Visual report Grassroots expedition 2 December

On Thursday, December 2, artist collective the Onkruidenier organized the very first activity as part of the Grassroots project. During a walking expedition through Spangen, we shared stories about grasses that can be found between the paving stones or in the roadside such as blood millet, sea rush and love grass. We also learned to look at Spangen from a bird’s eye view. Various grasses spotted in Spangen are collected in the mobile archive of de Onkruidenier.

At the beginning of the Grassroots expedition, we get to know each other in the Justus van Effen complex and explain how Grassroots came to be. The participants were invited because they all make an active contribution to the liveability of Spangen, and know all about the networks that are rooted there. This introduction is a first exploration of what a more active connection between A Tale of A Tub and the neighborhood might look like for the future.

In one of the planters on the second floor of the Justus van Effen complex, we come across street grass. Streetgrass does not grow taller than 25 cm and blooms throughout the year. After flowering, the seed appears, which like most grasses is a grain fruit. Strawgrass forms seeds very quickly, which the birds and wind send into different places. During the colder times of the year, street grass is an important food for all kinds of animals in the city.

During the walk, an exchange developed with the participants in knowledge and experience of what is going on in the neighborhood, with themes such as migration of birds, plants and people, the renovation of residential blocks in Spangen and water management in the neighborhood. We also learned to look at Spangen from a bird’s perspective. Birds experience the urban environment; such as the Marconitorens as a rocky landscape where the peregrine falcon, for example, likes to nest. Hobby ornithologist Astrid tells us where to find the birds in the Justus and how we can take more care of them. On the Bellamyplein we encounter a grass species that is mainly found in the city; the creeper, a real urbanophile. On the artificial turf, Daan and Henrike, two residents of the square, talk about residents’ initiatives the Speelkeet, the garden of Mrs. Ata and the schoonmaakbende, which arose during the transformation and renovation of the houses in this part of Spangen.

Since September, de Onkruidenier has been collecting stories from people, birds and grasses in Spangen in collaboration with community connector Lenn Cox. Lenn uses her clothes as a log, to be able to carry the exchanges, contacts and stories she collects with her as a conversation piece.