Portfolio | Design as Politics

Wouter Vanstiphout at Architectenweb Magazine

The Dutch architectural magazine AWM (architectenweb magazine) has today published their latest edition. This time containing a 6-page interview with Wouter Vanstiphout on the confusing roleplay of urban design, “process” as an export product and how riots reveal something of the city that the city would rather keep hidden. The article gives a nice summary of what is shown in the DasP exhibition, but also reveals a glimpse of what can be expected of the –soon to be published- book Are we the world? (Date will be announced a.s.a.p.) For those struggling with our weird Dutch language (and those who… Read More

Guerrilla gardeners attack Irish ghost estates

Only a few years ago, the Irish were constructing huge amounts of beautiful houses attracting potential residents with various bathrooms, granite-topped built-in kitchens and a few acres of land to towns nobody had even thought of commuting from before – The inhabitants never came. When the Real estate bubble burst in 2008, and the Celtic Tiger run away, Ireland was one of the most affected countries. The result: around 2,800 ‘ghost estates’, housing developments that were never occupied or in some cases even completed. Great to make cool pictures or organize a dance event, but horrible -and even dangerous– to… Read More

NRC en de Soundtrack bij de Rellen

Gister (3mei) in het Cultureel Supplement ‘Kunst en politiek’ van het NRC Handelsblad en vandaag (4mei) in de NRC NEXT: een twee pagina groot artikel van Bernard Hulsman over de tentoonstelling Design as Politics! Het stuk gaat voornamelijk in op het verhaal achter de driedimensionale collages met als centraal thema de relatie tussen popmuziek en stadsrellen. Van de punkband The EX tijdens de Amsterdamse krakersrellen via NWA’s Fuck the Police en de LA Riots naar Ill manors en de Britse rellen van vorig jaar. Interessant voor zowel de architecten als de muziekliefhebbers onder ons (liefst beide). Check it out!

BDonline review on the 5th IABR: Making City

It’s more than a week since the opening of the IABR, so time for the first reviews. The UK website bdonline sent one of their reporters along the exhibitions and this quite critical story is the result (unfortunately behind a pay-wall). Our exhibtion, got away quite well with credits for ‘revealing the really pressing issues that uncover deep-seated political tensions that create the unstable basis on top of which official citymakers stage their vision of “making city” (His words). You’re invited to pass by an make your own judgement? The exhibition runs until July 7th and is open from Wednesday… Read More

Design as Politics Batches

An exhibition opening is not complete without a proper goodie. So we made one! Come to our opening, this Thursday, 19:30 in the Mini Mall, Rotterdam and get your own limited edition Design as Politics batch. There is one way to get a complete set. Come early!

Invitation

Come to the opening party of our exhibition! This Thursday (19th April, 19:30h) in the Mini-Mall, Rotterdam. Architecture is politics! Why? Because cities are political. The city is the place where money, power, commerce, culture, religion and leisure meet and fight for a position. The exhibition Design as Politics shows these fights through spectacular three-dimensional images. They show how for the construction of a beautiful urban project a whole neighbourhood has to be demolished, how bringing the Olympics to a city can lead to massive protests or how a political revolution can spoil a prestigious architectonic project. But if Architecture… Read More

The paradoxical situation of Dutch Planning

We are very proud to finally unveil some more information about the DasP exhibition at the 5th IABR: Making City. B Nieuws had the scoop so get your latest copy in the BK coffee corner or read it online. We’re on page 5.

International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam

If you by any chance walk around in the architecture faculty of Delft, pass by the nearest coffee corner to get your copy of B-nieuws (Also available online). Inside this faculty magazine you find the announcement of the Design as Politics contribution to the 5th international architecture Biennale Rotterdam ‘Making the City’. Our contribution to the Biennale consists of the publication of book 6 in the Design and Politics series and an exhibition in the recently renovated Hofbogen in Rotterdam, both presenting the results of research conducted within the chair and a selection of student work from the studio’s Rotterdam-Detroit, Istanbul-the… Read More

Avoid Ghetto App

There is no such thing as bad publicity, right? Well Microsoft will probably disagree. Their recently registered patent for a new GPS feature was nicknamed the ‘avoid ghetto app’. This new software for smartphones and other portable GPS devices is intentionally meant to help travelers avoiding bad weather, tough terrain and unsafe neighborhoods. It uses a combination of information from maps, weather reports, crime statistics and demographics to determine the most effective route to their final destination. Sounds harmless and even useful, but Steve Ballmer (Here in Nova Collegetour) and friends are now being accused of potential racism and reinforcing stereotypical… Read More