Who is we questions the dominant structures and histories we inhabit and inherit, presenting an urbanism that is Other – female, of colour, queer, and multispecies. Het Nieuwe Instituut, commissioner of the Dutch pavilion, fuels the discussion on Hashim Sarkis’ call for a ‘new spatial contract’ addressing how we will live together.
The installation opens by asking who ‘we’ is, given current ecological, social, and urban urgencies, stating that the negotiation should equally represent and involve humans, soil, animals, plants, and artificial cognitive systems. Such a contract requires specific tools and insights for emancipating com- munities and decolonising soil and ecosystems. These tools and insights have been developed throughout history by a variety of architects, researchers, gardeners, writers, community workers, activists, politicians, but have never become part of the norm set by the architecture canon. While this canon still forms the basis of our buildings and cities, it is clear that it is inadequate for supporting a multiplicity of lifeworlds for humans and non-humans.
Who is We? presents a counter-language based on Other knowledge development and pedagogies that make visible what is unseen, and that propagate inclusivity on all levels. It departs from the research and practice of architect Afaina de Jong and artist Debra Solomon, around respectively Multiplicity of Other and Multispecies Urbanism. Who is We? Is a strong plea against monoculture and homo- geneity: multiplicity and reciprocity are crucial for the interactions that keep a society and ecosystem alive. On the invitation of Het Nieuwe Instituut Caroline Nevejan, Chief Science Officer of the City of Amsterdam, developed a parallel public research programme with the title Values for Survival.
For more information, visit the HNI website.