Listening Session and Conversation with Afaina de Jong

Afaina de Jong is an Amsterdam-based architect who works at the intersection of art and architecture. With her studio AFARAI (est. 2005, Amsterdam), her practice looks beyond traditional architecture by approaching the city as intersectional and interdisciplinary. De Jong looks to create space for voices and cultural knowledge outside what is typically manifest as visual, allowing for non-visual mediums to stay true to themselves within a spatial context. 

De Jong’s designs are grounded in extensive research and dialogue with the people who inhabit the places where her work will be shown. Her newly commissioned installation for Sonsbeek 2026, Futures Untold, is a starting point for continuous dialogue about the future. It creates space for people to share untold memories around public space, especially those of women. The music playing within the installation - a soundtrack she put together with her longtime collaborator Innavisions -  invites visitors to linger around, take a moment to pause and let imagination run freely. 

On Thursday 1 October, Afaina de Jong invites you to join a special listening session and conversation. She will play a selection of songs from the playlist and elaborate on their significance to Arnhem. Afterwards, Afaina will lead a collective conversation on futures for Arnhem — ones that make room for difference rather than smoothen them out. In case of bad weather, the conversation will take place inside in a nearby location.

Image: Afaina de Jong, Future Untold, 2026, by Django van Ardenne