Start Making Sense | Kick-off event | Register here!
Start Making Sense | Kick-off event
From tram stops to business parks, and from residential streets to City Hall: cameras are appearing everywhere in Rotterdam’s public spaces.
But who is actually watching, and why? What happens to the footage? Who benefits, and who doesn’t?
And how does it affect people to know they’re constantly being filmed?
With the research project Start Making Sense, the Centre for BOLD Cities aims to collect and answer these questions. Together with local researchers, media, residents, and other interested participants, we are literally mapping as many cameras as possible across the city and then opening up a conversation about what we find.
Do you have experience with camera use in public spaces? Do you have questions about it? Or are you simply curious about the topic?
On 28 October, we’ll launch the project with a public kick-off event.
First, we’ll go camera spotting with professional guides to discover some of the more exotic types of cameras around us. Afterward, experts will explain what camera spotting is, why it matters, how you can do it, and for, and by whom it can be done.
Why this Kick-off Matters
This event marks the official launch of Start Making Sense. We invite researchers, students, civic organizations, city officials, and interested citizens to come together, learn about the project’s goals and structure, and explore how they might contribute. Whether your interest is academic, activist, technical, or rooted in daily life, your perspective will matter.
The Kick-off is an open, public gathering. We invite everyone with an interest in how data and technology shape urban life. Whether you are keen to contribute, curious to learn, or simply want to listen and be inspired, we look forward to welcoming you.
13.00-15.00 | Camera spotting tour (optional)
Guided by professional spotters Mike de Kreek (researcher at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) and Tom van Arman (director at Tapp), we’ll head out to find cameras “in the wild.”
As we walk through the city centre, we’ll observe and discuss different kinds of cameras and reflect on what they reveal about the current state of surveillance in Rotterdam. Please indicate in the registration form below if you plan on joining.
15.00-16.00 | Kick-off research
At Het Nieuwe Instituut, we’ll officially launch the Start Making Sense research project. We’ll do so through four central questions: What are we doing, why is it important, how do we study this, and who can take part?
We’ll be inspired by the insights and experience of researchers, artists, journalists, and city residents.
- What: Jiska Engelbert (Academic Director, Centre for BOLD Cities) explains the research aims and approach.
- Why: Artists Maarten Inghels and Roos Groothuizen show why they believe creative resistance to surveillance is so vital.
- How: Journalist Rens van de Plas reflects on how he developed his own camera spotting tour in Eindhoven.
- Who: Annet van Otterloo and Mustapha Eaisaouiyen from the Afrikaanderwijk Coöperatie highlight why, and for whom, public debate about cameras truly matters.
16:00 – 17:00 | Workshops
Together, we’ll discuss which aspects of the research are essential for a successful project.
Participants will split into four groups, each focusing on one of the key questions: what we will do, why we will do it, how we will do it, and who will do it.
Each group will then present its main insights, which will be incorporated into the design of our research.
17:00 – 18:00 | Informal drinks
We’ll close the day with informal drinks at Het Nieuwe Instituut, offering a chance to continue the conversation.
Who Should Attend
- Researchers interested in sensors, surveillance, data ethics, or urban studies.
- Students or educators looking for collaborative or applied projects.
- Civic organizations and community groups focused on datafication, transparency, privacy, or democratic governance in public space.
- Local government or municipal actors interested in policy and public engagement around urban technologies.
- Anyone curious about how digital tools shape urban life, even if you simply want to listen and learn!
Practical Information
Venue: Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam
Duration: 13.00-15.00 (tour) en 15.00-17.00 uur (presentations & workshops), informal drinks
Registration: via the link
Cost: Free to attend