What started in 2018 with giants walking the street, a village-sized crocheted blanket and performances on stage around the province, has continued to grow in the form of Arcadia. Welcome to the second edition of the Frisian triennial festival for art and mienskip (community).
Seven years ago, Leeuwarden-Fryslân was the Cultural Capital of Europe. This flourish of activity was followed by a host of events in 2022. A walking forest passed through Leeuwarden, a globe travelled from village to village, and countless projects reconnected art and mienskip.
Now, in 2025, we will continue to build. With new stories, new questions, but again with the power of imagination and collaboration as our foundation. Arcadia opened on 17 May. From all over of the province, skûtsjes (shallow boats) and barges brought soil to the Oldehove in Leeuwarden. This was the start of the Grûnfestival: a festive day full of stories, music, dancing excavators and above all: nice people. Thank you so much to all of our artists, mienskippers and supporters!
The Arcadia Team
Colophon
Text
Evelien van der Kooi
Sjoerd Bootsma
Dylan Rurenga
Photography
Sikko Boersma
Mitch de Pon
Lucas Kemper
Floris Leeuwenberg
Mitch de Pon
Jantina Talsma
Xanne Vera
Ruben van Vliet
Aron Weidenaar
Illustrations
Jelle Post
Design
BW H ontwerpers
Printwork
Grafische Groep van der Eems
Editing
Evelien van der Kooi
Sjoerd Bootsma
Lisanne Pietersma
Scan the QR code for the digital or English version of this program booklet
foreword
It started, as it usually does, without anyone realising it. Suddenly a cupboard was standing outside in the street, with books and a can of soup on the shelves. A man was hanging up bunting in the playground. Nobody asked him to do that. It was time. A woman started singing in the park. Someone was hammering together a bench.
Someone was busy hanging a line between two trees with handwritten notes attached: ‘Are you there?’ and ‘Things never happen on their own’. Somewhere, on a school square, children were planting flowers in old paint cans. In another village, a choir had come together for the Tuesday night rehearsals, as usual. But this time, the rehearsals were held outside. Someone had brought coffee in a thermos. Other neighbours were coming up with new plans for the old farm. Someone was riding around the neighbourhood on a bike, holding a tree. Nothing special. But it is happening. And it is happening more and more. Not out of protest. Not as a form of art. Not to get into the newspapers. Just because they felt it was necessary. Arcadia doesn’t want to make things bigger than they are, but does want to make them visible.
We call it common ground. It belongs to no one, and therefore to everyone. It is a place where you can grow something, if you want. Or where you can just sit down. Of course. Ground, or grûn in Frisian. hat ground beneath your feet, the place where you come from or feel at home, that is Arcadia's theme this year. Ground where something begins, if you dare to let it happen. Sometimes it’s just a conversation at a kitchen table. Sometimes a walk, where you say something that you just can’t shake off. That is how things happen. Sometimes slowly, sometimes suddenly.
And this is how the projects in this booklet came about. Not thought up during a meeting. Not forced. They started like many things start: someone has an idea, someone else says yes. Suddenly they were eleven of them and the whole neighbourhood came out to help.
This is Arcadia. It exists because people didn’t want to wait. Because they simply started. And because they kept doing it.
Have a look. Have a listen. And join in.
You are not alone.
Sjoerd Bootsma Artistic director
Bloeiweken 2025
Kollumersweach and Feankleaster 9-18 May
De Hemmen, Sneek 12-16 May
Wâldsein 17-24 May
Warten 24-30 May
Akkrum-Nes 31 May -6 June
Sint Nyk 2-8 June
Arkens, Franeker 7-14 June
Wergea 15-22 June
Nijland 19-22 June
De Wilgen 23-28 June
Grou 23-29 June
Noardburgum 24-28 June
Leeuwarden City Centre 30 June-6 July
Aldegea and De Gaastmar 6-12 July
Eastermar 16-23 Aug
Jistrum 23-29 Aug
Wommels 25-31 Aug
De Greiden, Heerenveen 25-31 Aug
De Lege Geaën 14-21 Sept
Westeinde 15-21 Sept
Gerkesklooster Stroobos 19-24 Sept
Reduzum 21-27 Sept
Nylân and Huizum-West 22-28 Sept
Winsum 22-28 Sept
Earnewâld 28 Sept-5 Oct
Wolvega 4-12 Oct
De Zwette 6-10 Oct
Ferwert 16-22 Dec
Fryslân Bloeit
What if your village makes all the difference?
This is the central question of Fryslân Bloeit (Friesland is Blooming), an initiative by Freonen fan Fossylfrij Fryslân, Stichting Duurzame Gemeenschappen and Arcadia. In 2025, around thirty villages and communities in Fryslân are organising “Bloeiweken” (Weeks to Flourish). What such a week looks like? That is up to the villagers themselves to decide. But mienskip (community), health, nature and climate are always central features.
In May, Kollumersweach and Feankleaster organised a diverse program, including litter picking runs, open choir rehearsals, afternoons reading sessions, music quizzes and poetry competitions. Other villages, such Earnewâld, Wommels and Grou, decided on a completely different approach. “You can see that there are tons of ideas in villages that have been buzzing around for years, but which never came to fruition,” says Anne Merkus, project manager of Fryslân Bloeit. What is even more important than the activities themselves, is the fact that people from the village come together to work together on something positive. It is mei sizzen net te dwaan (words are not enough). “This is not about loneliness or poverty – we just created something new and made new connections,” says Rinie Boermans, initiator of Wergea Bloeit.
And it is spreading like wildfire: industrial estates and urban communities are now also participating. Christien Lycklama à Nijeholt of industrial estate De Hemmen 4 in Sneek explains: “A week like this gives you so much positive
energy! There were plenty of sports activities at the gyms, there was an evening meet-up to talk about cooperation in the field of energy exchange and lots of people joined us on the fossielfrije fieda (fossil-free bike day) bike ride. And of course, we had the traditional himmelmoarn (spring clean). Conclusion: everything is clean again, we have gotten to know each other and each other’s companies a little better, we are one step closer to an energy cooperation at De Hemmen, we all got some exercise and are inspired to let our companies continue to flourish!”
The same positivity can be felt in Warten. Despite the bad weather, everyone had great fun: initiator Tini Schippers opened the Bloeiweek by symbolically opening up an umbrella with flowers. “Even though the weather was bad, it was a successful event, and young and old had a great time.” Perhaps Fryslân is the beginning of a flourishing wave that will spread out all over the Netherlands and Europe. But whatever happens: we will continue to flourish, together, on our own home ground.
BROeI
BROEI gives creative talents in the age group 12 to 24 in Fryslân the opportunity to bring their own ideas to life. They can experiment, grow and show Fryslân what they have to offer. Raw, refreshing and innovative!
From theatre and music to film, literature and visual arts. BROEI brings together a diverse group of young creators. They are supported in their process by professional organisations from Fryslân. These “BROEIers” will be travelling around the province to present their work during the BROEIfestival on 11 July in Bouwurk in Leeuwarden, and during the Simmerdeis festival on 28 and 29 June in Drachten, Hjoed yn it Park on 5 July in Franeker and the Skrik Festival on 30 August in Wommels.
These are the BROEI talents for 2025:
Sarah-Rebecca Andringa (17, Sneek) makes a theatre performance in which, together with the audience, she explores what “home” actually means.
Settimia (24, Leeuwarden) catches vulnerability in poetic texts.
Luisa Moreno (16, Heerenveen) uses painting to tell intuitive stories about what humans can learn from animals.
Fleur van den Berg (19, Sneek) creates colourful art about vulnerability and change.
Lútzen Rijpma (19, Exmorra) writes and performs a one-act play, straight from the heart.
Mayte Veenstra (19, Húns) sings and makes music in Frisian, with her own band and sound.
Writer Charlotte Westra (21, Leeuwarden) explores inequality and poverty, seen through the eyes of young people.
Rowan Vis (17, Leeuwarden) creates quirky theatre performances with mannequins and dry humour.
Marcille (24, Akkrum) produces dreamy electronic music full of nature and rhythm.
BROEI is a production of Stichting ROMTE in collaboration with Arcadia.
Rixt Siderius (19, Jorwert) and Milena Koetschruiter (19, Leeuwarden) make a theatrical protest, full of humour, music and self-mockery.
Bastiaan Okkema (15, Goutum) is making a movie with a group of friends.
Berend Moed (23, Leeuwarden) makes a movie about Leeuwarden’s underbelly.
Guusje Hempenius (20, Leeuwarden) expresses grief and memory in personal art.
Yusuf Kemal (22, Heerenveen) composes neoclassical music as a journey through memories.
“You can’t build an artistic career if you keep your work in your room.”
Guusje Hempenius (20) about grief, childhood and a backyard full of memories
Guusje Hempenius (20) heard about BROEI a while ago, during her traineeship at Kunstbende. When she saw the open call, she didn’t hesitate. “The timing was perfect. I felt like I was at a point in my life where things were not going anywhere, but at the same time I needed an outlet for my creativity. And if things are at a standstill, you have to make a decision: what do I want to do? I was ready to take the stage with BROEI. You can’t build an artistic career if you keep your work in your room.
Guusje creates art about personal themes: grief, memories and childhood. “My project is about nostalgia for not-knowing. In recent years, I have been trying very hard to forget certain experiences. At some point, you reach a stage of acceptance: that you can’t really forget things, that you can’t un-learn what you’ve learned. That acceptance also awakens feelings of sadness and a longing for your childhood. For a time when the slate was still clean.” Her project has become a poetic installation: a backyard of memories, complete with lawn, where the fences are used as display walls in museums and toys from her childhood. “I put up poetry and other artwork.”
BROEI helped her bring structure to her creative process. “I am a person who flutters from one creative idea to another. BROEI helped me decide on a theme and brought me into contact with other young creators. Sparring together, watching how someone else works: that is super inspiring.”
She is quite nervous about presenting her work to the Arcadia audience, but in a good way: “When the exhibition is open to the public, people can have an opinion on something that is very personal to me. But that’s part of the experience. You're hoping people will recognise themselves in the art, that it will arouse an emotion. That someone will come up to me and say: ‘This reminds me of my own childhood.’”
Guusje has her own, visual, idea of connection and community: “Imagine there is an apple on the table. We can both see it, so we can talk about it. But suppose I have a pear in my pocket. Maybe you have your own pear. Then you’re not the only one with a pear in your pocket. But, we only know that when someone talks about it. I hope my art can be that pear to some people.”
MYN Grûn
What does the grûn (ground) under your feet mean to you? Myn Grûn (My Ground) brings together art, nature and mienskip, in villages, churches, museums and even meadows in the municipality of Waadhoeke. Together with residents and artists, we are working on artworks and activities which have their origin in local stories, traditions and it lânskip (the landscape). With our feet in the clay, we are trying to find common ground: places that connect generations, habits and ideas. These encounters, between art and people, past and present, underground and above ground, lead to a diverse program.
One hundred days of free activities, including meet-ups: from Boksum to Slappeterp, Zweins and Sint Annaparochie, from pottery workshops to wild foraging tours, exhibitions and drawing-walking tours. What happens when a community comes together to create and talk to each other? The activities are free and open to everyone. All that you need to bring, is your curiosity about what lives beneath your feet and who is standing next to you.
Myn Grûn is a co-production of Arcadia with the Municipality of Waadhoeke and in collaboration with Kunstacademie Friesland.
Siel fan Súdwest
Does the Siel fan Súdwest, the soul of Súdwest-Fryslân, exist?
You can find your own answer to that question on a museum tour along all the museums in the region. Nine artists immersed themselves in the region and spent two weeks working together with museums, residents and local makers. The result: a unique series of artworks in and around museums, with deep connections with their environment.
You can visit the artworks in these museums until 24 August:
› Gitte Brugman presents her photography and audio in Het Fries Scheepvaartmuseum in Sneek.
› Museum de Tiid in Bolsward features a multimedia installation by Heleen Langkamp, who studied the archives of Súdwest-Fryslân.
› Visit the Kazemattenmuseum in Kornwerderzand to view the papier-mâché sculptures by Julia Eichler.
› The Modelspoor Museum in Sneek is the location of photographs and a movie by Caroline Penris.
› Warkums Erfskip and the Jopie Huisman Museum in Workum are home to art by Cora Jongsma and Ernest Bessems.
› In ’t Tsiispakhûs in Wommels you can learn more about the history of the Milk strike in 1943, presented by Thea Zweerink.
› Museum Houtstad IJlst features an installation by Sibe Jan Kramer.
› Museum Hindeloopen shows video and scenography by Madelief van de Beek.
This museum route is a dynamic journey through stories, art and a sense of community. And each piece of art offers you a hint to answer the question: does the Siel fan Súdwest exist? But the real answer to that question lies with you.
Siel fan Súdwest is a co-production of Arcadia with Stichting Samenwerking Musea Zuidwest Friesland.
Small delights
You have probably experienced them before, those quick and small moments of wonder or happiness. They surprise you while out on a walk, at a chance event or during an encounter. Small delights, by Leeuwarden UNESCO City of Literature, consists of one hundred of such little moments of happiness, in literary form. Frisian, Dutch and international writers and poets have put on paper what touches them. Their literary highlights can be seen around Fryslân: but where the text of the day will appear, always remains a surprise! It could be on a construction site banner, bags or car licence plates. At a sports park or museum. In the form of a live performance or a projection.
Want to read all the texts that have appeared so far, or want to stay up to date with what is still to come? Go to kleingeluk.frl, where you can sign up for a daily email full of delights. Check out the calendar for events that we do decide to announce (but keep it a secret!).
On the night of May 16-17, the first text appeared. In reflective letters on the observatory in Burgum, you could read: Tu es là? This phrase is from a story by the FrenchKorean writer Elisa Shua Dusapin. The artwork was created by Machiel Braaksma and is still on display.
On Saturday 7 June, a sail with text was hoisted at sailing academy Pean. The text is a phrase from the short story Tussenruimte by Hagar Schuringa, and the sail art was created by artist LJ van Tuinen. The sailing boat will be on or near the Wijde Ee at Grou all season!
'Der is hjir hielendal gjinien!' rôp ik optein, hurder as strikt needsaaklik. Johan joech my hymjend in flau glimke en seach doe wer op syn telefoan. 'Ek gjin berik,' prúste er wylst er tsjin in rotsblok leunde. Ik die as hearde ik it net. Boppe lei ús bestimming. It wie noch heechút in kilometer, we koenen der yn tweintich minuten wêze. ‘Klear foar?’ frege ik.
Listen to the podcast
This fragment is from the short story by Jan Minno Rozendal. You could Omrop Fryslân radio on Sunday morning 1 June. And you can still
From Saturday 21 June onwards, the Leeuwarden UNESCO City of Literature summer bookmark can be picked up for free at almost all bookstores in Fryslân when buying a novel or book of poetry. The theme of the bookmark is “Small delights”. Remco Kuiper wrote a poem, Orkest, which has also been translated into Dutch and English. Julia van der Bos made a beautiful illustration to accompany the poem, similar to all bookmarks created this year by Leeuwarden City of Literature.
Veenweide atelier
Designed for a subsiding peatland
The Frisian peat meadow area is changing under our feet. Peat meadow areas across Europe are facing major challenges: greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, drought and subsidence. However, this region also tells a different story: of collaboration, imagination and rediscovery. In the context of the Veenweide Atelier (Peat meadow Atelier), designers work together with passionate farmers and land managers on new perspectives for the Fryske Feangreide and peat meadow areas outside the province.
Under the leadership of artist and eco-social designer Henriëtte Waal, the Atelier explores how design, sustainable materials and new technologies can contribute to a renewed relationship between mankind, landscape and ecology. “The peat meadows are in a state of crisis,” according to Waal, “but this also give us the opportunity to try something new.” Her ambition: a permanent lab where designers can collaborate with residents, companies and institutions to build a resilient future.
The exhibition Veenweide Atelier: designs for subsiding peatland will be at the Fries Museum until 26 October. Installations, material experiments and futuristic visions show what the possibilities are, if we only dare to look, create and change together.
Veenweide Atelier is a production of Arcadia in collaboration with It Fryske Gea and the Fries Museum and has been made possible by Stichting Stokroos and the GieskesStrijbis Fonds.
The six projects of Veenweide Atelier
Re-Peat
OOZE Architects
“Peat is a superhero,” according to Eva Pfannes of OOZE Architects. “Worldwide, it captures twice as much CO2 as forests, while taking up much less space. But drought causes an inch of soil to disappear each year – and as a result the potential of the peat evaporates as well.” With Re-Peat, OOZE is looking at how we can re-evaluate those qualities by linking systemic thinking to local action. Pilot areas have been set up at Hegewarren and Aldeboarn-De Deelen, with projects focusing on wet cultivation, CO2 storage and new models of existence. No ready-made solutions but designs that make urgent tasks visible and discussable.
Fit-to-Farm Models for Biofacturing
Faber Futures
One teaspoon of soil contains more organisms than there are humans on Earth. And still, this hidden ecosystem often remains abstract. Faber Futures makes the invisible visible, by colouring textiles with pigment-producing bacteria from the Frisian soil, without using poison or generating waste. Together with farmers, we investigate whether it is possible to set up local textile production on Frisian farms, using the fermentation process of bacteria to dye locally sourced linen. The museum also has canvases on display that have been dyed with soil bacteria from the peat meadow area: what lives under the ground becomes visible in bright colours and may perhaps soon be used as part of a new model for organic and circular production.
In collaboration with Kenniscentrum Biobased Economie of Hanze Hogeschool, Melkveebedrijf Kees Boon, Agricycling, fashion designer Tess van Zalinge, flax farmer Willem Bruinsma and Wad van Waarde.
Doerebout
Friso Wiersma
What does living look like if you really include the landscape in your design? In Doerebout, Friso Wiersma uses reed mace (doerebout), a wet crop that captures carbon and enhances biodiversity. He designed a series of furniture consisting of sheet material made from wet crops, finished off with reed mace fibre paper. In collaboration with paper mills, craftsmen and sheltered workshops, he developed a furniture line that combines craftsmanship, landscape and innovation. Each piece of furniture is an expression of the story of the Frisian peat, which can be felt in every fibre.
In collaboration with Meubelatelier Momentum, SAM panels, Bouwgroep Dijkstra Draisma, Jasper van Belle, Houtzaagmolen de Rat, Papiermolen de Schoolmeester and Empatec.
It Kathûs
What happens when an abandoned farm is turned into the heart of the landscape? Near Nes/Akkrum, Veenweide Atelier and OOZE Architects, It Fryske Gea and local residents are working on a new future for It Kathûs, located on ancient peat-clay land. The results
of an open call were translated into three circular and community-based scenarios with the focus on living, working and caring. Not a blueprint, but an invitation to reshape heritage together in a changing landscape.
Fiber Farmers
Tjeerd Veenhoven
How do you speak the same language when discussing complex issues? Tjeerd Veenhoven uses ‘boundary objects’: tangible blocks of reed mace fibre and oyster mushrooms, to start a conversation between farmers, designers and policymakers. Invited by Veenweide Atelier, he developed biobased building materials that are locally grown, are biodegradable and are practical to use. Farmers in the area are currently testing the prototypes as possible building blocks for new revenue models for wet soil farming.
Cropscapes
Lenora Ditzler & Janna Bystrykh
For Cropscapes a meadow is much more than a field of green grass: It is a living archive of soil, biodiversity and farming knowledge. Together with three farmers and a botanist, Lenora Ditzler and Janna Bystrykh mapped out the herb-rich meadows that hadn't been tilled for decades. With maps, quotes and fieldwork, they showed how this ‘old grass’ can be key to sustainable farming on wet soil, and how this knowledge of grass can help scale up towards a future with attention for nature and farmer.
over de drempel
Over de Drempel is a co-production of Arcadia and the Municipality of Leeuwarden.
What happens when a stranger becomes a friend? Over de Drempel (Crossing the threshold) shows us how art can bring people together. For instance by singing together, creating poetry on the street, or baking bread. As part of this project, artists and residents of Leeuwarden and the surrounding villages are creating positive encounters. Visitors are invited to, literally, cross the threshold, and explore another person's world. Because in a mienskip with so many people, nobody should be feeling lonely and alone.
Pratende Bouwurken
Pratende Bouwurken (talking structures) brings to live the language and the stories of residents of Fryslân. During these writing workshops, city poet Marrit Jellema and Dichter fan Fryslân (poet of Fryslân) Arjan Hut help you put your thoughts and feelings into words and beautiful poetry. Whether you have been writing for years or have never put pen to paper. The best phrases will be graffitied onto walls across Fryslân.
Pratende Bouwurken has been carried out in the Municipality of NoardeastFryslân and in collaboration with Thûs Wonen.
Brood Stoven
Brood Stoven welcomes you to Bouwurk this summer. While we are kneading and baking bread together, there is plenty of room for deep conversations. Our warm kitchen is the ideal safe space to share stories, for instance on loneliness and prejudices. Everyone is welcome to join in and roll up their sleeves. Discover how baking together can be the beginning of something bigger.
Kom Zingen in het park
Kom sjongen! Singer Amarins Woltring invites you to Kom zingen in het park (Sing-along in the park): a fun singing workshop in the Prinsentuin. Singing together is not only good for your mood and social life, it is also relaxing and gives new energy. For these workshops you don’t have to be a nightingale: having the guts to make your voice heard and the desire to have fun and meet new people is enough. Can’t get enough of singing? You can also join this workshop three times in Bouwurk. Check out the calendar and dates on arcadia.frl.
Ontvouwen en verdwijnen
In her performance Ontvouwen en verdwijnen (Unfolding and Disappearing), artist and musician Klaske Oenema talks about her friendship with Herbert, who is slowly losing touch with the world due to dementia. Together, they try to find ways to get to grips with this new and ever-changing reality. The performance is an emotional journey, looking at what dementia does to someone — and to the people who love them.
TussenThuis
In TussenThuis (InbetweenHome), film maker Johanneke Dijkstra takes you along to Netwerkcentrum De Klomp in Leeuwarden, where the residents are on their way to their new accommodation in the old Cambuur football stadium. They are building a new home together. But what does ‘home’ mean? And how do you create it together? The movie offers an inspiring insight into community building and the sense of coming home.
Het Gebarendiner
Grab a chair and join us for the Gebarendiner (Sign Language Dinner). A dinner for the deaf, hearing-impaired and hearing. Where sound and spoken language do not play the main role, but where it is all about communication. How do you gesture: ‘Enjoy your meal’? How do you let someone know what you think about the food? Learn your first signs, meet people who hear differently, and enjoy a delicious meal together. Oan tafel! (Dinner’s ready!)
Recept tegen EenZaamheid
What connects people more than a hearty meal and great conversation?
During Recept tegen Eenzaamheid (Recipe against Loneliness) flavours and stories from different cultures come together. Each time, our permanent head chef is joined by a guest chef from a different culture. In between the courses, the guest chef tells something about the dish, their relationship with Leeuwarden and their dreams and aspirations. Feel welcome to join us! Lekker ite! (Enjoy your meal!)
Dovenland
The 1.5 million people who belong to the deaf and hearing-impaired community in the Netherlands are often seen as ‘different’. But what if the tables are turned? Together with the deaf community, artist Chantalla Pleiter is working on the VR experience Dovenland (Deaf Country), an encounter without words. As a hearing person, step into a world where sound and spoken language are not the norm, to experience the strangeness of it all. But also: to find out how you can learn to cope using other forms of communication, such as Dutch Sign Language.
Water & Brood
What happens if someone in your family goes to jail? With the project Water & Broad (Water and Bread), artists Natasja Knap and Marja Griede explore the taboos surrounding imprisonment together with relatives of detainees. Not with hard dialogues, but with light conversations while making and sharing bread. They combine the experiences and insights from these sessions in an artistic publication: an invitation to look at the prison sector and the people in it in a different manner.
Over de Drempel-day
All Over de Drempel events are joining up on 20 June, during the Over de Drempel day in Bouwurk. On this day, Bouwurk will be bursting at the seams with great activities, all focussing on connection. Check the diary for the program.
De revolutie van de rinsema's
Spectacular musical theatre in between towering sandy mountains
After the success of the productions Lost in the Greenhouse (2018) and Het Verdriet van de Zuiderzee (2022), Orkater and De Lawei are back with De revolutie van de Rinsema’s (The revolution of the Rinsema's).
A swirling and poetic musical theatre show with exuberant marching music and disruptive jazz, about inequality and the power of art. The sand quarry at Nij Beets forms the breathtaking backdrop, with its towering sandy mountains.
The peat meadow area in Fryslân in 1920. One of the poorest and most neglected areas of the Netherlands. And still, something amazing is happening here. Brothers Evert and Thijs Rinsema, who work as cobblers, are fascinated by Dadaism, a brutal and joyful art form that dares to question everything. It’s a time when hot food isn’t a matter of course, women have to fight to be heard, and the threat of war casts a dark shadow over everyday life. And a time when one of Europe’s most radical art forms is born.
The villagers are fascinated and international artists travel to Fryslân: for a while, the peat meadow area is the centre of the world of abstract art. But still, Thijs and Evert are now forgotten. Did their work not matter, or is something else going on?
Bouwurk: a house for everyone
In the heart of Leeuwarden, in front of the Oldehove, Arcadia is building a community house, made of wool, flax and stories. This is Bouwurk. And Bouwurk is like no other building you know.
Five hundred years ago, there was a cathedral at the foot of the Oldehove, Leeuwarden’s own leaning tower of Pisa in the city centre. This was a beautiful building where people came together and shared their joys and sorrows. A place of encounter, connection and community. And we were thinking: can’t we do that again now? So yes: with Bouwurk, we are completing the Oldehove! Not as a church, but as a community house, a mienskipshûs. Each building block tells something about Fryslân, about our dreams, spirit and achievements. About how we can create something great, together with artists, children, volunteers and craftsmen.
During Arcadia, Bouwurk is abuzz with activity. You can relax in the green Oasis, enjoy a cup of coffee with a sweet treat, marvel at great artworks, or meet new people in the Kitchen.
Bouwurk is an impressive building, but this eye-catcher is even more than it seems to be at first glance. It is the result of a thousand days of collaboration, of people from all over Fryslân contributing their ideas and materials. From tiles made of Wadden mud to windows full of children’s drawings.
Sjoerd Bootsma, artistic director of Arcadia: “Bouwurk is an ode to all those people who keep society running but are sometimes invisible. On your phone or on TV, it often seems like everything is in a state of crisis. Things are su skeef as de Oldehove (as crooked as the Oldehove). But there are so many people in our mienskip who work hard, often as volunteers, to make the world a more beautiful place. This movement is much bigger than we think, and these people deserve the limelight. Yes, Bouwurk is an impressive building at the foot of the Oldehove. But it is also an expression of the energy and collaboration required to make the building possible; of the conversations it brings about behind front doors and in offices, and the impact it will leave behind when the last planks have been cleared away again. Bouwurk is a tribute to all these links that keep the community machine running smoothly.”
A building for and by everyone
Bouwurk is not a building that has just been thrown up. It is the result of collaboration and imagination: a co-production of Arcadia and the Municipality of Leeuwarden and designed by Overtreders W. Bouwurk is a building for and by everyone, built by a whole host of companies, organisations, authorities, artists and grafters. All of them are inviting you to look at the world in a different way. Don’t just look at what you can see, but at where it comes from. Who made it and why. Bouwurk is not a simple sum of stones, beams and plates. It is a choreography of choices. A dance of man and material.
Dance of man and material
This dance starts with a few questions: Can we still build together? Can we build something else? Maybe even with a little fun? The way in which we build now is unsustainable. There is a constant clash between climate goals, nitrogen problems and the housing crisis. The various parties have diverging interests, and the trust in ‘together’ is shaky. Can we still build bridges between you and me, between the short and long term? Where can we find common ground?
Bouwurk shows us that things can be done differently. That building can also be beautiful, social, sustainable and joyful. With the mienskip as choreographer and source. Because everything you see is made of materials and ideas that already existed in the human mind. With praise and gratitude, we present a handful of the collaborations that show what is possible when you put your shoulders to the wheel together.
Waste materials
Using the idea of building differently as a starting point, design agency Overtreders W went in search of building materials that are not only circular, but also say something about Fryslân. They didn’t look at what was missing, but at what was there. What materials were ready for a brilliant second life in Bouwurk? Fryslân turned out to be a veritable goldmine for Bouwurk. For example, up high between the rafters, you can see two hundred colourful canvases. These are
'Bouwurk was built and shaped by countless hands, hearts and heads'
Fibres
made of old air balloons donated by the Noordelijk Ballonvaartcentrum. Miedema Bouwmaterialen donated the wood they had left over, to cover the outside of the Whitebox space. Steinfort Glas still had some glass in storage with production faults. For them, the glass was useless, but for us, it was the perfect background for a hundred schoolchildren to paint their dreams. And the floor under your feet? Made from repaired pallets by people with a distance to the labour market at Rewood Pallets.
Wool
In addition to all the waste materials you see, you may also notice something else that is typically Frisian: wool! Fryslân is the biggest wool producer in the Netherlands. However, 95% of the wool produced is destroyed. A massive waste, because it is a beautiful and versatile material, with great insulation qualities. The Whitebox walls are filled with raw Frisian wool. Pleed visited Frisian sheep farms and collected the wool. The Hollands Wolcollectief contributed felted fabric. What used to end up in the trash, now has pride of place. You can not only see it but smell it too: it acts as a gentle reminder that we might need to re-evaluate our ideas of value.
Soil
The ground under our feet takes on a new meaning in Bouwurk, following the Arcadia theme grûn. We collaborated with Humade and Koninklijke Tichelaar, the oldest ceramics company in the Netherlands, and returned to the source: Frisian clay. For centuries, Tichelaar sourced its raw materials locally, until our clay was replaced by other types from Germany. In Bouwurk, we are changing that. Using mud from the Waddenzee as Fryske waste stream, Tichelaar and Humade developed Sea Silt Ceramics tiles. In this way, forgotten clay becomes valuable again, and the soil is again showing how much innovation is hidden in the past.
And lastly, there is one other very different type of Frisian building block: fibre. We source them from the Frisian peat meadow area, a place you probably know of its meadows, ditches and farms. But it is also an area where the ground is subsiding, biodiversity is disappearing, and CO2 emissions are high. But despite these challenges, the area offers solutions too: reed mace, silvergrass and hemp, crops that love wet feet. They store carbon and can be processed into sheet material. These fibres are used in various places in Bouwurk. Studio Tjeerd Veenhoven covered the bottom of the exterior walls with a sheet material made of reed mace, which he designed in the Veenweide Atelier. The exterior walls also contain some Frisian hemp insulation from Green Inclusive. How fibres can be applied, is not only seen on the outside of the building, but also in the kitchen. Friso Wiersma designed tables and stools made of silvergrass, put together at the sheltered workshop Empatec.
Mienskip
What is the connecting thread that weaves together all the waste materials, wool, soil and fibres? Mienskip. From the smallest details to the largest structures: Bouwurk was built and shaped by countless hands, hearts and heads. The main construction work on our mienskipshûs (community house) was carried out by three contractors who joined forces: Constructions firms Lont, Friso and Dijkstra Draisma. But this mienskip is also reflected in the smallest of details. Clients of L.A.P. Fier who had faced violence in their lives, made the cushions for the seats. Wender helps people in unsafe situations turn their lives around. Their clients designed the trash cans and disco balls.
It is impossible to name everyone who contributed to Bouwurk here. Moreover, this dance of man and material is not over yet. That is why we invite you to visit Bouwurk and pay attention to every detail. Because Bouwurk is constantly changing. After Arcadia 2025, that is literally what will happen. Bouwurk is a modular building that can be taken apart. Once is it disassembled, it is ready to start a new life, in a new place. Bouwurk will live on: in parts, in people, in stories.
An ode to tradesmanship, connection and calm
When you visit Bouwurk, you can take a seat on one of the sculptural seats made of rattan. They were created by artist Sanne van Balen, at the invitation of the Nationaal Vlechtmuseum in Noordwolde and the municipality of Weststellingwerf. The seats are not only comfortable but are also an ode to the wattling history of Noordwolde.
This craft started here with withies from the willow trees growing locally. Later, Noordwolde became the heart of a successful rattan industry. Until the 1970s, hundreds of people earned a living by weaving the iconic chairs, baskets and other pieces of home furniture. Bouwurk is the next chapter in this long history.
Want to find out more about wattling and see some real objects? In Bouwurk, you can have a look at the frame created by wattling artist Esmé Hofman together with residents of Noordwolde.
Step into Bouwurk and sit or lie down for a bit
There is a lot to see and do at Bouwurk. The building is buzzing with activity. You can lie down, listen, climb, look, write or leave something for later. In and around our mienskipshûs you will find all kinds of installations and works of art. These are funny, comforting, disturbing or just moai (beautiful). But they always have an extra layer. What do you want to take with you? What are you leaving behind? It’s all about imagination and connectivity. You are visiting installations about the Earth and climate, about noise and truth, about comfort and the future. All installations follow the philosophy of Bouwurk: building, sharing, dreaming and daring to ask questions, together! They are all handmade, created in collaboration, and invite you to contribute something too.
Tip! Discover Bouwurk with our audio tour
You will see QR codes all over our mienskipshûs. Scan them to discover more about everything you see around you and the people who worked on it. Or join our young makers Jette de Haan and Joey Haan on an interactive theatrical expedition around Bouwurk. All visitors are an active part of this performance. Their joint choices determine how the show unfolds.
Free to visit:
De Kijkmannen
The Kijkmannen (watchmen) are everywhere. Men who stay silent, gaze, judge. In this installation, you step into their world, full of opinions, shouting and reflections. What is noise, what is truth? With this interactive installation, artist Marten Winters invites you to stand still and reflect on the constant deluge of opinions that dominate our society at the moment.
MegaZine: Diary of Bouwurk
MegaZine is long diary in canvas form, for visitors to write down their thoughts. Every day, we focus on a different question and invite you to leave something behind: a thought, an image, a story. MegaZine is growing every day, page by page, with contributions from everyone who visits us. Do you want to add your voice?
Toekomst van het verleden
Automatic save, in the cloud, offline... We save a lot of things in the digital world. Do you ever think about what we leave behind when we’re gone? In Toekomst van het verleden (The future of the past) by Collectief PLOECH EN EIDE, you can listen to short monologues about the digital traces a human life leaves behind. It is based on interviews by Marije Miedema, PhD candidate at the University of Groningen, with 24 visitors of Netwerkcentrum De Klomp in Leeuwarden. Six characters tell about what they want to take with them and what they want to leave behind.
Ei-pod
Take a seat in our Ei-pod (sorry to all our English visitors, but this is one of those jokes that only works in Dutch... with ‘ei’ (egg) being pronounced the same way as i), a listening chair made by artist Joke Lunsing that resembles a chicken (hence the egg). Sit down and shut yourself off from everything around you. Press the button to listen to De kip op de terp (The chicken on the knoll). This fairytale was written and narrated by Joost Oomen and combines the everyday with the magical.
Lift Me Up
This audiovisual installation by Tryater lifts you up out of the drudgery of everyday life. You can listen to stories by Frisians about comfort and meaning. These monologues will take you away from the here and now. Lie down, listen and feel the wonder at Bouwurk. While listening, there is a lot to see. What? That’s a surprise!
Toekomststoel
Right outside Bouwurk, you will see the Toekomststoel (Chair of the future), an installation by Grootouders voor het Klimaat and students of Firda and NHL Stenden. Climb all the way up and take a seat! Take some time to admire beautiful animations about a habitable earth. On your way down, you can write down a wish, dream or thought on paper apples. What do you give to our Earth?
Paradys
Bouwurk is the heart of the art route Paradys (Paradise). This route will take you along a few very special locations, where you can admire the work of renowned artists. Inside and around Bouwurk, you will find three Paradys artworks:
Brenda, a tall brick and red clay sculpture by Argentine artist Gabriel Chaile can be found inside. What makes Chaile’s sculpture so unique, is that it can also be used as an oven. And that is how it is used as well, for example for Brood Stoven. Fire and food bring people together, and that is exactly what Gabriel Chaile hopes to achieve with his art.
At different places in Bouwurk, Koos Buster has placed colourful glass sculptures, as donation pots for major objectives such as world peace. These artworks toy with the idea of rituals and altruism. As a visitor, you can leave something behind. Does pure altruism really exist, or is there always an element of self-interest?
Peng Zhang has created a living garden, right next to the Kitchen, that connects countryside and city: On the Field of Hope. This kitchen garden is more than just beautiful to look at: Zhang wants to explore the relationship between man, art and nature. Between the vegetables and herbs, different worlds collide. Throughout the summer, he organises workshops, performances and meet-ups with the mienskip, which you can join for free.
bouwurk
Experience the diverse program at Bouwurk
Bouwurk brings everything together: theatre, music, film, workshops, markets, silent rituals and lavish parties. Here you can watch Slieker movies, participate in maker sessions or knit and chat in knitting café De Steek. Have a dance at the silent disco, share bread and stories at the kitchen table, or help build ideas for Leeuwarden for European Youth Capital. Every Sunday, you can join our offline events Sân Dei or Zindagmiddag, while on weekdays, we offer countless surprising workshops, music sessions, performances or a climate wake. For young and old, for dreamers and doers. Almost all the events organised at Bouwurk are free of charge or work with a 'pay what you can miss' donation. At the foot of the Oldehove, makers and mienskip together want to shape a world in which imagination and connectivity are key.
What will you be doing at Bouwurk today?
Bouwurk is a co-production of Arcadia with the Municipality of Leeuwarden, in collaboration with a host of partners, and is made possible by VriendenLoterij Fonds, Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie and BPD Cultuurfonds.
Movies
Slieker Film has selected nine special movies for Arcadia, and organises weekly showings in the Whitebox: Vesper, Sigur Rós: Heima, Wolfwalkers, The Old Oak, En Fanfare, Wilde Mossels, Onder het Maaiveld, No Other Land and Big Fish. All these movies are related to Arcadia's theme: grûn. Grûn is where it all starts. It nourishes us, protects us and connects us. But how do we interact with it?
Open Podium
Ten Friday nights. One stage. For anyone 16 years and older, who wants to sing, laugh, dance, make music, tell a story or do anything else creative. Whether you have just discovered a new talent, or have been working on your performance for years, feel welcome to grab the mic at the Open Podium in Bouwurk. Because you deserve an audience!
Workshops
Build something new with your hands, head or heart. At Bouwurk, you can follow workshops where you create, learn and share: from ceramics to yoga or drawing cartoons. On Friday mornings, there are workshops for adults, while those on Sunday mornings are focused on our youngest visitors. Everyone is welcome to join in and actively experience Bouwurk.
Sân Dei
Hope is all we need! Every Sunday morning, you can listen to or join conversations full of hope, for people who (want to) believe in goodness. What makes life worth living? Poets, philosophers, artists, musicians and scientists share their adventurous
thoughts and treat us to a weekly dose of inspiration.
Music
Sometimes you can hear spontaneous music in Bouwurk. Some days, the space is filled with voices, beats and strings. In collaboration with Neushoorn and Friesland Pop, Arcadia has developed a varied musical program. It is a program filled with local talent, unexpected performances and sounds that will surprise and make you forget everyday life.
Zindagmiddag
Every Sunday afternoon gets more meaning during our Zindagmiddag (Meaningful afternoon). You cannot afford to miss these meet-ups, as you will hear the most amazing stories, funniest anecdotes, and most wonderful adventures, shared by known and unknown Frisians. Real people, real stories and real conversations that will stay with you for a long time. Make sure you stay on for the live talk show, with inspiring guests from all over the Netherlands, bring a book or just lazy about. You deserve to spend some time offline!
Performances
Bouwurk wants to be a stage for theatre, dance, fine art, cabaret, music and more, for young and old. Nynke Laverman will perform a concert version of her new show Oak, DeRonde/Deroo delight the audience with acrobatic theatre about everything you can carry with you, and the little ones will be entertained by Hey Wollie, by the Maskermeiden. Performances that move you, surprise your or simply make you laugh.
The program is diverse, so come along and discover what our performances have in store for you.
Sjûks
On five Saturdays, Bouwurk will be transformed into a vibrant future market. Think of an eastern bazaar, abuzz with energy, where you discover something new around each corner. A place full of surprises, ideas and encounters. Whether you’re bringing or picking up something, having a cup of coffee or immersing yourself in an inspiring workshop, every visit is worth it. Every Sjûk has its own theme and unique atmosphere.
Eetverhalen
Food is more than nutrition or flavour — it is a universal language. Food can provide comfort, connection, reconciliation and understanding. Eetverhalen (Dinner stories) is about the power to connect of eating together. Sitting at the kitchen table and eating together every week creates encounters and conversations that bridge people and cultures.
Celebrations at Bouwurk
On five Saturdays, we hand the keys to Bouwurk to different people and civic organisations. They are having their own party that day and decide what happens. And you are invited! For example, on 12 July, the villages that took part in Fryslân bloeit take over our mienskipshûs, to show us how their villages are flourishing. And on 23 August, the radio DJs of Scenes have planned a day full of surprising beats and programming. Because a house like Bouwurk only really belongs to all of us when we celebrate together.
Climate wake
Every Thursday night, at the fire pit in Bouwurk: a moment of reflection and connection. With music, stories, silence and rituals, we reflect on the consequences of the climate crisis. The climate wake is a heartfelt plea for solidarity and action in times of climate crisis. Everyone is welcome to join in and listen, share, or just be silent together.
Silent Disco
Every Friday night is party night at Bouwurk. Put on a set of headphones, choose your channel and dance like no one is watching. During the silent disco, various DJs and Culture Radio play beats that you can’t resist. Come by yourself or with friends. The dance floor is common ground and belongs to all of us. But standing still? That is not an option!
Brood Stoven
Make bread, share a story. Every Friday morning, you can come to the Kitchen of Bouwurk for Brood Stoven: to bake bread together in our wood-fired oven, and break bread together at the table. To talk about what concerns, unites or surprises us. Everyone bakes their own bread, but we taste and eat together.
Knitting café
Discover new knitting styles and knit along with knitting café De Steek from Hurdegaryp. Everyone can join the weekly knitting sessions on Thursday morning: whether you are a knitting pro or want to learn new techniques. Yarn and needles are provided. Tip: this program booklet also features an interview with Annie Buma, of knitting café De Steek.
Maker sessions
During the summer vacation, we are organising crazy and fun maker sessions for our young, younger and youngest guests. Every Tuesday we build stories. Every Wednesday we build a game. And every Thursday we build something weird. There will be different artists, different themes and different questions every week. We will be working with clay, paper, balance, waste or light. We are also working on Leeuwarden for European Youth Capital. We want to come up with ideas for projects together to put the city in the spotlight. Sometimes you can bring an adult, but quite often it is better to leave them at home.
scenes
Young makers from Leeuwarden bring colour, chaos and creativity to the city. Around a self-built radio studio, you can chill while listening to music, talks and DIY vibes. This is where you build together, play together and feel new energy.
Maker sessions for organisations
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the maker space at Bouwurk is reserved for organisations with a Big Question. This is a question that constantly pops up. About your job, your place in the world, or your future. During these maker sessions, groups from the education, culture and business sector can work on these questions with a coach.
By looking at the question from an artistic perspective, you can break through patterns. The focus is: look at the question in a different way, allow feelings, think clearly and just start making. Together we will explore the challenge through play, creation and experiment. We want you to go home with fresh insights and maybe a first answer.
Paradys: change your outlook on the world
Until 24 August, Leeuwarden city centre and several other locations in Fryslân will be transformed into a stage for stimulating art, from the Netherlands and abroad, as part of Paradys (Paradise). With grûn as the main theme, renowned artists from Fryslân and the rest of the world explore our relationship with the Earth, with our history and with the landscape around us. You can visit the exhibition for free. In Leeuwarden, you can follow a walking route along the works of art, and there are also works of art to enjoy in Beetsterzwaag, Mirns and on Vlieland. In addition to the exhibition, there is also a substantive program, with artist talks, tours and maker sessions.
Whether you are an experienced culture pundit or a curious visitor who wants to explore the city and the province with different eyes: you are welcome! Discover the stories of creators, hidden places in the city and beyond, and marvel at the world under your feet.
Paradys is a production of Arcadia in collaboration with Kunsthuis Syb, Kunstinitiatief VHDG, Noorderlicht, Stichting Symbio, H47, Fries Museum, Blokhuispoort, Tresoar, Natuurmuseum Fryslân, Historisch Centrum Leeuwarden and Netwerk Cultuur en Natuur by We the North and is also made possible by the Mondriaan fonds.
Walking route in Leeuwarden
The walking route in Leeuwarden starts and ends at Bouwurk, at the foot of the Oldehove, the heart of Paradys. From here, a multi-layered walk full of art, reflection and imagination unfolds. The more you walk about and look around you, the more you will feel the city changing under your feet and in front of your eyes.
Peng Zhang
Peng Zhang creates a living garden at Bouwurk that connects countryside and city: On the Field of Hope. He wants to explore the relationship between man, art and nature. Throughout the summer, he organises workshops, performances and meetups, which you can join for free.
Mounira al Solh Mounira
With H47 Fat Branches, Open Pines, Al Solh shows an installation on the oldest cedar tree in Lebanon. This tree has been in the country for thousands of years and stands for strength,nature and history. Inspired by her installation, Al Solh and newcomers to the municipality of Leeuwarden are planting a Lebanese cedar in the Vijverpark, as a symbol for a new future.
Koos Buster
In Bouwurk, Koos Buster has placed colourful glass sculptures, donation pots, that toy with the idea of rituals and altruism. Visitors are asked to donate money – and to ask themselves why. Does pure altruism really exist, or is there always an element of selfinterest?
Werker Collective
In A Moving History of the Young Worker, Werker Collective examines the history of the international labour movement from a queer perspective. The way in which the labourer’s body is represented, and the legacy of Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis play an important role.
VHDG: Grensverleggers
For Paradys, Roísín Douglas curated the group exhibition Grensverleggers (Pioneers) in VHDG. The exhibition brings together artists who seek, explore and push the boundaries between man, animal and landscape. On display are works by Xandra van der Eijk, Ai Ozaki, Deirdre O’Mahony, Amber Veel, Elena Khurtova and Anika Schwarzlose.
Saskia Noor van Imhoff
With Liminal Spaces, Saskia Noor van Imhoff explores the many time layers of the Pier Pander Temple in the Prinsentuin. In the temple itself, she combines historical and digital materials, such as glass, wood and a bronze cast of a part of one of Pander’s sculptures. On REST, in Mirns, Van Imhoff ploughed a circle in the land, the same size as the temple. Here she planted five trees symbolising the five sculptures in the temple.
Stijn ter Braak
For his artwork, Stijn ter Braak has been mainly using what people throw away for a few years. In Werk In Uitvoering (Work in progress) he explores the relationship between waste, art and the city. He is working on a garbage sculpture in a container located on the Voorstreek, in collaboration with the local mienskip. With this transformation, he asks how we as a community look at consumption.
Tjibbe
Hooghiemstra & Nyk de Vries
With Myn Fest is Dyn Fest in the Pier Pander Museum, Tjibbe
Hooghiemstra & Nyk de Vries zoom in on the dark side of mienskip. Their multimedia installation shows how social control and exclusion can disrupt close communities.
Hedwich Rooks
In Tresoar, Hedwich Rooks presents the sculptural installation Ynfra, about the hidden south wall volcano under the Wadden Sea. The work invites visitors to look at the world under our feet with different eyes. The other part of her installation can be seen at brewery Fortuna on Vlieland, in collaboration with Noorderlicht and Into the Great Wide Open.
Sanne Vaassen
Sanne Vaassen, winner of the Symbio art award 2024, worked together with biologists to create the Fountain of Heartbeats water installation at Natuurmuseum Fryslân. With this installation she wants to bring to life the rhythm of nature. Fountain of Heartbeats consists of a reservoir from which water is pumped up via a system of metal pipes. Each pipes represents the heartbeat of an important animal from the natural ecosystem of Leeuwarden.
Gabriel Chaile
In Bouwurk Gabriel Chaile puts one of his large, characteristic sculptures on display: a ‘creature’ made of brick and red clay named Brenda. What makes Chaile’s sculpture so unique, is that it can also be used as an oven. During Arcadia, Brenda will also serve as an oven several times, for example during Brood Stoven.
ai OZaki
Ai Ozaki has his exhibition, Jars, a group of vases inspired by Japanese culture, at the Historisch Centrum Leeuwarden. The vases are also used as fermentation vessels. The micro-organisms cause the vessels to ‘weep’ during fermentation, which emphasises the physicality of the vessels.
Around the province
In addition to the walking route in Leeuwarden, three artworks that are part of Paradys are on display elsewhere in the province: at Kunsthuis SYB in Beetsterzwaag, at REST in Mirns and at brewery Fortuna on Vlieland.
Selma Selman
In 600 Years of Migrant Mothers
Selma Selman explores six centuries of family history. In Kunsthuis SYB in Beetsterzwaag she shows paintings, video installations and sound, with forgotten female ancestors as central characters. Inspired by her own Roma background and family history in metal recycling, she connects her personal stories with feminist strategies and offers new perspectives on origin, identity and political visibility.
Saskia Noor van Imhoff
The second part of Saskia Noor van Imhoff’s work (the other part is part of the walking route) can be seen in REST, a research project at a farm in Mirns. REST uses art, design and food to explore the layered history of the landscape. The exhibition Two Hectares connects artists with hidden stories from this region.
Hedwich Rooks
At brewery Fortuna op Vlieland, Hedwich Rooks puts the second part of Ynfra on display, in the exhibition Het onzichtbare zichtbaar (The invisible visible), which is part of the Noorderlicht Biennale Machine Entanglements. Together with other artists, she reveals hidden natural processes, such as underground rivers. Her work complements the installation at Tresoar and shows how the Earth carries stories beyond the visible world.
Machine Entanglements
Man, machine and everything in between
At Museum Dr8888, visitors can discover how technology, ecology and heritage are all intertwined. Through the eyes of more than seventy (inter)national artists, the exhibition Machine Entanglements of the Noorderlicht Biennale shows how technology is changing our view of the world, and our place in it.
From the influence of machines on nature and identity to the legacy of a manufacturing city like Drachten: this exhibition invites you to reflect on what we call ‘progress’. How does technology affect our environment, us as people and how we live together? Museum Dr8888 has works on display by Noor Boiten, Sophie Gerrard, Hendrik Hantschel, Thomas Kuijpers, Steven Maybury, Sylvia Sanchez, Sasha Rudensky, Sebastian Schmieg, Martine Stig and Katja Stuke.
Machine Entanglements is part of the biennial of the same name by Noorderlicht, curated by Roosje Klap and Rosa Wevers.
Arcadia’s young heart
Arcadia is young at heart. Young people have both legs firmly on the ground and their heads in the clouds. They have a vivid imagination and are bursting with creativity. They look at themselves and the world with curiosity and imagination. Everything is still open, nothing is cast in stone. They have nerve and are willing to take chances. Young people are the perfect dreamers and makers of the future. They have fresh answers to big questions. When adults sometimes get stuck, young people might hold the key. Not to provide a perfect solution, but to create space for new forms of coexistence.
And Arcadia’s dot on the horizon? This will be experienced by young people. That is why it is especially important that they are involved in shaping that future. Arcadia wants to give them the opportunity to do that at schools, behind the scenes and between the rules. For example, we designed Dierocratie (Pettocracy), a playful citizenship game for primary schools. With interactive videos, music and games, children discover how power works, how you make decisions together and what happens when your voice is lost. Under the title Samenleven het Spel (Society, the Game), we are working on a new citizenship adventure for secondary and vocational schools.
But young spirits are not only found in young bodies. Arcadia Jong is for anyone who wants to continue to discover. That is why Arcadia invites all Frisians to come out and play at Bouwurk. We create adventures that are all about imagination, making, playing and discovering together. For example, a series of maker sessions in the summer. And the Question of the Day, where we present you with a thoughtful question every day. What are you dreaming about? What makes a father a father? What words give you freedom?
Arcadia Jong is an invitation. To create, learn and dream together. Always creative, always imaginative and always together. Will you join us on our quest?
Arcadia Jong is a production of Arcadia and is also made possible by our main partner ELJA Foundation and partners Fonds 21 and VSBfonds.
De uitkijkers
With De Uitkijkers (The watchers), we create a platform to look forward to the future of Fryslân. This is a project that involves citizens, organisations and policy makers. What societal challenges do we want and need to face together? De Uitkijkers organises meet-ups, creative sessions, podcasts and studies on four themes: prosperity, circular, connected community and soil and water.
De Uitkijkers is for everyone who wants to think together about how these issues affect the future of Fryslân. Everyone is welcome to contribute with insights, dreams and experiences. Because the more we share, the stronger we stand.
De Uitkijkers is a co-production of Arcadia with Innovatiepact Fryslân.
“With this tree we want to bring hope to Europe on a bike”
Bruno Doedens
Circle4Change
Imagine a tree cycling around Europe. A tree that also walked traversed Leeuwarden with Bosk in 2022. As you are reading this, this tree may be in Poland, the Czech Republic or Italy. Over a period of five months, he will travel in a circle, covering 5,000 kilometres and nine countries. One of the important stops is the Slovenian city of Nova Gorica, the European Capital of Culture in 2025.
Circle4Change is a journey full of imagination and connection, by landscape artist Bruno Doedens, who we all know from Bosk. During their bike ride, Bruno and his tree are inviting everyone to set up sustainable initiatives together. Along the way, we are also handing out birthday trees to Europeans celebrating their birthday. This will create a network of birthday forests along the route, which together become common ground: they belong to all of us, flora, fauna and mankind. Frisians can also go to the desk at Bouwurk pick up a free tree on their birthday. Circle4Change creates living landscape art: a growing network of people and trees that connects Fryslân and Europe, creating a green band. A movement of doers, dreamers and thinkers working through art, nature and community, aiming to create a hopeful and sustainable future.
On his bike ride, Bruno will be talking to individuals and initiatives that contribute to a greener environment and more connectivity. His dream: make the bike ride again in three years’ time, with hundreds of other people and trees. How beautiful would it be if we saw a giant forest cycling through Europe?
Want to join? You can! You can bike along part of the route, start a local initiative around the cycling circle or sponsor a birthday tree. Or join the talk show Sân Dei on Sunday morning, where Bruno gives us a weekly video update on Circle4Change.
“Bosk has shown us that when we work together and make an effort, we can achieve a lot. Put our heads down, have confidence and think big.”
Sybrand Buma Mayor of Leeuwarden
The Power of Togetherness: are you joining us?
Arcadia is created by all of us, together. With villagers, artists, volunteers and partners. With everyone who looks up from their phone and TV screens and thinks: I want to join in! Because we feel that working together to build something bigger makes sense and gives meaning.
Our organisation is open, just like the program. Anyone can contribute to our 100-day village party for the whole province. Whether you are a business, cultural institution or just someone with an idea. The answer is almost always: yes! This makes the program so beautiful and diverse.
Because Arcadia is not a project before mienskip it is mienskip. As an organisation, we are nothing without all the people, businesses, institutions and authorities that support us. The fact that Arcadia is firmly anchored in the Frisian grûn again in 2025 is due to everyone who supports and shares our thoughts. Every individual contribution and every collaboration is an essential part of what we do. It’s not just about what you see, it’s about how it came about. That is what mienskip is all about!
At Bouwurk we asked ourselves: Can we still build together? We think so. Even better: we are already doing it! It giet oan. Do you want to join in?
FLaNK
You can register your project or activity for FLANK (Fringe): our place for initiatives from all over the province. FLANK shows how strong and diverse mienskip can be. For example, with projects like GROÜND in Harlingen, creating art using soil that is 260 million years old. Or the National Reading Record, with one hundred hours of continuous reading by two hundred people. Of Pax Intrantibus: an intimate eight-day program in Leeuwarden’s smallest theatre, bringing together art, architecture, literature, meditation and a tea ceremony. But... your project is still very welcome. So sign up via: arcadia.frl/flank.
Research into mienskip
DWaaN
You don’t have a plan yet, but you have an idea? Join one of our DWAAN (Act) sessions. Together with others with great ideas, you will be working on the first contours of a project. With the help and support of a coach, your idea will grow into something tangible: an initiative that makes a real difference. Every contribution, every new collaboration, allows Arcadia to grow. A ball of yarn. A story. A cutting. Everything counts and is a contribution to the bigger whole.
DWAAN is also made possible by the Oranje Fonds, Keunstwurk and the Gieskes-Strijbis Fonds.
At Arcadia, it’s not just about making art together, but also about understanding, learning and growing. What does mienskip actually mean? How does it work? Why is there so much movement when people do something together? To get a better understanding, PhD candidate Carmen van Bruggen of the University of Groningen is collaborating with Arcadia a special, long-term study. She studies the power and impact of community projects, in Fryslân and beyond.
Her research consists of several parts. For example, she is mapping out more than
350 projects from Fryslân, from church to youth centre, and explores which ideas keep coming back. In addition, she has been on talk-walks with former participants of Arcadia projects, asking them how they look back on their experience years later. She is closely monitoring the Bloeiweken of Fryslân Bloeit from 2025. And she looks across the border at the Basque ‘auzolan’: is this European variant of mienskip related to our Frisian version?
This is how Arcadia learns not only from art and creators, but also from academia. Because the better we understand what mienskip does, the better we know how to make it even stronger!
At knitting café De Steek, mienskippers share joys and sorrows
At knitting café De Steek in Hurdegaryp, women have been gathering for fifteen years to knit for charity. For babies, mothers in need or cultural projects. For Arcadia, for example, the ladies from Hurdegaryp knit long wall panels for Bouwurk. But the conversations while knitting are just as important as the end result. Life may be colourful, or even hectic, but every week, forty women come together to knit and chat.
Annie Buma has been involved in the knitting café for fifteen years. She is the only one who does not do any knitting; it is her job to keep track of the projects they are working on. The yarn donations, how everyone is doing and of course: the weekly word of welcome. Annie: “We knit for charity. But we also like to knit for special projects. For instance, we worked on projects in South America, Russia and Romania. Closer to home, we also created knitting projects for Tryater. That’s why we also signed up to knit for Bouwurk. We all worked on the panelling for the wool room. We need to knit 35 square metres, and even for forty women, that’s a lot of work! But everyone loved it.”
“It means a lot to people to have a place like the knitting café. It’s really fun to work on charity projects together and knitting also stimulates creativity. But beating loneliness, meeting other people and solidarity are also important. We talk about everything and nothing while we are knitting. We also exchange knitting patterns. And if someone is ill, we send a get-well card.”
“I love volunteering for the knitting café. It’s nice to contribute to the community. And to see so many women having so much fun doing this together, that’s really special! I also love that you get to know so many people and experience everything together. A lot happens in a person’s life in a period of 15 years. We share amazing things and made great friendships. But of course, we go through sad things too. It sometimes happens that members of the knitting café pass away. You’ve known each other for years and suddenly there’s an empty chair. We mourn together; we knit a mourning ribbon, bring flowers and put an ad in the newspaper. During the knitting café meeting, we place a picture
Mienskippers podcast
Mienskippers are people who volunteer to make our community better with their ideas, energy and commitment. They are indispensable, but sometimes invisible outside their immediate circle. Such a shame! Because these people, who make a difference, bring others together, create equal opportunities and make waves, manage to achieve connections and create meaning in their local community. In the podcast series Mienskippers, by Arcadia and Univé Buurtfonds, podcaster Marijke Roskam puts these inspiring Frisians in the spotlight. Listen to the nine episodes for a healthy dose of courage, wellbeing, inspiration and connection. Who knows, maybe you discover the Mienskipper in yourself!
You can listen to all episodes of the podcast on the Arcadia site or in Spotify. Read a preview of the episode Mienskippers: Annie and Geertrui.
and a candle on the table, give a short speech and take a moment to commemorate in silence. That’s also an important aspect of the knitting café, to support each other when things are hard.”
Does Annie recommend volunteering? Definitely! “Volunteering is enriching and gives a lot of satisfaction. It makes you grow. You can really mean something to someone else.”
Main partners
Arcadia is created by all of us, together. That is why we want to thank all the creators, thinkers, doers, volunteers, visitors and all our partners, who support us in making our dreams come true. Because mienskip is a plural!
Main partners
Partners
Meemakers
Made possible by: Het Nieuwe Stadsweeshuis, Kunsthuis Syb, Historisch Centrum Leeuwarden, H47, Fries Film & Audio Archief, VHDG, Netwerk Cultuur en Natuur, Gemeente Noard-East Fryslân, Thús Wonen, Fries Museum, It Fryske Gea, Leeuwarden UNESCO City of Literature, Kunstacademie Friesland, Innovatiepact Fryslân, Wender, Smoel Kunstwerkplaats, Alliade - De Kapschuur, Piter Jelles - De Brêge, Niemand aan de Zijlijn, Patyna - Aylvastate, Burgemeester Harmsmaschool Gorredijk, Wender & Wender Huis voor Jongeren, Noardlike Fryske Wâlden, Neushoorn, Slieker Film, Tryater, Stichting 8ste Dag, Leeuwarden Oost, Nationaal Vlechtmuseum Noordwolde, Friesland Pop, Popfabryk, Roast, DutchBeans, Recell, Pleed, Aeres, Dutchboxx and many more!
For the full, up-to-date program, go to arcadia.frl
