In 2021, after half a century of absence, the otter reemerged on the outskirts of Amsterdam. The arrival of the otter is extraordinary. The otter has not been seen in Amsterdam since 1963, due in part to polluted water and traffic congestion. Amsterdam therefore no longer has the biodiversity it once had as a swamp. With the return of the otter, the question arises of how we could give more space to the otter and other species of animals and plants in our city, with its many canals, gardens and parks.

The artwork Otterdam explores what the new (urban) ecology and water management of Amsterdam may look like now that the otter, after half a century of absence, makes their return to the city. Artist Theun Karelse introduces a design in the form of “floating allotments” that provide a livable city for the otter, humans and nature.
Allowing the otter to thrive in the city causes its entire ecosystem to flourish: from fish and aquatic plants to frogs and other creatures ecologically linked to the otter. This artwork consequently contributes to a livable city for all of its living inhabitants. An exhibition and workshops will be organised around the work.

(Theun Karelse, NL) as a youngster I always liked drawing as a way of learning about the world and ended up studying fine-arts at the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam before joining FoAM, a distributed group of transdisciplinary laboratories operating at the interstices of art, science, nature and everyday life. My interests and experimental practice explore edges between art, environment, technology and archaeology. I practice and support ecosystem and landscape regeneration in Europe, India and Afrika. My outdoor studio consists of several gardens that serve as testing grounds for urban biodiversity, climate adaptation and indigenous knowledge systems. I’m a board member of the Embassy of the Earth and part of the Future of the Delta team at the Embassy of the Northsea. 

(Theun Karelse, NL) Als kind tekende ik altijd graag om de wereld te leren kennen. Ik studeerde beeldende kunst aan het Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam, voordat ik toetrad tot FoAM, een groep van transdisciplinaire laboratoria die opereren op het snijvlak van kunst, wetenschap, natuur en het dagelijks leven. Mijn interesses en experimentele praktijk verkennen de grenzen tussen kunst, milieu, technologie en archeologie. Ik beoefen en ondersteun ecosysteem- en landschapsregeneratie in Europa, India en Afrika. Mijn buitenstudio bestaat uit verschillende tuinen die dienen als proeftuinen voor stedelijke biodiversiteit, klimaatadaptatie en inheemse kennissystemen. Ik ben bestuurslid van de Embassy of the Earth en maak deel uit van het Future of the Delta-team van de Embassy of the Northsea.  

Otterdam is an art project by Theun Karelse and Transnatural and is distributed over several locations in Amsterdam, including Westerpark and Marineterrein. In the Amstelpark, Otterdam was created in co-production with Zone2Source.
The project receives additional support from Stadsdeel Zuid and Transnatural’s Radical City inc. programme and financiers: Creative Industries fund NL, Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, Cultuurfonds, Mondriaan fund , Gemeente Amsterdam