Napotism

. 2020
. Pension Almonde, Rotterdam

Napotism, is a sarcastic and reflective project, on notions of gentrification and appreciation of
slowness toward the capitalist agenda of over and fast production.

Napotism, is a combination of two words of Nap and Nepotism. Nepotism is a discriminatory action of empowering your family, kin and kind over another. Give power, position and state to the favour of relatives and related. Besides in a manner of literal translation for gentrification, there is a phrase which says is an action of gentrifying an area, replace gentles (depends on circumstances and condition) by the existing inhabitant. One way or another nepotism and gentrification are both actions which discriminate and prefer one group and kind over another group, even the group has more eligibility.

Napotism, stresses on an act of napping as a counter-act toward capitalist speed and suggest
slowness toward reacting, reflecting and feeding capitalism. This site-specific project took a place in the project site on Stad in de Maak recent project, PensionAlmonde. The housing block is owned by Havensteder (housing corporation) where they have a demolishing and rebuilding plan due to a foundation problem, which recently became a common reason of the number of demolished housing blocks in Rotterdam. The foundation crisis in Rotterdam
is an old urban issue that plats of houses sink because of changes in water level underneath a house, and the maintenance of this issue cost quite a lot for the owners. Besides that in the future program of The Netherlands and 2030 vision, a large number of houses and buildings should be renewed or demolished and rebuilt to achieving the 2030 vision of ‘‘clean” energy resources (electricity). So in the process of renewed and rebuilt of houses and evacuation of the housing block, the owner needs a transitional strategy for this period. Which PensionAlmonde had this transitional character,
first keeping the empty houses safe from a possible squatting scenario, second create a system of the temporary house for the duration of six months, which from this temporariness housing corporation could gain a benefit, third test the system of alternative living/working possibility for ‘artists’ and ‘creatives’ which they are not related to the history and character of the neighbourhood and street. Napotism is a Bedstee (traditional western bed/bedroom) made in the existing cupboard at the ‘office room’ of PensionAlmonde.