Stories from the streets of Werkspoor, playful interventions, eatable plants, moss, some pics and videos and a manifesto on urban cannibalism come together in the first presentation of Unmaking The Netherlands’ Living Archive.

With contributions / interventions by:
Expodium, Denisa Kollarova & Anna van Lingen, Geert van Mil, Joris Lindhout, Floris Brekelmans, Wietske Maas & Matteo Pasquinelli, Mariska Gewald, Petra van de Laar (Containertuinen), Mirjam Müller and HKU Fine Art students [Adriaan Lutejin, Mariejem Tordjo, Roy Vastenburg, Dalida-Georgiou Achmet, Inga Kolbrun Soring].

THE LIVING ARCHIVE is a constellation of knowledge produced during the Unmaking The Netherlands program. It occupies a physical space [in the form of a series of exhibitions], as well as a digital one at the Unmaking The Netherlands’ webpage.
It includes material from our research at Werkspoorkwartier, reports and video documentation from our monthly public sessions, relevant essays, book abstracts, and newly produced work by the artists.
The Living Archive is not a still assemble of information. It is the outcome of Expodium’s translation processes; it’s co-created, co-edited and co-curated by Expodium and the artists involved. It is the manifestation of all the study cases, taking knowledge from local to global and vice versa.

Material from the Living Archive, combined with the outcomes of the Unmaking The Netherlands residency will be the main source for the final exhibition and publication of the program.

A brief review of the exhibition can be found on the LUCY IN DE LUCHT website.

Oude industriële panden, lichte industrie, groothandel, ateliers. De zone tussen de Cartesiusweg en de Demkakade kenmerkt zich door diversiteit. De afgelopen jaren kruipt dit post-industriële gebied uit haar schulp, maar velen vroegen zich niet eens meer af wat het was. Toch was het Werkspoorkwartier de afgelopen eeuw een aanjager van veranderingen in Utrecht.

In het Werkspoorkwartier zijn vele energieke organisaties aan het werk, velen lid van het Cartesius Museum netwerk. Dit netwerk brengt bedrijven en creatief ondernemers samen om gezamenlijk vorm te geven aan de ontwikkelvisie van de stad Utrecht over het Werkspoorkwartier.

Werkspoorkwartier is Utrecht’s most predominant post-industrial area. It is a striking example of the ‘Always Present Area’. Today, no one knows why it is still there, while a hundred years ago it used to function as vital hub for the city (metal industry). Let’s not forget that it was Werkspoor’ heavy industry that served for the first time as a 24hour economy within the city limits of Utrecht.

Within the Werkspoor Area, a lot of energetic organizations are at work already, most of which are part of the Cartesius Museum network. This network brings companies, organizations, knowledge and culture together by means of open knowledge exchange and communication. All of the participants of the network are set to find new and sustainable innovations for urban society.

“Werkspoor heeft van het dorpje Utrecht de stad Utrecht gemaakt”, zegt Friso van Expodium ergens in dit fragment. Expodium – als urban do tank – gebruikt mondiale stedelijke ontwikkelingen om lokale ontwikkelingen te duiden.