Art projects alongside Maasvlakte 2 construction

The construction of Maasvlakte 2 prompted the Port of Rotterdam Authority to join with SKOR (Foundation for Art and Public Space) in asking artists to reflect on the port, its expansion and its function. Under the title ‘Portscapes’, an artistic voyage of discovery will take place throughout 2009, touching on the port’s architectural, political, social and ecological past, present and future. The artistic programme has been devised by the Barcelona-based curatorial office Latitudes, invited on the basis of its international experience with exhibitions and publications in the field of land art and ecology. Portscapes involves artists from The Netherlands, China, Mexico, Austria and the United States. By creating events varied in scale, temporary art works, performances, excursions and screenings in the port area, for example, Portscapes will evolve as a kind of cultural guidebook to the port area, focusing on the future and Maasvlakte 2. Construction work on Maasvlakte 2 will continue until 2013. Following 2009 as a pilot year, the Port Authority plans to commission art projects annually during the next four years in cooperation with SKOR. Through the diversity of artists taking part in Portscapes and the different perspectives their work will suggest, a range of possibilities for future artistic engagement will be explored. Portscapes will evolve through an accumulation of projects taking place at different times and locations. The launch takes place during Art Rotterdam in February. The opening of Future Land, the information centre for Maasvlakte 2, is a further occasion around which art works will be presented (end of April). Other projects will be realized to coincide with the World Port Days and the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (September, October). www.portscapes.com