At FTI Hasselt and FTI Antwerp, two festivals exploring technology and innovation, Pieterjan Ginckels invites you to a game of SOLAR HOOP.
SOLAR HOOP is a conversation piece: how can we work together to transform climate fear into climate empathy? What energy is created in the city, which is difficult to capture in incubators and startups? Both on and off a collaboratively designed 3X3 basketball court we explore the interaction between the energy of younger generations (LOCAL FUN) and their big questions and fears about climate change (GLOBAL WORRIES).
The lifestyle of the techno-optimistic elite with Elon Musk as a figurehead contrasts with the world of millennials and Gen Z youngsters who will experience the full effect of our energy and climate catastrophes. Their concrete visions of the future contain few of the late 20th-century status symbols and perspectives, which for the time being seem to determine the framework for innovation.
What innovations do we really expect? Who offers an answer to our/their insecurities? Is there a way to create optimism for the future, and what happens when we develop new future scenarios and imaginaries, together with our local youngsters?
To explore these questions, PJG has developed a sculptural basketball hoop, a contrary prototype that explores the smart-dumb spectrum. You can play this SOLAR HOOP on a streetball court created for the festival. The lines on the court are atypical: enlarged diagrams, reflections and ideas that Ginckels realized with local youth during workshops at the Hasselt FTI festival.
Ginckels and his team will also open the WEARABLE CONCLUSIONS LAB, an exhibition space where you may be inspired to cook up your own visions and wishes for the future. We will design graphic identities to our statements, oneliners and icons that ultimately end up on self-made basketball jerseys.
To get as many young people as possible to think and design while playing basketball, a real 3X3 tournament is being organised, where both amateurs and experienced ballers can compete for the SOLAR HOOP CUP, coached by the pros of HUBO Limburg United and other Belgian lions such as Jean -Marc Mwema.
Whether you are young or young at heart, you are welcome to contribute to a future experiment. Therefore, put together a team, fabricate a wearable conclusion on a basketball shirt in the lab, and participate in the events on the fresh basketball court.
FTI Hasselt
Location: De Sportschool + Elfde-Liniestraat, Hasselt
Activities:
Open WEARABLE CONCLUSIONS LAB: March 17 – 20, 5 PM – 10 PM.
SOLAR HOOP 3X3 friendly games + shooting contest hosted by HUBO Limburg United: March 17, 5 PM – 8 PM.
SOLAR HOOP CUP tournament: March 20, 5 PM – 10 PM.
More info: https://ftihasselt.be/activiteiten/solar-hoop-cup-met-open-lab/
Register here: https://www.tournify.nl/live/solarhoopcup
FTI Antwerp
Location: Sportpaleis, Antwerp
Activities: March 23 – 24, 10 AM – 6 PM
Open WEARABLE CONCLUSIONS LAB.
SOLAR HOOP 3X3 pickup games with guests.
Exhibition of GLOBAL WORRIES LOCAL FUN basketball court.
More info: https://fti.events/slotfestival
SOLAR HOOP is a project by Pieterjan Ginckels commissioned by VITO and FTI Hasselt. SOLAR HOOP is a forerunner for a larger research initiative: get in touch at pieterjan.ginckels@kuleuven.be
@solar.hoop
@pieterjanginckels