Humans are altering geological processes on Earth at an increasing rate. More and more, human actions are destabilizing the very conditions that sustain life. These changes have ushered in a new geological epoch, described as the Anthropocene.

This proposed epoch dates from the commencement of significant human impact on Earth's geology and ecosystems, including, but not limited to, anthropogenic climate change.

The Netherlands forms the low-lying delta of North-Western Europe. Climate change threatens to overflow the rivers of the Netherlands. River discharges have increased and extremely high water levels are expected to occur more frequently.

To protect the Netherlands from flooding, a government design plan called Room for the River (Ruimte voor de Rivier) was initiated in 1995. The programme aims to reduce the risk of flooding by giving more space to the rivers.

In the past, the Dutch river Waal made a sharp bend towards the city of Nijmegen — making it difficult for water to drain away and putting Nijmegen at risk.

Between 2012 and 2016, the Room for the River plan solved this problem by radically repositioning a dyke connected to the river 350 meters land inwards. This ensures that the river water can flow more quickly to the sea. 

Relocating the Waal was a radical yet necessary action to improve the safety of the city of Nijmegen.

Moreover, the municipal government has taken the opportunity to use the flood control improvements for a major development of the area. An entirely new neighborhood will be built on the northern bank: Nijmegen-Noord.

Nijmegen-Noord is still in construction. What is now mostly a green area will become the ground for the new neighborhood, as twelve thousand homes will be built in a short time.

The video below explains the project in more detail.

While relocating the river is important for the safety of the Netherlands, such a radical rapid environmental change is likely to have an emotional impact on the citizens of the area. 

Perhaps the term Solastalgia could be used to describe the enormous transformation that is taking place in Nijmegen. Solastalgia is a new concept developed to give greater meaning and clarity to environmentally induced distress. As opposed to nostalgia - the melancholia or homesickness experienced by individuals when separated from a loved home - solastalgia is the distress that is produced by environmental change impacting on people while they are directly connected to their home environment.

U STAAT HIER is a community art and design project that meaningfully connects all these previously woven threads together. It is an attempt to cast light on the importance of emotional and communal care in the face of the rapid environmental change that we, as a species, have set in motion.

The clay from the river Waal has been a valuable part of the culture and economy of Nijmegen for many years. This is reflected in the city’s architecture—most buildings are made from bricks.

As the new neighborhood emerges from the ground, the clay will become inaccessible. With the limited access to the clay, the cultural heritage of Nijmegen will change. This has left us wondering what connection the citizens will have with the clay in the future.

U STAAT HIER invited current citizens of Nijmegen to use clay to create a symbolic gift for the future citizens of Nijmegen-Noord. By using clay, locally excavated from the ground, U STAAT HIER brings to attention the various affairs concerning the urban development taking place in Nijmegen-Noord. Turning the act of gifting into a tool to connect current citizens with future ones is a step towards a positive relationship between generations of citizens of Nijmegen.

Since the city plan is to create twelve thousand homes, U STAAT HIER aims to create twelve thousand clay gifts. This requires a lot of time - and there isn’t much of it left before the clay will be inaccessible as the ground will be covered with the new neighborhood.

The future citizens of Nijmegen-Noord will receive the gift when they have moved into their soon-to-be-built home. Accepting the gift symbolizes a bridge between the past and the future citizens.

The gift itself is a simple symbol: a ceramic coat hook made from the ground underneath them, that hopefully will encourage the new citizens to take off their coats. U STAAT HIER hopes it will help them settle in and make them feel at home.

The ground will only be a source of clay for a short time longer. After that, the ceramic coat hook will remain; a reminder to future citizens that the ground on which their new home now sits was once fields. 

 A simple coat hook is a small thing. A small memento. A small artifact. A conversation starter. A channel into a recent past that is disappearing as quickly as the waters are rising. It becomes the thing that brings attention to the complexities of our current times.

This story of Nijmegen-Noord is not an isolated incident, but it is a symbolic one. All over the world, people are trying to find ways to adapt to radical climate change.

While it is important to acknowledge change is occurring and adapt, it is easy to forget what once was. The higher the waters rise - the further we delve into the Anthropocene, the more we distance ourselves from the clay. 

Have you thought about the ground underneath you?

This project was made possible with the help of Art Laboratory and Stichting Fabrikaat.