SpeakerJeanne van Heeswijk is a visual artist who creates contexts for interaction in public spaces. Her projects distinguish themselves through a strong social involvement.
With her work Van Heeswijk stimulates and develops cultural production and creates new public (meeting) spaces or remodels existing ones. To achieve this she often works closely with artists, designers, architects, software developers, shopkeepers, governments and citizens.
Van Heeswijk regularly lectures on topics such as urban renewal, participation and cultural production.
Her work has been featured in internationally renowned biennials such as those of Liverpool, Busan, Taipei, Shanghai and Venice. She regularly lectures on topics such as urban renewal, participation and cultural production. She was awarded the 2011 Leonore Annenberg Prize for Art and Social Change and the 2012 Curry Stone Design Prize for Social Design Pioneers.
Recent projects include “2Up2Down/homebaked”, a community land trust for affordable housing with a bakery cooperative providing work and healthy food in Anfield, Liverpool (2010-ongoing), Wastelanders, Occupation of Transformation in Anderlecht, Brussels, (2012); Freehouse, a cultural model for radicalising local production in Afrikaanderwijk, Rotterdam (2008-present); Taking Trash, personal relationships with waste in Sydney (2007-2010); It Runs in the Neighbourhood, a hospital soap with and by the employees of Stavanger University Hospital in Stavanger (2006-2008); Het Blauwe Huis, a house for the unplanned in IJburg (2005-2009); Dwaallicht, a narrative monument for a working class neighbourhood in Nieuw Crooswijk, Rotterdam (2004-2005); Face Your World, Stedelijk Lab Slotervaart, an interactive design lab for youngsters in Slotervaart, Amsterdam (2005); and De Strip, a temporary programme for a derelict and vacant shopping mall in Vlaardingen, Westwijk (2002-2004).