Doors of Zoku - Amazing things happen when you know your neighbors
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Amsterdam-based hospitality brand Zoku and creative residency 72U have joined forces to launch a pioneering new creative platform to facilitate meaningful connections. Highlighting the importance of close personal bonds between neighbors and rekindling the neighborly spirit of the past, "Doors of Zoku" will feature a series of talks and workshops, as well as a playful public installation.
Declining social cohesion, growing social isolation and the lack of neighborly ties are amongst the greatest problems facing the citizens of the modern global metropolis. In Amsterdam alone, a growing number of people of all ages experience feelings of being anonymous or lonely (GGD, Health Monitor Amsterdam, 2016). As well as the elderly, this group also includes students, expats and immigrants.
Amsterdam will continue to urbanize, causing growing anonymity within the city (Theo van Tilburg, Professor Sociology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 2017).
To raise awareness about this serious social concern, Zoku and 72U will install tiny interactive doors until February 1, in several locations across the city. Passers-by will be drawn to the doors, and, upon ringing the doorbells, will be greeted by and participate in personal stories among neighbors. The installation will evoke the importance of forming personal relationships with neighbors.
Doors of Zoku talks and workshops
"Bring back the positive feeling of being neighbors in Amsterdam."
The campaign’s main event will take place on February 1 in Zoku’s Social Spaces. Featuring insightful talks, workshops and interactive activities – from smart city planning with figures from the Amsterdam municipality, to pro-social initiatives, to live music and art, the flagship event will give neighbors and guests the opportunity to meet and share ideas on the topics.
With a shared mission and belief that personal connections and interactions can change lives for the better, 72U and Zoku saw this intense collaboration as a logical next step. "With Doors of Zoku, we aim to bring back the positive feeling of being neighbors in Amsterdam. To make this happen we collaborated with different partners that all have a connection with the Amsterdam city community”, says Hanneke Metselaar, Director of the creative residency 72U.
Zoku: a hub for the neighborhood
Hans Meyer, co-founder of Zoku adds, “Connecting people and ideas is our founding principle. Zoku has become a hub for the neighborhood, where internationals and locals meet one another and get to know each other. And in Zoku Amsterdam we see every day the positive impact that human contact has on the wellbeing of our residents and guests. We want to share our experiences and contribute to reducing loneliness in the city.”
Doors of Zoku will contribute to raising awareness for the taboo about loneliness and the disappearance of strong neighborly ties in rapidly urbanising cities. This initiative is endorsed by the City of Amsterdam and the Loneliness Network.
Installation
Visit the tiny doors from January 21 until February 1.
Locations: Zoku, 72andSunny Amsterdam, Piadina Bar, De Hallen and Filmtheater Kriterion.
Event
Doors of Zoku: February 1, 6pm-10pm
Address: Zoku, Weesperstraat 105, 1018 VN, Amsterdam.
Event programme:
- 6pm-10pm | Food and drinks
- 6pm-10pm | Exhibition: ‘No Isolation’ by Margarida van Wijk
- 7pm-8.30pm | Talks and panel discussion
- 7pm-10pm | Live painting
- 7pm-10pm | Co-creation workshops
- 7pm-10pm | Karaoke
- 7pm-10pm | Hallway exhibition
- 8.30pm-10pm | DJ
Confirmed moderator
- Dymphie Braun
Confirmed (co)speakers
- Nick Duerden | Author - A Life Less Lonely: “Life Less Lonely: What We Can All Do to Lead More Connected, Kinder Lives.”
- Richard Medina and Tania Pescador | IamExpat representatives
- Edwin van Capelleveen | Product designer and founder of Social balconies
- Elena Köstler | Founder of Niluk
- KC Hong | Creative at 72andSunny Amsterdam and initiator of the Human Library
- Charissa Promes | Editor in chief at Tonic Health by VICE
Confirmed exhibition
- Margarida van Wijk | Head of partnerships at No Isolation
About 72andSunny Amsterdam
Based in Amsterdam, Los Angeles and New York, 72andSunny creates a cultural impact on behalf of brands. The company is a two-time “Agency of the Year” winner for Advertising Age and Adweek. 72andSunny Amsterdam works globally and locally with brands such as Adidas, AXE, Carlsberg, Google, Piaggio, Samsung, and Smirnoff. For more information, visit the 72andSunny website.
About 72U
72U is a creative residency designed to take participants to the next level creatively and professionally. The programme explores the intersection of art, technology and culture and emphasises collaboration and experimentation through project-based learning. Each session is redesigned based on what’s happening in culture, participants’ skill sets and interests, and the opportunities that are presented by the local community, giving them the tools to make a positive impact in Amsterdam.
About Zoku
Zoku has invented a new category within the hotel industry with its home / office hybrids. Launched in Amsterdam in 2016 by Dutch entrepreneurs Hans Meyer and Marc Jongerius, Zoku was named after the Japanese word for family, tribe or clan. Zoku facilitates living and working internationally for the growing population of globetrotting talent.
Moving far beyond putting heads in beds, the bold concept has won numerous awards, has received rave reviews, and has been celebrated for its lively Social Spaces and community structure which facilitates genuine connections. In 2018, Zoku achieved B-corp certification - one of the few hospitality brands worldwide to receive this. Zoku is aiming to expand to fifty locations within the next decade.
Zoku is actively looking for new projects in Europe and North America’s foremost creative capitals and seeking partnerships in cities such as London, Paris, Berlin, Dublin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. For more information, visit the Zoku website.