Nia Konstantinova is with us in the AiR! We worked together with Nia before in the past so she is not a stranger to us. She has curated various other projects for VHDG, but during this residency it’s all about her own research. And so this is a bit a special residence, at least for us, because it’s a ‘Curator in Residence’ (so actually a ‘CiR’), instead of an Artist in Residence. It’s the first time we do this, so we’re curious as to what results are going to come out of this!
Nia is going to do research about the workd of science fiction through the perspective of intersectional feminism. This is something you seldom come across, because, just like in so many other areas, the imagination of the white man has been dominant in the central development of this genre. In the research project ‘Brave Spectrum Futurisms’ Nia looks at alternative and underrepresented imagined futures. Which portrayals of the future have been developed by ‘underdogs’ in the sci-fi genre? How does a possible future sketched by feminist creatives? In what way do queer thinkers establish a possible equal society? What can time mean if it no longer means money, in the eyes of quantum afro futurists?
Nia: “As a child, sci-fi was not of much interest to me, because in my gut I was in love with Earth. I thought: ‘There is so much to discover here.’ Shifting my perspective to the cosmos seemed unnecessary in my eyes. When I learned that futurism is not strictly about interplanetary discoveries and crazy gadgets, but visionary alternatives of our social reality, that sparked my interest to dig further.”
What the process is going to look like is still a surprise, but Nia has a whole lot of interesting plans to use the local surroundings here. She wants to see if she can collaborate with a local bookstore, is looking for sci-fi enthusiasts in the area and wants to introduce new artists to the city. In a broader way she is aiming to create a network of future-thinkers throughout the Netherlands, in which VHDG could be an important asset. Through small and cozy events with activities such as reading and writing, or creating a zine or a radio broadcast, Nia would like to explore sci-fi in a collective way.
Are you also curious as to how Nia’s research will progress? Follow our socials for updates on Nia’s residency. Every Sunday during her residency Nia will do a takeover on our socials, so on that you can expect an update about her research every week!
Confirmed conversations with artists/makers:
Fileona D’khar
Jorien Ketelaar
Michelle Samba
Garden of The Future
Partners of Nia’s research:
WORM Rotterdam
Nieuwe Vide
Residency advisor: Iris Ferrer (Other Future Festival)
Foto: Natalia Papaeva