Abandoned Ministry Building Turns Into A Digital Media Playground

This weekend, Netherlands’s hottest new generation in e-culture, the HOT100, are coming to The Hague. They will be buzzing around at TodaysArt, a festival about new media and urban regeneration. Boasting already with an overwhelmingly rich program the HOT100, which were selected by The New Institute last month, will find themselves in aww once they see their venue. The outer shell of the events will be no less but the giant empty building of the former Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations.

Since the actual ministry moved to a different location the iconic building has opened its gates for the very first time to the public. Everyone is invited to have a look at this massive tower not only from the outside but to explore what is going on inside of its walls. What they will find? A full load of creativity: the abandoned building has found a new purpose in giving various artists and thinkers a massive area of over 124,000 (!!!) square meters of free creative space.

Former building of the Dutch Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations

So, literally operating from the center of power, on Friday, the 27th of September, The HOT100 will find themselves at the center stage of this most inspiring environment that is oozing with importance. Surrounded by a near-perfect setting the talents will attend in several workshop sessions to current societal issues and problems that badly need some revision. One of the meetings, led by the Hackable Metropolis Amsterdam initiative, will deal with the actual building itself as the question will be on how to (temporarily) reactivate public domains (such as an abandoned ministry building) with the help of digital media. A fairly new, and tricky field of research to which the answers are yet not easy to find. By using the municipal complex as the setting for the HOT100 Days, however, a great step has been taken toward new innovative solutions that not only focus on utility but also on public interest.

TodaysArt

While the HOT100 are busy racking their brains spectators can sneak a peek not only at the building’s interior but also at the HOT100 2013 talent book which will be launching the same day. Following the workshops, the HOT100 will give a brief presentation of their works where the audience can expect to see what happens when great minds come together and channel their creative energy into projects that may or may not make a difference one day.

TodaysArt 2013

If you are around The Hague, make sure to pay a visit to this abandoned ministry building and to explore its inner content. In case, you will be there this weekend and you would like to see what the HOT100 have up their sleeves, please, send an e-mail so you can attend this event. Looking forward to seeing many of your curious faces in The Hague!

HOT100 2013This article belongs to a series of posts on The New Institute’s HOT100 2013, this year’s selection of the most talented graduates in the fields of media, art and technology. In a special series of articles Pop-Up City highlights the best what the Dutch creative scene has in store for the upcoming years.