Space is scarce and divided by the system of supply and demand, with prices based merely on square meters and location. Is it a done deal that the city falls due to the highest bidder? What if we don't want that? Groningen is full of great shops and businesses, but how can it represent the city's identity if it is only accessible to the (international) chains and high-profit businesses that thrive on this system?
ZIP seeks to find value outside of the capitalist system, programming the city as if it were a stage. We give space to people that would make it a unique and inspiring place. We wish to make commercial goals no longer leading and introduce new ideas for the future along the way.
Artists, performers, philosophers, writers, and city planners have joined our ZIP program. They followed three round table discussions with guest lectures, got inspired, and worked for a period in our space at Herestraat 72. The city center is there for those who can afford it. Can it be otherwise? What if the highest bidder does not automatically have the highest word? ZIP invites you to think along and experiment with an alternative city center.
Curator residency program: Radina Kordova
Curator debate program: Tjesse Riemersma
Founder ZIP: Karina Bakx
