The Manifesta, which takes place every two years in a different European city, has a reputation for being a place for creativity and innovation, and for good reason. Primarily responsible for this is festival’s opening program, which was tested in 2018 in Palermo and is now being continued in Marseille in 2020. Winy Maas’s architectural office, MVRDV, and The Why Factory (t? f) were commissioned to explore the city’s urban space through the means of artistic research and the latest method of data analysis. This resulted in a compendium of social, cultural, ethical, religious, and geographical structures. It was, however, meant to do more than just describe the status quo. The exploration also began a process that goes far beyond the Manifesta itself, to enrich Marseille’s future as a city. This publication allows itself to become an audience and hence, part of the project.
MVRDV was founded in 1991 and has its headquarters in Rotterdam. It is currently one of the most successful Dutch architectural offices. Besides Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries are among its co-founders. Its trademark is the experimental, innovative form in architectural design.
Maas also heads up the THE WHY FACTORY (T? F), a research institute that explores the development of cities and designs urban models for the future.
