. We grew up in places where people exercised their control over nature. It is a phenomenon that has brought us this far. Yet we are now beginning to realize that our way of life is not sustainable. But is there no alternative to this? Can’t we build cities that help us regain intimacy with nature?
Post-Dam Forest is a speculative design project that revolves around a utopian vision for a future Rotterdam in the face of a climate catastrophe. Inspired by works by Constant Nieuwenhuys, Metabolist architecture movement, a childhood spent in communist flats, and life among the mise-en-scene of the port of Rotterdam, the design acts as a commentary on current issues such as the housing crisis, immigration, and the climate catastrophe.