Mona Orstad Hansen

A parking space tranformation, The making of a Park:

The Urban (mini) Forest

Plant Trær / Plant Trees

Grasrota / The Grassroots

Tou Works 1, Seeds, Pedersgata 2008
Rogaland Kunstsenter

The Grassroots is a continuously growing project investigating the interface between art, environment and democracy. The project was initiated by visual artist Mona Orstad Hansen and produced by Rogaland Contemporary Art Center with Torunn Larsen as a coordinator and creative contributor.
The structure of the project is inclusive and democratic, giving the individual participant a vital role in creation and execution, thus illustrating the theoretical concept and ideology of the Grassroots and being it’s very roots.
The number of participants, events and side projects has continued to grow ever since the seed was sown and will continue to do so. All are welcome to join the Grassroots!
Participants so far include: Imke Schöberle (landscape architect), Solveig Landa (artist) Stuart Mac Garey (artist) and Maya Øvrebø (artist) with valued contributions from Sesella Fossan, Martin Worts, Preben Simonsen, Teophil Schöberle, Vincent Schöberle, Will Foster, Målfrid Braadland, Andrea Bagi, Justin Carter, Anna Roos, Christian Schöberle, Martyn Reed, Stavanger Kulturskole, Stavanger Bibliotek, Bruktmarkedet på Nytorget, Stavanger gatefestival, Grønn By, Grønn Hverdag, Urban Sjøfront, Stavanger Fornybar, Tou Works I, Stavanger Kommune, KORO, Stavanger Parkering, Risa, T. Stangeland, Sandnes ferdigplen, Brynes planteskoler, Hårr Betong, Metallproduksjon, Stavanger Pukk, Øgreid Eiendom, Skilthuset, Allsidige Nord and several fellow citizens and gardeners of Stavanger who have donated plants.

The start of a utopian idea:
The project started out as a reaction and antithesis against the city development plans to demolish the area of Nytorget in favour of building an underground parking space. This would also mean that the Rogaland Kunstsenter, situated at Nytorget, plus numerous other old wooden houses within the geographical radius would go down with it. We felt that at a time when most people are becoming concerned about the environment, encouraging more traffic was a step in the wrong direction. It seems the city is willing to spend millions on the building of roads and parking spaces, giving priority to car storage over attractive public spaces that all people can use! Wouldn’t it be more progressive to find ways of keeping the traffic out of the city centers? Wouldn’t it be better to find new uses for areas and buildings already existing rather then tearing everything down?

Inspiration for the project was the legendary socially engaged artist Joseph Beuys who (with some help) planted 7000 oak trees over five years, in the German city of Kassel. Beuys manifest was “We shall never stop planting” and he encouraged similar art projects to take place on a global scale.

For more than 20 years, Beuys’ primary activity was teaching, spreading his ideas about art and the role of art in society to a wide range of audiences. In this way, Beuys has had a deep and broad-ranging influence on both contemporary art and society.

Beuys began to expand the spectrum of people he intended to reach by establishing the Organization for Direct Democracy. He set up an “information office” open to the public where he and others discussed and dispersed information outlining their democratic ideals. The Organization also conducted a number of street actions that exposed these ideas to the general public.

One of the initial ideas of the Grassroots was to occupy the entire parking space area of Nytorget in Stavanger and reverse it. To plant a forest there; an urban city forest, that would stretch and grow and most importantly prevent cars from entering. This was in the spirit of “good old” positive activism. The idea of this was very attractive to us, but we realized quickly that it was a utopian idea. Firstly was the issue of getting permission to proceed, or choosing to proceed without permission. Secondly there was an issue about planting trees and having to dig them up again, not a very sustainable thought. As it turned out we were able to rent – at a reduced prize – eight parking spaces at one side of the area. So the project took on a different direction but with the initial idea intact: to occupy as much parking space as possible (as we could afford to be exact) and to create something that could be a positive contribution for the local environment. We rolled out grass and made a green park: a neighbourhood garden.

Visual outcome and sustainability:
Visually the park was laid out with several small bumpy hills to create a natural relaxation space. A space where you can lean or hide away a little, taking into account the Norwegian need for personal space perhaps. It also became a good running place for small children, maybe because as some pointed out: It resembles the landscape of the Telly Tubbies…In any case the Park is for everyone within the three months that it is there. And just maybe, and this is getting us back to the utopian dream; if people want it and the politicians want it, it could be there permanently as a real utopian dream. Or as a last resort one could pay the parking-meter…!

Other editions to the park:
The Park was the main contribution to the seed project, but it also sparked of a facelift of the Rogaland Kunstsenter. The façade of the building was painted bright green to give off the right mood. Some leftover artworks of the 80ies were replaced with concrete pots, made out like bean/seed shapes (by Solveig Landa). In them we planted the trees (the mini forest), and on the guided TW1 Tour of pedersgata we planted some acorns that stems from the original trees of Joseph Beuys. With the hope that green fingers stood us by, Joseph Beuys trees will be growing here in the future. Another edition was the slogan Plant trees painted on the wall of the Park (by Mona Orstad Hansen). The idea of the painting was also to bind the park together with the inner gallery space on the second floor. Here – with the help from Roar Houen at Stavanger Library - we made a Utopian Library. People can rent out books and read about utopian dreams and societies throughout the summer, for Park reading or to take home. Another artwork is inside the library, a sound peace made by Stuart Mac Garey adding a science fiction feel to it. So if the Stavanger weather should cave in on the park and on the Pedersgata route this summer, there is refuge inside this house.

The fight to transform Nytorget from a parking lot to a democratic and popular square has now taken on a more political direction and a creative city planning group has been established that will invite neighbours to join in the urban planning discussion on a grassroot level.
The Grassroots have also started work on establishing free City bikes for Stavanger.

The Grassroots would like to thank TW1 for support and nourishment of this Seed and welcome you to take part in its continuous growth!

For information about Tou Works1: http://www.touscene.com/prosjekt/tou-works/2-uncategorised/34-tou-works-1For more information about the Grassroots visit
Rogaland kunstsenter
Nytorget
Open every Saturday from 11-16
Or visit our website:
www.rogalandkunstsenter.no

Grasrota Video/ The Grasroots Video: http://www.rogalandkunstsenter.no/images/stories/video/grasrota08.mov