Looking back at the Lab Week Buiding Beyond in the Netherlands

From 21 October to 27 October 2022 11 designers and makers and 3 mentors within the mentorship program Building Beyond came to the Netherlands. The lab week themed Reimagining The Future of Cities included a series of workshops, a visit to relevant grassroots organizations and institutions, a speed dating program, a networking dinner and a public symposium. They also visited the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam and Dutch Design Week.

The participants of the Mentorship Building Beyond are working in nine different African countries where there are explosively growing cities. With their creativity, critical thinking and perseverance, they are committed to the major associated tasks, such as the visibility and participation of local communities, climate adaptation and security.

After touring the city of Rotterdam, the group was warmly welcomed by director Sofia Hernandez Chong Cuy at Kunstinstituut Melly.

Followed by a visit to the Kunsthal in Rotterdam. Photo: Maud Fernhout

The guests were given a tour by Setareh Noorani of Het Nieuwe Instituut. Photo: Maud Fernhout

Sunday concluded at The Niteshop - 'Embassy of the super-diverse city' with a presentation by Malique Mohamud. Photo: Maud Fernhout

On Tuesday the participants visited Dutch Design Week and concluded with speed dates with a number of Talent Development Grant recipients who presented at MU during DDW. Photo: Maud Fernhout

Mitchell Esajas gaf een presentatie en rondleiding door de tentoonstelling van The Black Archives. Photo: Maud Fernhout

We concluded with the Symposium 'Beyond Urbanity' at the Rijksacademie where the future of cities was reshaped with students from Sandberg's Blacker Blackness program. Photo: Tomek Dersu Aaron

View the symposium Beyonding Urbanity here organized by the Creative Industries Fund NL in collaboration with Ola Hassanain and the Rijksacademie - Blacker Blackness.

The Mentorship Building Beyond program is a collaboration of the Creative Industries Fund NL and Prince Claus Fund. Many thanks to, among others, Building Beyond coordinator Nagaré Willemsen, mentors Ola Hassanain, Khensani Jurczok-de Klerk and Sénamé Koffi Agbodjinouis, workshop leaders René Boer, Jeanne van Heeswijk, Winnie Herbstein and Afaina de Jong, moderator Nelly Dos Reis, Art Institute Melly, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Kunsthal, IABR, The Niteshop, The Black Archives, Rijksacademie - Blacker Blackness and Dutch Design Week.

Text: grants officer Internationalization Yasmin Kursun