The Dutch Pavilion: Afaina de Jong - Debra Solomon

The Multiplicity of Other & Multispecies Urbanism

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.

Architect Afaina de Jong and artist Debra Solomon present two possible responses to Who is We?

In Multiplicity of Other, De Jong identifies the spatial knowledge of the overwhelming majority of othered groups as fundamental to reconstituting the dominance of a single-sided universal perspective on cities. Driven by the urgency of climate crisis mitigation, Solomon advocates Multispecies Urbanism for just urban development driven by reciprocal inter-species relations of care.

Who is We? is an empathic plea against monoculture and homogeneity, illustrating that polyphony and plurality create the relations and interactions essential to building just and resilient societies and cities.