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THE HAGUE AS BATTLEFIELD

Could The Hague be a city of war
instead of being the one of Peace?
(UN)just Peace is an architecture tour which explores The Hague as a battlefield. The urban identity of The Hague is connected to the United Nations’ supra-national political project. From the Peace Palace to the International Criminal Court, from Europol to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the city’s architecture materializes the evolution of Western values of internationalism, democracy and justice. The narratives by which The Hague's has defined itself since the 19th century highlight its urban and economic development in relation to international diplomacy and peace - yet the city's prosperity is insidiously linked to the economy of war. The rebranding of The Hague as a city of Peace, Justice and Security gives visibility to this connection while having the International Zone as its focal point.
By tracing the relation between planning and ideology around landmarks in the International Zone, (UN)just Peace unveils the military economies, technologies and territories connected to these architectures. From the horizon of borders, to the terrain we tread on, from the ether where we are mined for our data, up to the silence of outer-space, the tour elucidates on the aim for total militarization perpetuated by the propaganda of security.

(UN)just Peace is a tour organized by Stroom Den Haag, on the occasion of the exhibition Nøtel by Lawrence Lek, 1 September – 4 November 2018.