Vyasa Koe

Suyaanisqatsi

- Life in Balance

It would seem superfluous to explain in great detail the urgency of the climate crisis for the human race, and yet my project is so influenced by this phenomenon that I feel compelled to state a few of the consequences the Netherlands faces as a result of this crisis. The first and most obvious of these consequences is the rise of flooding in the country and the complete lack thereof in the form of drought. These future problems are preceded by those we are witnessing today, namely a severe drop in biodiversity. As the global population continues to rise, we will experience a perpetual shortage of space, exacerbating this lack of biodiversity as the natural landscape is pushed further out of the city. 

The title of this project, Suyaanisqatsi - Life in Balance, is inspired by the experimental documentary Koyaanisqatsi - Life Out of Balance, which premiered in 1982. Koyaanisqatsi depicts a world in which nature and the natural landscape no longer play a significant role in people’s existence. In other words, humans and nature no longer belong together. Faced with such a reality, I cannot turn a blind eye. Humanity is as much a part of nature as nature is a part of us, and what’s more, we depend on nature. Even so, the Koyaanisqatsi documentary, compiled 41 years ago, shows an existence completely disconnected from our world, a disconnect that has since only gotten bigger.

Suyaanisqatsi is a housing project in which humans and nature share the right to exist, coexisting on the outskirts of the city of Amsterdam on the building site Entrada. 

Graduation date: 29 August 2023 
Graduation committee: Micha de Haas (Mentor), Pierre Jennen, Vibeke Gieskes  
Additional members for the exam: Alex de Jong, Ira Koers