Rotor - 'Life under a cherry tree'

In 2016, the Brussels-Capital Region launched its “Programme Régional en Economie Circulaire”, enthusiastically embracing the concept of a "circular" economy. Like in many other European cities, a not so distant future is envisioned where material resources are utilised in "closed loops". It is a strategy that would allow infinite reusability and recyclability of materials without any loss of quality. The ambition is to create local employment while reducing environmental footprint. The dominant manifestation of these ideas comes in abstract diagrams. An abundance of arrows is used to represent the yet to be developed business models, professions and social practices. In other words, the tangible social and material qualities of the circular economy and its rough patches remain to be seen. In Life under a cherry tree, Rotor investigates the practicalities of the circular economy concept with particular regards to the building industry. The exhibition takes its title from a passage in Cradle to Cradle (2002), referring to a vision of an industry based on a system of “lifecycle development”. The aim is not only to document existing practices but also to imagine different circular economies that could come into existence.