I did an art project in a little town in The Netherlands ‘OLDENZAAL’, which lead up to 25 columns for the local paper (only in Dutch – first one is last in the row. Start in the back when you read). Two years later I came back on request to give a lecture in the library.
Oldenzaal is a small Dutch provincial town in Twente, right next to the German border. Before the urban planners start creating a new plan for 2030, an independed organisation, SKOR, started a project done by several artists ‘Proeftuin Twente’ in order to describe the identity of the area. As one of the artists I choose for a interactive project. I wrote for one month (Nov 2003) 25 daily columns – based on interviews and observation – about the identity of Oldenzaal (one of the 14 municipals in the region).
The columns created a wave of reactions and discussion in the town, where 80% of the population read the local newspaper Tubantia. Partly people loved and recognised it, another group hated a stranger describing their daily life. The columns and photo’s, as well as many reactions, were published in a booklet at the end of the project.
Two years later I came back to give a lecture about my experiences.