Festive Opening New ExhibitionsFestive Opening New Exhibitions

On Thursday 18 October three new exhibitions open to the public. Speculative Design Archive, Habitat: Expanding Architecture and Prix de Rome Architecture 2018, each examine the remains of our material and spatial design culture from a different perspective.

With a temporary archive installation, Het Nieuwe Instituut speculates on the possible contents of an archive for design and digital culture from the Netherlands. Who will save what - and how, and why - for future generations? Together with it's visitors, Speculative Design Archive uncovers the value of both acknowledged masterpieces and forgotten treasures. The installation follows the entire archival process: collecting, storing, arranging and describing items, reconstructing their origins, and determining their value and siginificance. The exhibition includes current as well as historical archives from organisations such as V2_ and Droog, companies such as Vlisco and Artifort and a variety of designers including Wim Gilles, Kho Liang Ie, Cubic3 Design, Lust, Geert Lap and Hella Jongerius.

In 1956 the tenth CIAM conference was organised in Dubrovnik, a historical meeting in which the concept 'habitat' and an ecological approach to architecture were proposed. _Habitat: Expanding Architecture_ reconstructs the presentations made at the conference and reflects on their influence today, adding recent contributions and work from the archives of Van den Broek en Bakema, Frits Palmboom, Pjotr Gonggrijp and Joost Váhl. This also marks the starting point for further discussions about the contemporary relevance of the notion of 'habitat' to architecture.

The four nominees for Prix de Rome Architecture, Alessandra Covini, Bram van Kaathoven, Katarzyna Nowak and duo Rademacher de Vries focus on designs for forgotten landscapes. One of these locations is Amsterdam's Sixhaven marina, a stone's throw from Central Station. This urban oasis has so far escaped the attention of planners and investors, but that will undoubtedly change. The winner will be announced by Minister of Education, Culture & Science Ingrid van Engelshoven during a special Prix de Rome Architecture 2018 award ceremony, organised by the Mondriaan Fund.

During the festive opening programme the new Research Fellows of Het Nieuwe Instituut will present their projects in the Auditorium at 20:15. The fellows will enter into a conversation on this year's research theme, Burn-Out. The discussion, moderated by Mark Minkjan and Arif Kornweitz, will be recorded as a podcast by Ja Ja Ja Nee Nee Nee radio. The program will include a live ASMR performance by Rotterdam-based artist Lisa Gliederpuppe.