Since mid-April, a glass greenhouse has been sparkling between the houses in Selwerd: Volkshortus Selwerd. It is a place to grow plants and meet. The idea for this greenhouse comes from Saskia Janssen (1968) and George Korsmit (1953). We visited them while they were building the greenhouse.
CARING FOR SOMETHING TOGETHER CAN BRING MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE TOGETHER
HOW DID THE IDEA FOR THE VOLKSHORTUS COME ABOUT?
Janssen: We were invited by Kunstpunt Groningen to make a sketch design for a work in Selwerd. It did not have to be a permanent work of art, but could also be something fleeting or performative. We soon came up with the idea of the greenhouse. Sowing and growing is a universal theme, and caring for something together can bring many different people together.
IN ADDITION TO A MEETING PLACE, THE VOLKSHORTUS WILL ALSO BE A PORTRAIT OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. WHAT EXACTLY DOES THAT MEAN?
Korsmit: All the plants that will soon grow in the greenhouse have been chosen by local residents and have a personal meaning for the residents of Selwerd. They represent the diversity and identity of the neighbourhood. But exactly how that unfolds is still open. We mainly contribute the form and facilitate possibilities.
Janssen: When we open, we start with an almost empty greenhouse: there are a lot of pots and potting soil. It is tempting to go to the garden center and buy beautiful plants in advance, so that you immediately have a beautiful greenhouse full. But that is actually exactly what we do not want to do: the Volkshortus is not for the neighbourhood, but of the neighbourhood and must 'grow together' over time, just like a neighbourhood itself.
HOW DO YOU INVOLVE RESIDENTIALS IN THE PROJECT?
Janssen: We went to Selwerd to distribute flyers. People have also received a letter to share their plants and their ideas.
Korsmit: There has also been a lot of run-up since we started building the greenhouse. We mainly talk to a lot of people we meet, and that's how it grows. We want it to be as accessible as possible.
ARE THERE ALREADY PLANS FOR FILLING THE GREENHOUSE FROM SELWERD?
Korsmit: Everything - for example, there is a lot of interest in growing bell peppers and tomatoes. Other people want to sow antruwa or sopropo because they are expensive in the store – so they can grow it themselves. Still others bring plants from home.
Janssen: If people want to plant something of which they don't have seeds - someone mentioned a particular rose from Syria - we can help them with that. Maybe we can get them through the seed bank of the Hortus Botanicus or we can cover the postage costs if, for example, family members want to send seeds.
THE PROJECT RUNS UNTIL THE END OF OCTOBER. WHAT WILL HAPPEN FURTHER AT THAT TIME?
Korsmit: Weekly activities will take place, all initiatives from the neighbuorhood. For example, there will be a macrame workshop and a clay workshop given by local residents. But a man came by, for example, who said that he and his mother have a collection of sixty different types of begonias. The idea is now to exhibit them in the greenhouse. That's going to be great, I think.
Janssen: There are already a lot of ideas, but not everything is fully planned yet; we leave room for unexpected developments.
This interview appeared in our new magazine KUNST. You can read the magazine at various places in the city or pick it up for free at Kunstpunt. The magazine is only available in Dutch.