1 June 2023

Discussing New New Babylon at Terra Libera Seminar

On May twelth Trudy Nieuwenhuys and myself were invited by artist Jonas Staal as expert speakers for the Terra Libera seminar. It was a prelude to a manifestation by the same name, organised by Rijksmuseum Twenthe, that will take place from September 8th, 2023 until January 28th, 2024. The manifestation will deal with the question ‘who does the land belong to?’ The manifestation consists of three different exhibitions and a extensive public program. In addition to that, the museum has invited four artists to explore and develop new perspectives on dilemmas affecting the rural environment of Twente. The particip[ating artists are Tanja Engelberts, Wapke Feenstra, Jonas Staal and Budhaditya Chattopadhyay. The starting point of Staal’s research is the famous utopian project New Babylon by Constant. In this blog I will give a short impression of the topics discussed in Staal’s presentation of his New New Babylon project.

New New Babylon

The New New Babylon project takes the liberated country as its starting point. We are in an indefinite moment in the future. The Netherlands has largely been flooded, and New Babylon has been realized from the remains of cities and industries as New New Babylon. Not as a completely new construction, but composed of the ruins of a world based on infinite economic growth. Former flats, church towers, oil rigs and wind turbines are now the pillars that connect the sectors of New New Babylon. Sea containers are no longer transported, but have themselves been converted into residential sectors for habitation and transition connections. Agriculture no longer manifests itself horizontally as a colonizer of the landscape, but vertically along the pillars of the post-urban transnational commune. Roofs of sectors form widespread patterns of solar panels for energy production. The country has liberated itself, forcing the human community to free itself from the system that made the country unlivable. The solarpunk commune of New New Babylon has had to break old dichotomies: those between man and nature, between city and countryside, between private and public property.

Ger Dekkers, Reed Land and Ditch, photo, 1978, Collectie Gemeente Enschede

After a presentation of the New New Babylon project by Jonas, we sat down for a few questions.

Jonas

Through Constant 101 you continuously explore how the world of ideas of Constant and New Babylon continues to relate to our present time through the work of artists, cultural projects, symposia, etc. How do you see the world’s engagement with New Babylon taking effect?

Kim

When you study the projects/exhibitions that Constant’s work is linked to, the themes always focus on contemporary issues like refugees, power, utopia, the playing and creative human, urbanism, architecture, freedom, activism, space travel, work, time. Or like this project envisioning a sustainable future. During Constant 101 we did projects about the democracy of the public space, gamification, the connection between humans and technology and where that border starts and ends, activist architect, again refugees, decolonization.

All these subjects can be projected on New Babylon because they are already ingrained in it or because Constant left room for the viewer to project on it.

Jonas

Which aspects of New Babylon prove relevant time and time again?

Kim

On one side New Babylon is based on long term trends that were prevalent in 1950-60s and which we are still experiencing: the expansion of “free” time or the role of free time and the work life balance. This started in the end of the 19th century and is still a topic. Global connectivity, nomadic pursuit (whether voluntary or not) and automation.
On the other hand, it captures the most alluring traits of his time (50-60’s): the optimistic vibe of the reconstruction, the sense that “we” will never let that happen again, which of course, pertains to WWII. Rebellion against the status quo which opens up space to think about alternative realities, the feeling that we, the people, have won our struggle against nature through technology. I think that optimism is a lot harder today but it does hold a great attraction.
And, in a way New Babylon seems to hold all these metaphorical elements of creativity: basic needs are met, having the time, freedom to move around, explore and congregate at will, being empowered to transform or influence our environment, there is a playful purpose and Constant still hints to a history. Which can be seen in his maps, where he places the New Babylonian structures on top of existing cities. He doesn’t imagine the destruction of what is but he integrates it into his ideas. For these reasons I think New Babylon keeps its attraction and its relevance.

New Babylon-Antwerpen, 1963

Grundriss New Babylon über Den Haag, 1964

Jonas

What does this say about the value of New Babylon today?

Kim

Constant really believed in artists taking part in technological advancement. If artists don’t engage with technology, they cannot influence it and I feel that this is more crucial than ever.
Furthermore, I feel there is power in the visualization of where we want to go, where we could go. Even in sport visualization is used because the body doesn’t know the difference between what you do and what you visualize. I think this holds the power of a vision for society and why artists should keep engaging with creative visions of the future. So that society can imagine it, get used to it and hopefully partly materialize it or at least consider alternatives.

Jonas

Speculatively, what do you see as the most pressing concepts and proposals in New Babylon in relation to our present time?

Kim

I feel that the common ownership of means of production ties in with a lot of contemporary issues. Then there is free movement of people, which also ties in with ownership, borders and the meeting of basic needs.

It takes comfort and safety before people start experiencing a life of play and creativity that Constant describes. When these basics are met to a certain degree (and traumas are healed) people have the potential to become playful and creative and maybe also less focused on extreme accumulation of stuff.