Art as a Catalyst for Landscape Democracy

Abstract

The project promoted the use of democratic ideals in the process of planning public space in the Nord-Holland district of Kassel, Germany. A public workshop, social gathering and temporary public art installation were the vehicles for empowering marginalized groups and unifying a highly diverse and fragmented community. The emotional map output from the community workshop was the basis for a candle light installation that bisected the neighborhood, engaging the general public on issues that both destabilized and strengthened the community. The engagement of landscape challenges through a site specific art installation offered stakeholders palpable interaction with abstract issues. A cross-disciplinary approach to spatial planning can deepen stakeholder engagement in the just, transparent and inclusive processes of participatory design.