From the Series
Visual artist Jeanne van Heeswijk believes that social design is the way forward in creating better communities for all residents. She encourages people to become active agents in planning and developing their immediate environments through challenging the way city plans are developed. Tapping into existing creativity and skills, Van Heeswijk uses workshops to work alongside residents in making their surroundings multidimensional public spaces. Creating co-operatives around food, clothing and services in which people share their creative talent to produce products, these activities not only create jobs in the area but bring people together, sharing their skills.
It makes them co-produce their environments and their ideas on how to live together, says Van Heeswijk.
"Public space is the necessary arena to listen to each other, learn from each other and collectively work in a way to create an understanding of what we need to move on," she ends.
Watch the Talk with Jeanne van Heeswijk
