Stad en Ommeland
This project aims to connect the city of Groningen with its surrounding countryside, offering citizens a unique way to experience the rural environment without leaving the city. By physically bringing pieces of land from the outskirts into the city, the installation allows residents to immerse themselves in the natural landscape.
We selected three types of land — grassland, clay from the Wadden Sea, and sugar beet farmland — each housed in a structure resembling the traditional farm archetypes that dot the province's landscape.
type: Storytelling installation, interactive experience
client: Noorderzon, CBK Groningen
These land-filled structures are elevated on scaffolds, inviting visitors to walk underneath and peer inside. Once underneath, they can see, smell, and feel the land, creating an immersive ground-level countryside experience. This intimate setting encourages eye contact and connection among visitors, enhancing the shared experience.
Each structure has coordinates and a stylized map engraved on it, guiding visitors to the exact location from which the land was taken. At night, the structures are illuminated with white light, serving as beacons that draw in the curious and transform the cityscape.
