The Agora School designs an imaginative future for Merwede

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The Agora School in Utrecht is getting a new building in the Merwede district, scheduled for completion in 2027. In preparation for the move, Merve Bedir and Huib Haye van der Werf are working with the students to create an imaginative vision of the future.

During the workshops, the children create their own characters. These can be fantasy figures, animals, or plants, but not people. The children invent fantasy worlds where their characters live and have adventures. They think about how their characters interact with nature and other creatures.

Through these workshops, the children use their imagination, create beautiful artworks, and develop new stories. Merve Bedir places these artworks into future visions of Merwede, showing how the children envision the future of their neighborhood.

At the Agora School, what the children want and can do is important. This aligns with Merve's goal for the workshops: to use the children's imagination. Children are the future, and with their creativity, they show us what their world could look like.

The children's collages present a different perspective of Merwede compared to the developers' plans. Merve Bedir organizes various activities to find new ways to map Merwede. This way, we can see and understand through different stories and ideas that Merwede will only truly become a shared space if everyone can participate.