METHODS FOR CREATING ECOLOGICAL CORRIDORS

Ecological corridors rely partly on methods of urban agriculture, guerilla gardening, ecological management and social anthropology. Corridors can also make good use of avant-garde technologies, so that such projects become experiments on the edges of art, science and technology: Embedded systems, novel sensors, low energy computing and sensor networks are useful for monitoring soil quality, plant growth processes, animal activity, pollution and the movement and interaction of people within the local environment.
Mobile communication and geoinformatics are useful for aggregating sensory data and projecting them in real time onto maps. Complex systems analysis, cloud computing, and machine learning are useful for detecting patterns to allow prediction and the shaping of ongoing social and biological processes. And novel user interfaces are needed to make embedded technologies accessible and usable without requiring sophisticated background or training.

corridor-map

gardens participating in the case study

  • edible rooftop garden / so-on
  • urban ArtFarm / so-on
  • thurn&taxis
  • kaaitheater
  • okno
  • gemeentehuis molenbeek
  • libanese garagehouder
  • semaphore asbl – péniche Jean Bart / pierre renault

corridors as a social sculpture

  • social sculpture ref. Beuys: The idea being that every decision you make should be thought out and attempt to make or contribute to a work of art which in the end is society. This point of view invites followers to humble themselves by realizing that they are an important part of a whole not only an individual. (link with the honeybee colony)
  • corridors as a social sculpture ⇒ community, bottom up (the social, cultural and political function and potential of art) occupy public space
  • potential of art to bring about revolutionary change (Beuys) transformation (metaphore = honey)
  • participating gardens ⇒ active creative expressions of the participating inhabitants, communities, neighborhoods
  • social awareness raising : human activity that strives to (re)structure and (re)shape society and the environment
  • knowledger building of cities as complex ecosystems