Nieuwe Instituut x IFFR: Homecoming by Mark Dorf
From 29 January to 8 February, Nieuwe Instituut will be showing Homecoming by Mark Dorf as part of the IFFR Art Directions programme. This new collaboration with the International Film Festival Rotterdam is in line with Nieuwe Instituut's ambition to initiate and present work by innovative digital creators.
19 January 2026
Homecoming
Homecoming reimagines Homer’s Odyssey. Not so much as a heroic epic, but as a quest for ‘home’ in a world driven by algorithms, screens and ecological insecurity. What does it mean to ‘come home’ when technology constantly connects us, but estranges us from ourselves and our surroundings at the same time?
The work ties in with themes that the Nieuwe Instituut is concerned with, such as ecology and the relationship with the designed environment. Using photography, digital media and sculpture, Homecoming explores how people experience the digital, urban, and architectural landscape and the natural world.
The world premiere of Homecoming (2026, 16 min.) can be seen on the screen in the entrance hall of the Nieuwe Instituut and is free for everyone to view; a museum ticket is not required.
Art Directions
Art Directions is the space where the festival steps out of the screening room and pushes the limits of what cinema can be. At galleries and artistic spaces across Rotterdam, encounter cinema in surprising forms: immersive media, performances, live music and visual art.
-1 Digital Lab
Part laboratory, part exhibition space, -1 Digital Lab responds to the urgent need to address critical issues in digital culture. As such, -1 Digital Lab is a testing ground for intermingling digital culture and its practitioners, participants and audiences. Currently on show are three installations: The Zooms by Sam Lavigne, The Acoustic Continuum by Colette Aliman, and Cloud of Polyphony by Hanchen Zhang.