Gaverstaete
About this good practice
South-West Flanders is far too rigid. We must literally break free from this. The concept of the “bouwshift,” or the reduction of additional spatial impact to preserve the open space, is ian important objective in the regional spatial vision Contrei. Achieving a space-neutral region means reducing our spatial footprint to zero by 2040. Gaverstaete is an art installation that rise awareness by the citizens about the concept of space-neutral deveolopment as proposed in the spatial vision Contrei.
In February of 2019, Leiedal made an open call to artists and designers all around, suggesting a number of outstanding places with a clear link to open space, landscapes, water and heritage. Gaverstaete, a concept from LANDLAB (NL), is a pamphlet against unbridled construction developments in our landscape we value so highly. This simple, accessible installation enticed people. This intervention showed thousands of visitors the misleading power of images and pointed out the value of our landscape. It brought them together to enjoy the view and at the same time discuss the value of our environment and the importance of nature conservation. It also led to various online discussions.
The main stakeholders are Leiedal as initiator, the municipality of Deerlijk, the Province West Flanders (owner of the land), LANDLAB (creative architecture agency).
Resources needed
The budget for the artistic intervention Gaverstaete was 24.200 euro.
The overall cost for the international art trail was about 900.000 euro (artist fees, production, communication, staff …).
Evidence of success
Gaverstaete, as an initiative within the spatial policy Contrei, was a success: the art trail attracted more than 166.000 unique visitors between begin July and the end of October 2020. More than 16.000 bycicle maps were picked up. There were about 500-700 visitors/weekend/location. More than 50 press articles and appearances were counted (both regional and national).
The municipality Deerlijk was also positive about the dialogue Gaverstaete started on preserving the open space.
Potential for learning or transfer
The art trail made territorial policies and spatial ambitions tangible. Culture, creativity and art can be a leverage and “compagnon de route” for dialogues on various topics. This approach aligns with European policies to create policy instruments for a greener Europe and economic growth of the CCI. Gaverstaete contributed to these challenges and can be easily transferred, with respect to the intellectual property.
Gaverstaete raised the awareness of all visitors but most of all to the inhabitants of Deerlijk, both on the regional territorial vision Contrei and on the local spatial policy plan. Any other municipality with the same challenges in preserving natural sites, can adopt a similar intervention.
The methodology was a process with a rigid follow-up to ensure the quality. The call was set up with a detailed description of the locations envisioned. So the creatives could apply with tailormade interventions. A jury selected 16 out of 211 applications from all over the world.
Further information
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Good practice owner
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