This is a page collecting research and enthusiasm, documenting findings and questions, gathering and distributing little pieces of Groningen in preparation for and reflecting on the 2024 edition of SPREAD Zinefest.

SPREAD Zinefest at SIGN's website

First Trip Findings

At the start of September, we got to visit Groningen in preparation for the event. Marie-jeanne and Ron asked us to summerize our activities and findings briefly.

Thijs

I brought equipment to mimic my normal day-to-day activities, to see how I would experience Groningen / feel like and act as a resident / be able to compare it to my Rotterdam modus operandi. This included a city run and study sessions. I practised unguided loitering to understand the natural flow of the city. Where do I find myself again and again? Who do I meet? How do I feel? I then did some list making exercises to hone in on specific details . force a different perspective / get to appreciate mundanity. (These words were written sitting on the ground at the Grote Markt)

I am still digesting findings. Some first ones include:

Groningen's color palette is subtle and soft. The city center's street (often with the pavement without kerb, the same level as the street) is not-in-your-face-yellowish. The city branding is a pink shade we've started to name 'please-ignore-me-pink'. A model of the city in the Forum even showed the landmarks with please-ignore-me-pink markers. It is used on scaffolding surrounding construction sites, too, presenting the new plans in avro-tros-font fashion.
The city is a very particular kind of quiet, some mix between anticipation and acceptance, like it is somewhere between the future and the past, but not terribly concerned with the pressure of the moment, like Rotterdam might be. I got this feeling for example by the people sweeping the street in the morning, by all traffic lights being turned off, ...
The city dubs itself 'The City of Talent', but seems to have a particular vision for what talent is. For example, the RUG is promoted more than the Hanzeschool and more still than the 4 MBOs. These are often placed hierarchically, and often only the uni is mentioned. Similarly, some high level sporters are shown. In general, this gives me a sense of ambition that is very much tied to particular achievement.
Walking the streets, I can listen to music just fine, but don't necessarily need to as a distraction or as escapism.
The city is very providing for seating. There's many many benches in the center, scattered around squared and parks. This might accomodate for sleeping places for homeless people, though I haven't seen anyone use it like that. I wonder about the enforcement. The Forum in particular is a sitting-nook-extravaganza, with at least 31 distinct ones. These do accomodate for different modes of loitering and living, but still might be limited to the image of young urban professional.

I think these are pretty abstract observations, it can surprisingly difficult to make a concrete one. but I think this is also due to Groningen's nature. It doesn't present itself so outwardly and in your face. It appears lively while calm and cozy. This is inviting, but also a subtle way to present an agenda that values a particular brand of orderly living and of traditional ambition. My observations being intangible is, I think, indicative of my experiences being so 'pristine'.

Maria

Since this was the third time that I visited Groningen and the intervals between visits have been quite long, one of the things I examined and researched most these days was myself: The emotions evoked by places that I either remembered or couldn't recognize, and their association with different phases of my life. I embraced this psychogeographical element as vital part of my research for this project.

Looking outside, with a cell-phone in hand, I revisited the center and several adjacent neighborhoods in every direction, pondering on the contrasting aspects of the city: the vibrant Friday-night life and the elaborate Saturday-morning bell tower melodies, the Red Light district, the cultural scene, the gas fields, the suburban life beyond the center. I explored Eemshaven and its relationship to the city, its immense size and expanding tendencies, and back in the city I visited autonomous communities and liminal spaces facing gentrification.

Besides the big questions, I focused equally on the aesthetically surprising details, on the feast for the senses that every new environment is, and tried to capture the city and its surroundings through little mundane, unsung landmarks that will be celebrated and claim recognition in my subjective mapping.