From memories and history to future dreams and utopias. The much-debated ‘third bridge’ across the Maas will inevitably bring change — whether welcome or not. The new connection at De Esch continues a long tradition of binding together the northern and southern banks of Rotterdam. In the manifestation Building Bridges, OMI collaborates with residents, architects, artists, and programmers to delve into this urban landscape: a patchwork of contrasting areas whose interrelations have scarcely been explored. In what ways might the ideas and insights from today’s Esch spark new visions for the future?

The area of De Esch has a rich history marked by strong contrasts. From the Oude Plantage, Rotterdam’s first city park, to the Brainpark and Rivium business districts with its self-driving Parkshuttle. In the 1980s, the Municipality of Rotterdam redeveloped the former DWL site into a new residential neighborhood, creating space for industrial heritage, futuristic housing, and the live-work community Utopia. Over the years and through its transformations, the green spaces have also been preserved. To this day, the De Esch nature reserve (1270), the Kweeklust allotment gardens (1952) and Toepad (1966), as well as the more recent Leonidas eco-district (2018), remain defining features of the landscape.

In Building Bridges you will discover these diverse ‘islands’, separated from one another by dikes, water, and roads. As you wander through layers of time, you are immersed in different ideas about architecture and urban development. Through photo series, film and sound fragments, logbooks, drawings, and models, the exhibition presents a multifaceted picture of the urban landscape and the residents of De Esch. Today and in a possible future.

During the exhibition, a diverse program invites you to explore De Esch. Together with artists, architects, and ecologists, you can discover everything about the landscape: from river connections and water management to urban development. Or investigate the differences and similarities between the various neighborhoods of De Esch with architect Anna Fink and artist Merel Smitt. Building Bridges encourages residents and visitors, as well as policymakers and developers, to see the existing city in a new way: by exploring, experiencing, and imagining it