Through a large programme the festival looked for urban and architectural solutions for a future where human and ecological wellbeing are prioritized over economic growth. How do we shape and build our cities in such a world? And not least, how do we get there?

174 events took place in Oslo during the triennale. A waste programme of theatre and performance, installations, exhibitions, audio walks, city walks, workshops, lectures and more - all aiming at investigating degrowth and possible alternatives for architecture.

242 teams and individuals contributed to the festival, including architecture practices, economists, theatre makers, science fiction authors and live action role players.

Theatre, performance and fiction were core to the programme of the triennale, enabling the audiences to engage with the future of their cities and challenging the way architects and city planners communicate with the public.

Highlights from the triennale programme

The Library at the National Museum of Architecture – an exhibition that transformed the museum into a library of architectural futures, featuring works by over 80 teams and individuals.

Place Listening at ROM - an immersive sound walk that aimed at transforming the participants understanding of the city through play, theatre and urban exploration. By the artist duo Sachs/Westerdahl.

Factory of the Future at DOGA - an installation using techniques from performance and future scenario thinking to examine the role of design and architecture plays in shaping sustainable economic, social and environmental values. By the performing arts company METIS.

Society under Construction at the National Theater – a performance by Rimini Protokoll that took the audience back stage on eight construction sites around the world.

Dealing with it by Oslo School of Architecture and Design – a week-long international student academy, presenting lectures, workshops, excursions, an exhibition and a party.

The day of Architecture + 2019 = Degrowth – the yearly conference by National Association of Norwegian Architects, gathering architects, thinkers and economists to discuss how architecture can and must respond in a time of climate crisis.

Home Planet – a live action role play inviting participants to live as travelers from another planet for 72 hours.

We Should All Be Dreaming – a performance about dreaming radical utopian dreams. By Sonya Lindfors & Maryan Abdulkarim, in collaboration with CODA Oslo International Dance Festival and Black Box teater.

Overgrowth – an essay series in collaboration with e-flux Architecture, exploring the challenge of growth-based cities and tests alternatives for the architecture of a new cultural economy.

Gross Ideas: Tales of Tomorrow's Architecture - a book of original short stories, written by architects, engineers, and science fiction novelists, exploring the architecture of the near future glimpsed through the lens of fictional characters, places and buildings.

In addition, an extensive and extended programme, with its starting point within the overall theme of the Triennale, was developed by OAT in collaboration with members and local partners.

Information

Curatorial Team: Maria Smith, Matthew Dalziel, Cecilie Sachs Olsen, Phineas Harper

Curatorial essay for the OAT 20 years’ jubilee in 2020

Fragment from 2019: The theatre of deconstruction
(Interview essay for the OAT 20 years’ jubilee in 2020)