Public Lease Garden

In 2008 the Municipality of Middelburg wanted to bring together high quality innovative art with the cultural-historical identity of the city. The Stichting Beeldende Kunst Middelburg did the realisation in cooperation with Mothership. The sketch proposals were presented during two exhibitions in De Kabinetten van De Vleeshal, after which residents could cast their votes by means of ballots distributed door-to-door.

Public space

The public space in Klarenbeek is fragmented. Here and there a small football field, a drainage ditch decorated as a park, and everywhere miniature plots with evergreen shrubs. Some are neatly modelled, others look like forgotten haircuts. The stiff vegetation makes all plots impenetrable and turns them into ideal occasions for illegal dumping

Proposal

Public Lease Garden proposes to return all unused lots, neglected public gardens and murky dog walking areas to the residents of the district of Klarenbeek in Middelburg by putting them up for lease. Everybody can rent a piece of public space and set it up to their own liking. The usage can be passive, extending one’s own garden or having extra parking space, but it can also become a communal barbecue hangout or a playground for the children of the neighbourhood.