project proposal
Travelers in 'Het Groene Woud'
Project
Travelers in 'Het Groene Woud'
Location
Province Brabant
Client
Centre for visual arts ’s-Hertogenbosch
Year design
2010

‘Het Groene Woud’ (the green forrest) is the 'green heart' of Brabantstad, the network of the cities of Breda, Eindhoven, Helmond, 's-Hertogenbosch and Tilburg. For the event ‘2018Brabant’ ‘Het Groene Woud’ is a binding organizational and unifying landscape factor. Within the area numerous companies and organizations are active. It is also characterized by many bottom-up initiatives and a wide range of cultural and recreational opportunities. From intriguing land art to tasty local produce, from breathtaking balloon rides to quiet pools.

Yet many residents of the city 's-Hertogenbosch are not aware of this wealth in their vicinity. It is precisely this ignorance that was the reason for issuing an art project with the goal to increase mental accessibility of ‘Het Groen Woud’. ‘Mental accessibility' can here be understood as the way in which (potential) visitors are approached, entertained and informed.

Project
The project consists of frivolous audience research among a group of people from the city of 's-Hertogenbosch. They are the 'passengers' of ‘Het Groene Woud'. The results of the study can be used both to improve overall communication and communicationrecources about ‘Het Groene Woud’ as physical interventions in the landscape itself.  For one year a group of 16 people are invited to explore ‘Het Groene Woud’ and report all their movements and experiences. They are given a 150, - euro budget which they can spend as they like. Are they buying a bicycle, a dog, a camera or GPS and thus providing information on mobility preferences, destinations, routes and range? Or is it coffee and ice cream, and thus we discover the most beautiful terraces along the route? Will new destinations be discovered and will popular destinations appear too difficult to reach? All of these valuable, partly subjective information can be used to improve the mental but also physical access to ‘Het Groene Woud’. The tours and travel experiences are identified and mapped out an exhibition and then serve as input for all possible developments on the Green Forest.

Continued
The project is not realized and we are open to further develop the ideas. A similar process could occur, for example from another municipality. The main goal is that an attractive and recognizable image of ‘Het Groene Woud’ is created and that communication is enhanced and enlivened. This way ‘Het Groene Woud’ can become a lively experience for residents and visitors.