After Summer School: WednesdayAfter Summer School: Wednesday

How to bring the active back into activism? Many activists and practitioners in Rotterdam firmly critique the social context within which they operate by creating counter practices and alternative communal relations. Through their interventions they speak truth to power. On the Wednesday of the After Summer School, we experiment with alternative forms of power, specifically those which are currently not sufficiently valued and often not even seen.

• By Afrikaanderwijk Cooperative
• Location: Gemaal op Zuid, Pretorialaan 141, 3072EL Rotterdam
• Language: Dutch (with buddy translation to English)

The relentless urban development of Rotterdam is drastically changing the lives of its residents. Whether it’s escalating property prices or the tide of gentrification, the existing population is being pushed to the brink of displacement. In response, the Afrikaanderwijk Cooperative and a determined group of citizens (local experts) have joined forces with Urban Front to counter these exploitative dynamics. In this session, participants will engage in reflections, tours, and discussions to think along the proposed infrastructures for embedded knowledge for neighbourhood improvement.

• By Vatan Hüzeir
• Location: Room 1, Nieuwe Instituut (TBD)
• Language: English

How to ready up for Change? is a dynamic class for activists that focuses on empowering individuals and groups to challenge the status quo in their own environments. Facilitated by researcher and activist Vatan Hüzeir of the think-and-do-tank Changerism, participants will learn about activist-relevant theory, skills, and strategies needed to advocate for transformative change. If you are passionate about alternative futures, whether you are curious about the world of social change, a newcomer or a seasoned activist looking to develop your skills, this is for you.

• By Ursula Biemann & Santiago del Hierro
• Location: Room 1, Nieuwe Instituut (+ walk around its surroundings)
• Language: English

Led by artist Ursula Biemann and architect Santiago del Hierro, the workshop Learning with Forests, Mountains and Rivers will focus on how knowledge that is often considered ‘alternative’ or ‘peripheral’ is in fact essential to our existence on earth. During the workshop and a walk to various sites near the Nieuwe Instituut, participants will adopt an ecosystemic approach and use a method developed in the Andean Amazon to reflect on hidden non-human relationships in their own territory through sensing, storytelling and drawing.

• By WaterSchool x Stichting het Park
• Location: Het Park (starting at the Noorse Zeemanskerk, Westzeedijk 300, Rotterdam)
• Language: English (TBD)

Explore Het Park at the Euromast through the eyes of four unique characters: the Water Guardian, the Wellness Specialist, the Flow Architect and the Transhuman Ambassador. WaterSchool, a project by Studio Makkink & Bey, takes you on a journey through the past and present, imagining future possibilities for living with water in the Rotterdam Delta. During the walk, you will collect, create, and share your observations, to serve as a catalyst for future change. This walk, supported by the Bauhaus of the Seas Sails project, will also take place on Monday.

The After Summer School (30/09 – 4/10 2024) is a Rotterdam-based programme of the New Academy where a wide variety of knowledge producers teach their methods. How can we change the city by looking, listening, writing, archiving, collaborating, activating, researching, designing, and walking differently?

If you have any questions regarding the programme or would like to request a free solidarity ticket for financial reasons, you can contact us through laura.lakam@nieuweinstituut.nl.

*Do you wish to attend the programme as a whole, or a large number of classes throughout the week? You can apply for a discount for the full programme through the same email address above.