Shaping Rotterdam

In my project, I delve into the different layers of urban development, focusing specifically on the city of Rotterdam. I go on a journey through its urban planning within skyscrapers in construction, documenting the laborers and their roles in physically shaping the city. My interest is sparked by building our own house from the bottom up. I contemplate on the metaphorical levels of construction, exploring the worlds of the laborers, the architects, the project developers and finally and foremost, the city’s residents. I question different power dynamics, exploring who receives credit and acknowledgment in the construction process. I will do this by frequently visiting the same spaces, to capture their transformation and get a sense of how buildings are being developed. Revisiting a place allows me to gain new insights and seeing different things every time. Processes and transformation in a city are worth being deliberately captured, because within these transformations, many lives are being affected. Ideas urban planners conceive and implement, have tangible consequences on a city, and I want to document those.