RESERVE IS THE master plan for the application
of art in the Essellanden neighbourhood in Wateringen. This plan can be
used to earmark places in Essellanden where art might play a significant
role in the peculiarization of the public space in this recently built
neighbourhood, and can thus contribute to increasing the experiential
value of the residential habitat. In this instance, art is not treated
as an autonomous artistic inspiration, but as an applied inspiration which
must serve the neighbourhood’s future residents.
pdf publication Reserve (800 KB, Dutch)
From observations and discussions with civil servants, designers and other
parties involved, Bureau Venhuizen distilled parameters within which art
can make a contribution to the peculiarization of the neighbourhood.
Reserve starts from the fact that the planning for contemporary
built space offers few possibilities to leave any space unused. Forced
by, among other things, the profit-driven development of the neighbourhood
and the expectations of future inhabitants, new-build projects are planned
and developed as fully as possible. Though we can draw from a wealth of
experience in the elaboration of public space, the desires of future residents
(of whom we still have barely any knowledge) vis-à-vis use, interaction
and experience can only be estimated in part. An important quality of
the living environment is, moreover, the palpability of the history of
the area. Rather than integrating that history as harmoniously as possible
in the planning process, art can make that history visible by using richly
contrasting elements. These contrasts alert residents to the qualities
of their surroundings.
Reserve means that art can be used to ‘reserve’ plots
of land. Artists were asked to choose areas with a maximum format of 15
metres square, fill these in, and delineate them distinctively. The inner
space of these ‘reservations’ can be open to the public, for
example as a spot for meditation, they can have a functional infill as
a pitch for playing jeu-de-boules or as a play area, or they can accommodate
an infill with greenery or paving. Thanks to their distinctive delineation,
these plots command a place in the experiential world of the residents
and may also be suitable for future communal functions of which we currently
have no knowledge.
Projects Two projects were initiated in the context of this project, one
of which has been realized (April 2003): Vogelvesten
by Martin Borchert. A second project, Steiger,
by Joke Robaard and Maarten de Reus, is set
for completion in the summer of 2005.
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