AUAS to host Media Architecture Biennale 2020

The prestigious Media Architecture Biennale 2020 (MAB20) will be jointly organised by various AUAS faculties, including the Play & Civic Media research group (DMCI Faculty) and Frank Suurenbroek’s Construction Transformation research group (Faculty of Technology). Martijn de Waal of the Play & Civic Media research group will be MAB 2020’s general chairman.

Media architecture improves the quality of public spaces

The Media Architecture Biennale is a much talked about event for everyone interested in advanced media, architecture and design. The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences is proud and pleased to announce that we will host the event in 2020. Media architecture is a comparatively new discipline, which centres on the design and application of media installations in public spaces in towns and cities, as well as on the apps and other digital applications which facilitate citizens’ use of public spaces. Examples include lighting installations, way-finding systems, interactive art installations or apps that involve citizens in the (re)development of a square. The aim is at all times to improve the quality of public spaces and to boost the liveability of cities.

MAB awards presentation

The Media Architecture Biennale is a bi-annual event that will be organised for the sixth time in 2020. After Vienna, Aarhus, Sydney and Beijing, it is now Amsterdam’s turn. The biennale lasts a week and consists of an exhibition, a series of workshops, a symposium for the professional field and an academic conference. The week will be rounded off during a gala, including the presentation of the prestigious MAB awards for media architecture projects of international prominence. Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde was one of the laureates for 2018.

The Biennale focuses on designers from across a range of disciplines (interaction design, urban design, public spaces, architecture and digital design), as well as on researchers and parties from business and governments involved in the development of public spaces. The MAB 2020 programme is anticipated to attract around 250 international professional visitors.

The role of education

The MAB 2020 will be jointly organised by various AUAS faculties, including the Play & Civic Media research group (DMCI Faculty) and Frank Suurenbroek’s Construction Transformation research group (Faculty of Technology). The programme will also benefit from input from the AUAS’s educational programmes. For example, students will be able to take part in various workshops organised by international experts during the event. Parties from the professional field and the business sector will also be involved as partners in the biennale’s organisation and performance. Other institutes of higher education and universities from outside the region may also contribute. For instance, both the Amsterdam Creative Industries Network and Utrecht University have expressed interest.

Amsterdam approach

Amsterdam was chosen as the location for the 2020 edition by an international committee. The deciding arguments in the process were the important contributions made by AUAS over the past years to the development of research into this innovative field, the internationally acclaimed ‘Amsterdam approach’ of the city of Amsterdam concerning the application of digital media in the city (designs from the citizens’ perspective), as well as the Netherlands’ excellent network of designers and institutions.

This release was first published 19 November 2019 by the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences