Tuinbazen Making of the commons (2019-2020)

In 2019 we invited everyone to think and explore with us how the Amstelpark can be maintained and managed in the coming time. In 2020 the Tuinbazen project will be presented in a short Tuinbazen exhibition from 15 – 23 February 2020. [More info on the Tuinbazen project underneath the image].

Zone2Source invited Irene Fortuyn and her foundation KETTER&Co for a yearlong research project in the Amstelpark. Tuinbazen is the result of the artistic research in the Amstelpark that Irene Fortuyn has done in 2016 on the invitation of Zone2Source, which developed into the exhibition De Tuin en De Tuinman in January 2017.

Throughout the year 2019, the Amstelpark is a test park for their project Tuinbazen. With various activities, they bring the park visitors closer to the park and the people who take care of it. This leads to a longterm project in which the parks of Amsterdam are researched and mapped. What is the nature and culture of the parks of Amsterdam? Who uses them and what for? Who takes care of the parks and how? And how visible is the gardener for the visitor of the park? These are some of the questions that guide the project Tuinbazen. For example, every month they present the maintenance tasks at the entrance of the Amstelpark and together with Zone2Source they organized several afternoons of rose pruning coordinated by the gardeners.

KETTER&Co strives towards involving and engaging gardeners, users and policymakers in order to create more horizontal forms of management, and in this way to increase the quality of the parks of Amsterdam. This is done through research on the usage of and care for the parks, the colors, smells, materials, flora and fauna, activities, languages, garbage, ways of communicating and parties in the park.

During 2019  Tuinbazen has focused on, amongst others, the following activities:

• Maintenance Calendar Amstelpark: A monthly calendar of maintenance activities that are executed in the Amstelpark. This calendar will be applied on the ground close to the entrance of the park using chalk, and it will include references to specific locations in order to make the maintenance activities visible to all users of the park.

 

• Flowers for the Mayor: Each month, a bouquet of flowers growing in the Amstelpark and other parks of Amsterdam will be sent to Femke Halsema, mayor of Amsterdam.

• Waste Guirlands: KETTER&Co invited visitors and locals to pick up the trash that is being left behind in the park during their strolls. This waste was made into guirlands, who are on show next to the Rietveldhuis.

 

• Cutting the Roses: During three sessions, visitors got a chance to cut the roses in the Amstelpark with the Tuinbazen! The Tuinbazen gave the volunteers the right directions, which allowed them to make the roses shine again. Many volunteers, including a high school class, were eager to help the Tuinbazen.

 

• The Tuinbazen Activity Lorry: The Tuinbazen lorry is filled with activities and placed next to the Glazen Huis! Make sure to come by on a sunny afternoon to play Tuinbazen memory games or get creative in other ways! The Tuinbazen Lorry was also part of the We Make The City Festival. People from all over Amsterdam visited the Amstelpark and took part in special activities.

• Cutting the Rhododendrons: As a part of the We Make The City Festival, volunteers were invited to cut the rhododendrons and get to know a little more about these plants in a fun way.

 

• Cleaning Festival: More information coming soon!

 

• Collecting Cigarettes Campaign: Cigarette buds are not wanted in the Amstelpark! More information 0n this campaign is coming soon.

 

• Night Tours
  See the Amstelpark in a different perspective by going in at night!

• Broom DialoguesMultiple dialogues will be held with Tuinbazen, policymakers, locals, visitors of the Amstelpark, academics, artists and others who have a perspective on the questions a park raises. The dialogues will take place according to the Socrates method, made by philosopher Humbert Schwab.

 

• Amstelpark Podcast: This podcast allows you to stay up to date with everything that is taking place in the Amstelpark.

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