Multropolis

(2023)

A collaboration between Dora Lionstone & Benny van der Plank

What role do urban environments play in a time marked by constant change? As individuals, we move through our reality based on a mental map, a construction formed by previous experiences that influences how we interpret our surroundings. With these impressions, we each build a different picture of reality.

Inspired by the idea of mental maps, Multropolis proposes the experience of an imaginary city that offers myriad possibilities for new, shared experiences. By merging their image archives of various cities they have photographed, Dora Lionstone and Benny van der Plank construct a multifaceted environment out of building blocks that changes with every new setup and depends on the viewer’s subjective perspective. The sides of the blocks refer to different elements of a city that can shape a mental map. By adding nature as an opposing element to urban life, the two artists include a metaphor for the need for solace, imagination and dreams in times of turmoil.

Multropolis encourages viewers to create their own mental maps and pay attention to details and connections that appear when one stays open to new perspectives in an ever-changing environment.

The installation was presented during the exhibition 'Tijdgeest en Spookbeelden' at the NDSM Fuse XPO from 21 April - 20 August 2023.
More infos, behind the scenes material and webshop: multropolis.com