International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam - Nature of Hope
From June 29 to October 13, 2024
Nieuwe Instituut, Museumpark 25, Rotterdam
Under the title Nature of Hope, the 11th edition of the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam examines nature, culture and hope from the perspective of architectural thought and action, as a driving force for social change. What does it take to face uncertainty about the future in a time of profound and multiple transformations – in other words, what are the building blocks we need to remain hopeful?
The IABR 2024 will take place from 29 June to 13 October 2024 and will focus on a combination of hope and nature. This choice stems from the recognition that everything begins with the Earth and that our exploitation – or rather, depletion – of the Earth, each other, and the living world is leading to multiple ecological and social crises. As humans, we can no longer place ourselves above or at a distance from nature and nor do we wish to. How can we put the knowledge and practices of spatial design at the service of the planet and all the creatures that live on it?
Conditions for Hope
In 2024, the IABR will focus on the design of hope – not as a naive position or a binary choice between optimism and pessimism, but as an active practice. After all, change will only land in fertile soil if it comes with the lure and hope of a new dawn. In the face of urgent systemic change, the design disciplines have an opportunity to redefine themselves. How can we consistently engage in a conscious confrontation with the realities of our field of work and our relationships, and find space in them for potential improvement and systemic change?
By focusing on the conditions for hope, the IABR 2024 will contribute to rebuilding social and knowledge infrastructures so that problematic ways of working can be abandoned and alternative ways of working strengthened. Architectural thinking as a flywheel for change!
