The Water School is a working exhibition in the studio of Studio Makkink & Bey, and a springboard from which to develop a school that, in the near future, will be opened in the heart of the M4H district. Using the IABR as a platform and branching out from the M4H district, the hinterland of Studio Makkink & Bey, the goal is to create an active archive and network which are to be activated and used to establish the Water School.

Water School: Grow

Starting on June 1, during the biennale, the exhibition will be open to the public on six consecutive Fridays. The Studio will present its findings and lecturers from the cultural, private and administrative sectors will share their views on water and education through presentations and discussions.

Grow
The Growing Day focuses on growth, a theme relevant not only within schools, but also in agriculture. Food and agriculture are the largest consumers of water, requiring one hundred times more water than used for personal needs. Yet, to feed the booming world population, production needs to be increased enormously, whilst decreasing the water footprint. Is it possible to develop less water-intensive agriculture, foreseeing that water will become increasingly scarce in the future? Can we integrate these novel forms of food production into our future cities, whom will house 60% of the world population by 2025? How will this affect agriculture as we know it? And can these novel forms of agriculture be implemented in the schoolyard of the Water School, manifesting itself as a schoolgarden?

Invited lecturer Debora Treep is the founder of the Urban Green Development course at the Wellant College. The alumni of this MBO-course are “urban greeners”: practical, hands-on “green thinkers”, whom “green” our future cities.

The second invited lecturer, being Thom Bindels, will discuss how many aspects of modern life are alienating mankind from its earthbound nature. Within his work, he seeks for ways to make us revalue the human conditions which connect us to the earth we live on. Within his lecture he will zoom in on two recent projects, entitled Digging Conditions and Desert Pioneer, which will also be on show during this Friday.

location: Studio Makkink & Bey, Marconistraat 85, Rotterdam
date: June 8
the exhibition is open from 2 until 7 pm, the lectures and discussions are scheduled between 4 and 6 pm
language: English