+++Experimenteel geworteld in het alledaagse / Experimentally rooted in the everyday+++

+++Martine Bakker, Eleonoor Jap Sam, Hans van Lunteren, Bettina van Santen [eds]+++

+++

For more than fifty years, Sjanghaipark has been a green refuge among the modern templates of the Overvecht district of Utrecht. Together, local residents and artists (Hans van Lunteren, Otto Hamer, Birgitte Janssen and Ad Molendijk) formulated an unusual principle: The identity of this park would not be a fixed one, but would constantly be reshaped. By children playing, the elderly ambling, the wind carrying in plants, by time, in other words. In this way,

Sjanghaipark was a placemaking project avant la letter and the park was climate friendly before this became a matter of public policy. Sjanghaipark. Experimentally rooted in the everyday sheds light on the diverse aspects of the park – art-historical, ecological, philosophical – and makes clear its extraordinary significance. Leitmotif is the question: What is the significance of Sjanghaipark?

"They see a new development like a bicycle bridge, when a part of the park has to be removed as a chance. This shows that an intriguing, intuitive form of managing is possible and surprises. We can learn a lot about how the point of view of the artists add to the surroundings. Highly recommended!"

To recount the story of this extraordinary park well, the editors chose a variety of perspectives and lots of (historical) illustrations. In recent photographs, Ienke Kastelein captured how the park reveals itself anew with every visit.

With a preface by Laurie Cluitmans (curator Centraal Museum Utrecht) and Bart Rutten (director Centraal Museum Utrecht), and an epilogue by Kees Diepeveen (alderman for housing, public space, Overvecht, City of Utrecht).

Text contributions by Martine Bakker, Renée Borgonjen, Floris Brekelmans, Sofia Dupon, Marc Nolden, Witold van Ratingen, Bettina van Santen, Piet Vollaard. Translations by Kate Eaton.