The second Visual Assembly in NYC that took place on February 4th 2025 at MayDay Space built on the work started by the first group at the Interference Archive in November 2024. During this meeting, participants created a new map with an additional layer, revisiting and expanding ideas that remained unresolved last time.
This assembly felt like a next step after the previous one. Together, we created a sense of stability and reliability, and the idea of utopia as something unattainable faded, giving way to real, tangible solutions. In a world that often feels fragmented and uncertain, the Visual Assembly was not just a productive experiment but also a therapeutic experience — proving that even a large group of strangers can successfully collaborate.
One of the most interesting takeaways was that even if people from different political or social backgrounds had participated, their vision of a city would likely look very similar. No matter what, people want the same basic things—daycares, safe playgrounds, elderly care homes, clean air, and a reliable food system.
After the assembly, the group discussed how to move forward. Two main ideas emerged:
Creating a real-life space based on the Visual Assembly’s ideas, like building a playground.
Expanding the digital map by organizing and refining the work done during the meetings so it’s clear to those who weren’t there. The goal is to turn the map into an online platform where different groups can add their own layers and develop the project further.
The second idea seems especially promising. The assembly showed that people—despite their differences—share a common vision for their cities. This suggests a strong agreement on fundamental needs and values.
After the main event, an interesting discussion arose about time. The project didn’t follow a traditional linear timeline—there was no set order for what should be built first. Instead, the assembly focused on how to prevent disasters like fires, food shortages, or external threats. Time in this project was nonlinear—it wasn’t about “yesterday” or “tomorrow,” but about creating a lasting, stable world without destruction.
The second Visual Assembly proved that these kinds of initiatives are very powerful in creating shared understanding among friends and strangers. In our next step we could start to develop an online platform that brings ideas together on a digital map.
