ABOUT
Anno 2022, Amsterdam, full of muddy building sites, is in full swing of construction of new realities and narratives. And with it comes the radical erasure, disconnection, and ‘cleansing’ of spaces, species, territories, cultural practices, and social bonds. While embracing these efforts, we critically reflect on the possibilities of another city living simultaneously with us, a city within the city: The City of Social Ecology. It is both physical and imaginary, feasible and desired, and accompanies us daily. How can we sense or identify it? How can we cultivate it? Does it make us get our hands in the ground or forage? How can we find connectivity in this swampy territory? How can we stay messy? Embracing the ‘trouble’ of multilayered realities, the incomplete glossary looks into notions of care, pleasure, friction, territory, kinship, and breakdown.
The City of Social Ecology looks into current spatial practices by collecting information from citizens and their networks through listening sessions, observational visits, interviews, and the chain map-letter. The words come and go, some definitions have just appeared and want you to (in)complete them. They are informed and inspired by the fruitful conversations we held, our savory observational walks and few moments of clarity. We share our reflections and postulates on the City of Social Ecology and would love to hear your own.
This glossary is per definition incomplete. It is intuitive, erratic and inconsistent, like life is.
