An inspiring method deployed by the Embassy of the North Sea that I'm interested in for fostering community-driven collaborative art projects.
The Wisdom Tile project became one of the activities that the Buurthuis op Wielen - De Ontmoeting gets to be asked to do with neighbours in the North of Amsterdam. A Growing/generative wall of Northern wisdom is made at each event where the previously made tiles are conversation starters for participants on important topics and themes for them.
De Ontmoeting is a welcoming, mobile outdoor living room in Amsterdam Noord, with weekly fixed locations (under development), where residents are invited to initiate and participate in experimental programs on themes that matter to them. Through radical participatory practices and methods like cultural probes, ABCD, and Participatory Action Research, it fosters community-building, social autonomy, and pluralism, aiming to create meaningful connections, encourage co-creation, and promote social sustainability in the neighborhood.
Nadja van der Weide is currently pursuing a Professional Doctorate in Artistic Research, focusing on fostering community-driven solutions through artistic co-creation processes. Her research explores how residents of Amsterdam Noord can take ownership of social change by participating in collective art-making, using methods like Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) and Participatory Action Research (PAR). A key project within her research is De Ontmoeting ("The Meeting"), a mobile, hyperlocal outdoor living room designed to create meaningful connections through experimental artistic programs. Operating at fixed weekly locations in Amsterdam Noord, De Ontmoeting invites residents to collaborate on activities that address their shared concerns. The project dissolves traditional boundaries between art and social practice, creating a radically participatory space where mutual understanding and social autonomy thrive. Through this work, Nadja investigates how artistic practices can act as social glue, fostering pluralism, reciprocity, and dissensus, while advocating for the reclaiming of public space as a platform for collective expression and future community resilience.
Another key project in Nadja van der Weide’s research is an artistic intervention aimed at fostering sustainable, inclusive communities. The project involves community members from Buikslotermeerplein Amsterdam North creating a collective patchwork quilt, sharing personal stories, and engaging in agonistic dialogue. The quilt-making process, rooted in resourceful crafting traditions, revalues materials by exclusively using recycled fabric, promoting sustainable practices and raising awareness about textile production’s environmental impact.
Beyond its environmental focus, the project addresses social issues like polarization, exclusion, and gentrification. By creating a shared artwork, participants build a collective identity that celebrates cultural diversity and fosters unity. The intervention also incorporates constructive dialogue (agonism), teaching participants how to engage in healthy conflict resolution and mutual understanding. Ultimately, this initiative fosters ownership, belonging, and responsibility, offering a model for sustainable, resilient urban living while strengthening social cohesion in the community.