In the project Voorland Groningen. Wandelingen door het Antropoceen published by nai010 publishers in Rotterdam, I collaborate with journalist Marten Minkema and historian Christian Ernsten presenting four walks through the Groningen landscape. These walks, surrounding the villages of Hornhuizen, Loppersum, Usquert and the Eemshaven harbour, address four urgent themes in the antropocene landscape locally and globally: water, biodiversity, climate and heritage.

 

‘Voorland Groningen’ is published as book, an app, a website and a series of podcasts. The book can be found at our publisher nai010. With the walking app (check our site) you can make the four walks as we did. Along the way you listen to Marten Minkema and through his stories you will meet the people who live, work, look back and look ahead in ‘Voorland Groningen’. Short impressions of these walks have been broadcasted by the VPRO-radio (national radio) and can be listened to as a podcast. Finally, you can find everything about Voorland Groningen on our site.

 

 

 

Motivation:

As a part-time inhabitant of the Noordpolder in Groningen, I am experiencing the earthquakes and temperature records, the drought and the impoverishment of biodiversity for the last 10 years. By exploring the surroundings on foot I learned to look at this changing landscape of Groningen in different ways. With neighbors and acquaintances I talked about the local challenges and it became clear to me how vulnerable this landscape below the sea level is and how much there is on stake regarding the flora and fauna. I meet and understand the farmers, eco-pioneers, activists and heritage lovers in their struggle against perhaps the irreversible: the effects of the human fingerprint on the earth. Of which I take note in Voorland Groningen’s visual essay, in which I alternate the colors of the new era with human interventions in black and white. Together they show an Anthropocene world par excellence.

 

 

 

Voorland Groningen in the media:

• Volkskrant
• NRC Handelsblad
• Dagblad van het Noorden 
• Archined
• Financieel Dagblad
• Opium Radio
• RTV-Noord
• KennisLink
• VPRO-Gids