Images are not the only references for architect, artist and researcher Sophia Holst (born 1988). “I am often interested in the ideas behind the images, and sometimes those ideas can be found just as easily in texts and words. This title illustrates this for me; it inspires me to position my practice: an architectural practice that strikes a balance between provocation and production, between reflecting on and designing lived space.”  

“Because it can embody both criticism and creation, the idea of ‘contreprojets’ or ‘counter-projects’ is a format that appeals to me greatly. These are design projects that respond to existing urban changes and visualise an alternative future. As a continuation of research into renovation strategies for social housing in Brussels (‘Stad van Menslievendheid / Cité de la Philanthropie’), I am currently working on a (design) study in the Netherlands that seeks renovation strategies that do not involve the demolition of social housing estates or the relocation of their residents. In this sense, this ‘contreprojet’ is an opportunity for architectural experimentation that seeks to recognise the value of post-war social housing architecture and also stimulates debate on socially controversial topics, such as the discrimination of economically and ethnically marginalised groups within the development of large Dutch cities.”