Imagine it is the year 3000. The Netherlands has flooded – only Gelderland remains above water. How do we reorganize this province for 20 million people? What do we take from the past, and what do we let go?
Published on: May 14, 2025

Help Build an Artwork of Gelderland

On Saturday, May 24 between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM, you are warmly invited to Plein 1944 in Nijmegen (free entry). An artist collective will take you into a special and imaginative future story. What if Gelderland looks very different in the future? What would that look like according to you? With imagination, the artists will inspire you to dream freely and fantasize. Together we will build a three-dimensional map: a self-conceived creative version of Gelderland. An artwork that everyone can participate in.

Surprising Insights During the 1st Edition in Culemborg

At the request of our Spatial Lab, the artist collective of Friso van der Heijden, Sjef Janssens, and Jennifer van der Wal will visit the province on 2 occasions. The first time was on Saturday, May 10 in Culemborg. This already yielded surprising insights. The reactions from participants were original, quirky, and visionary.

We Heard Some Statements:

I see myself living under a hill – not on top of it. Everything above ground is nature, I live underneath.

A large water basin, in which we live, reside, and sail. Water becomes our new foundation.

I want a 15-minute city: nature, facilities, and care, all within walking or biking distance.

About the Spatial Lab Direction in Space

In the Spatial Lab, we are looking for new ways to view the future and organization of Gelderland. The organization of Gelderland is not just something for governments. We create space together. In the Spatial Lab, we will therefore experiment, inspire, and seek solutions together with you that we as a government have not yet thought of. Or that we cannot yet directly imagine.