Esther Kokmeijer, Deep Meaning of Voyaging (Oerol), 2018-ongoing

As part of the exhibition Still Waters Run Deep a public program has been made. The forum weekend Making waves: learning and applying water knowledges takes place partly at Nieuw Dakota in Amsterdam and partly at RADIUS CCA in Delft.

Panel discussions
Date: Saturday 30th July
Time: 19:30 – 22:00 hrs
Location: RADIUS CCA
Language: English
Tickets: €10
Buy your tickets for this program via RADIUS CCA

Workshop
Date: Sunday 31st July
Time: 11:00 - 18:00 hrs
Location: Nieuw Dakota
Language: English
Tickets: €15
Buy your tickets for this program here

Combined ticket (panel discussions + workshop): €20
Buy your combination tickets via RADIUS CCA

‘Making Waves’ offers a weekend-long exploration of the concepts of hydrocommons and hydrocitizenship, both essential to a sustainable interaction with water. Hydrocommons refers to the recognition of water as a commons; a joint resource that cannot be owned by anyone and is our common responsibility. Hydrocitizenship encompasses actions that citizens take to increase the acceptance of water as a commons. It results in active engagement with water governance, often in local communities, that is characterised by learning, negotiation and practice. The forum weekend will translate both concepts into concrete examples and actions that can be applied in everyday life.

Workshop: Making Waves - Redefine
While indigenous communities are known to have been living in harmony with water for centuries, our modern (Western) life is the opposite. As small habits and actions have ripple effects on the whole natural ecosystem, the workshop ‘Making waves - Redefine’ will bring us to rethink a new way of living that drives hydrocitizenship and hydrocommons in our contemporary society.

How to redefine the human relationship with water to drive hydrocitizenship and hydrocommons in an urban city like Amsterdam? How can inhabitants of urban environments such as Amsterdam become hydrocitizens? How can hydrocommons become a central element of environmental policy-making?

Using the NDSM-wharf as a case study, participants are invited to use design thinking and speculative design methodologies to unlock water-related challenges within the community. We will interview people on the street to understand the current local relationship with water and its effects. Then, we envision the 2025 human-water relationship on the wharf, and ideate and prototype products, services and policies to make that future happen. Expect an intensive design-sprint day where you will have a chance to connect with the locality, to dream and to come up with hands-on solutions together with an interdisciplinary team.

The workshop will be hosted by social and service designer Thanyawan Eamsonthi (June), service designer at Philips Experience Design in Amsterdam. Before joining Philips, she was working for three years in the social enterprise sector in Thailand; helping NGOs, small communities, and social enterprises to bring important societal issues to the attention of the public.