Header: Thierry Meier
The OPEN Architecture Festival, which will take place on 20 September in Aarhus, Denmark, is a event organised by the Aarhus School of Architecture that each year covers a pressing topic of the world’s agenda. This year’s theme, “The Ocean In Which We All Swim“, was curated by Karen Kjærgaard, Margarida Waco, and Simon Strøyer, who made sure the focus would be on the relationship between water and architecture and its role in promoting sustainable practices within the industry.
OPEN24
OPEN24, the main event of the festival, includes talks, performances, exhibitions, and artistic interventions, all of which were especially designed to engage architects, urban planners, theorists, and others interested in urban development, sustainability, and the changing dynamics within architecture, climate, and politics. Participants will be invited to navigate six different scenes where critical discussions will take place and where their interaction is encouraged.
Ruination, World Building, Hydrocommons, Heritage Futures, Liquid Archives, and Fluid Space are set to welcome visitors and guide them through some of today’s most pressing topics, with every conversation centring around humans and our connections with each other and nature. Guests can expect engaging discussions that mix together sociopolitical stances, artistic practices, activism, water, and even capitalism’s influence on society, making it, in our opinion, essential to plan sessions in advance to ensure one can get the most out of such an enriching experience.
As said above, the festival is curated by Karen Kjærgaard from Aarhus School of Architecture, Margarida Waco from the Royal College of Arts, London, and Simon Strøyer from Tideland. Supporting them in the task of organising the program, an advisory board consisting of students and teachers from Aarhus School of Architecture and professionals makes sure that the topics present in the event are relevant and of high quality, making this an event carefully crafted under the attentive sight of many different pairs of eyes.
“The Ocean In Which We All Swim”
The theme examines the role of water as a connecting element between humans and nature, especially its impact on architecture and future landscapes. The event will explore various perspectives, including environmental, geopolitical, historical, and architectural, all of which are essential for our future and that of our planet.
The Danish Arts Foundation has provided the funding that helped bring the OPEN24 program to life, but they’ve also played a role in facilitating the collaboration between the Aarhus School of Architecture’s curator and two external advisors. Such a backing not only allowed for a great program but also let to the development of new formats where architectural innovations could be shared more easily with the public.
