Prix de Rome Closing Event: Long Live Fiction!
As the 2014 Prix de Rome Architecture exhibition neared its end, Het Nieuwe Instituut and the Mondriaan Fund held a festive closing event. By focusing on the fictional character of the prize, the organisers wanted to explore the limits of possible and impossible architecture.
The proposals submitted by the eight Prix de Rome nominees focused on Hoogstraat and the surrounding, disoriented Blaak/Binnenrotte area. Their task was to come up with proposals to turn Hoogstraat into a vibrant street once again. Although the situation is real, there is no intention to turn any of these schemes into reality. Each of the nominees dealt in their own way with the tension between reality and the fictional nature of the competition. What does this fictional way of thinking and designing contribute to ideas for architecture and urbanism?
Programme
The programme starts with a short introduction by Guus Beumer, director of Het Nieuwe Instituut. Architect David Garcia (MAP Architects) will then deliver a lecture about fiction and the unlimited possibilities of architecture, after which a number of Prix de Rome candidates and Garcia will discuss the dividing line between fact and fiction in design.
MAP Architects
MAP Architects is an architectural platform in Copenhagen run by architect David Garcia. MAP is renowned for its innovative and multidisciplinary approach to various conditions all over the world, from arctic regions to areas susceptible to flooding. It has collaborated with NASA and UNESCO on assorted projects at various scales, and is also known for the MAP publications, released in collaboration with Peter Cook, seven of which have appeared to date.
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome is the oldest and biggest prize in the Netherlands for architects and visual artists younger than 40. Since 2012 the prize has been organised and funded by the Mondriaan Fund. In October 2014 the Prix de Rome for Architecture was won by Donna van Milligen Bielke. An exhibition featuring the proposals by all nominees is on view at Het Nieuwe Instituut until 15 February.
Programme
8 pm welcome/introduction by Guus Beumer
8.10 pm lecture by MAP / David Garcia
9.15 pm conversation with Prix de Rome participants & David Garcia
9.45 pm Q&A
10 pm drinks & chance to talk afterwards
11 February 2015 20:00 - 22:00