“We Need to speak about living room” By winnie herbstein (2026)
Winnie Herbstein presents We need to speak about living room, a new co-commissioned project examining community-led housing experiments in the Netherlands, unfolding across Kunsthuis Syb in Beesterzwaag and Casco Art Institute in Utrecht. Bringing together film, architectural installation, archival research, and participatory methods drawn from family constellation therapy, Herbstein explores how shared ideals of collective living are formed and sustained, while attending to the tensions, conflicts, and emotional complexities that often resist documentation. The project asks how communal histories are shaped not only by what is recorded and preserved, but also by what remains unresolved, unspoken, or difficult to contain within conventional archival frameworks.
This exhibition project is co-commissioned with Kunsthuis Syb and developed together with their artistic director, Arnisa Zeqo, alongside Alice Conforti, Gisanne Hendriks, Anna Lillioja, and the rest of their team.
Film Produced By: Casco Art Institute & Kunsthuis Syb
Director: Winnie Herbstein
Sound Editor, mixing and mastering: Irene Cassarini (Guenter Råler)
Film Editing: Sebastian Bodirsky, Winnie Herbstein
Additional Editorial Support: Ninon Liotet
Production: Mirella Moschella, Marianna Takou
Performance Advisor: Eva Susova, Dimitris Chimonas
Camera: Yixin Xu, Changli Luo, Özgür Atlagan
Additional Footage: Lichun Tseng
Sound: Luke Cohlen
Characters: Femke Ravensbergen (Disruptor), Martin van Tulder (Teacher), Yumi Maes (Joker), Deniz Buga (Architect), Jill Toh (Facilitator), Mazen Al Ashkar (Witness), Jip van Klaveren (Newcomer)
Press: https://www.e-flux.com/announcements/6786513/winnie-herbsteinwe-need-to-speak-about-living-room
We Need to Speak about Living Room (still)