In Meerstad, a new residential area in the east of Groningen, the largest land-art project in the Netherlands has been realized: Park Meerstad. The result of a special collaboration between artist Jeroen Doorenweerd, landscape architect Mathijs Dijkstra and project manager Niels Kruyt. How did Park Meerstad come about and what takes place behind the scenes in such an interdisciplinary collaboration?
Park Meerstad overlooks a lake that has been specially constructed for the new residential area. There is a beach, a concrete cycle path that runs straight through the green landscape, a playground, there is space for walking, a catering facility is being developed - and it is therefore a work of art. That is the case.
When the municipality has the idea that a work of art should be placed in a public space at a certain place, an extensive search for a suitable artist with the appropriate idea for a work in that place follows. Then it is realized, placed, and then you cycle along it on the way to work or to friends. This was slightly different at Park Meerstad. Jeroen Doorenweerd did not win the job for a work of art in the park with a proposal for a sculpture; he wanted to construct the park himself as a work of art. And you can now walk right through it.
"If it's art, it's allowed."
The fact that an artist contributes to the development of a park has never happened before in the Netherlands. The idea fits well with Doorenweerd, whose work often directly intervenes in the landscape. At the same time, tackling ten hectares of land is not an easy job and multiple interests and needs play a role in the construction of a park, especially in a new residential area. Doorenwerk therefore set to work with landscape architect Mathijs Dijkstra of LAOS Landscape Architectures and Niels Kruyt, project leader at the municipality of Groningen.
In an interview with Kunst & Stad, Dijkstra describes how the approach to the project changed radically through his collaboration with Doorenweerd. For example, the artist wanted to work with relief in the flat Groningen landscape, in order to reuse the soil that had been excavated for the artificial lake. However, Doorenweerd and Dijkstra did not investigate the possibilities of this with the usual sketches, but by developing a 3D scale model with sheets. Dijkstra: “The joke is: if we as' landscape artists' were to do that, everyone would say: 'What are you doing now ?! We didn't ask you for that! "But if it's art, it's allowed." Doorenweerd's alternative approach created space for a fresh look at what a park can be; a vision that ignores efficiency and originates from form.
FROM DREAM LANDSCAPE TO REALITY
Kruyt agrees elsewhere that the artist's gaze brings adventure into the park landscape. At the same time, his task was now and then to curb this enthusiasm where necessary: he had to translate the dream landscapes of Doorenweerd and Dijkstra into a feasible reality that can also be maintained in the long term. Slopes that are too steep cannot be properly mowed, and they are washed away by the rain. Park Meerstad took shape in this dialogue between dream and practice.
The hills are now neat and tidy; not too steep and yet an elevation in the landscape. The park promises to become a rich ecosystem, already found by insects and rabbits, and will continue to change as the plants, trees and shrubs continue to grow. After Doorenweerd, Dijkstra, Kruyt and all others who supported the project, it is now nature's turn to further shape the park.
Sources: Noorderbreedte # 3 2020 and Kunst & Stad
Note: This article has been translated using Google Translate