Groninger Prospect, a Panorama of the Future
Dirk-Jan Visser and Gus Drake
'Groninger Prospect, a Panorama of the Future' is a multimedia exhibition in which six Groningers share perspectives on the future. Groningen is more than just earthquakes, Groningen is home to people working on interesting, inspiring and innovative initiatives to future-proof the landscape and the community.
The problems regarding the natural gas extraction in Groningen have long been a distant memory for The Hague and the rest of the Netherlands. Until the crisis became so apparent that in recent years, it finally claimed the deserved attention of politicians and the media. At the end of February 2023, the parliamentary committee on natural gas extraction Groningen will issue its final report. Much needs to be restored, both physically and in trust and administrative relations. But now is also the time to start looking forward again.
‘Groninger Prospect, a Panorama of the Future’ features six video portraits with photographic images of the Groningen landscape, its people, personal suffering as a result of the earthquakes and impressions of possible future scenarios. In these video portraits, six different people share their experiences and insights into the problems caused by gas production, talk about what Groningen means to them, talk about their experience with damage control, express their disappointment at the lack of trust, make suggestions from personal experience and share their dreams for the future of Groningen.
In the video portraits, the six interviewees address the audience directly. They complement each other, they sometimes contradict each other and it turns out that not everyone agrees with each other. It is clear that ‘THE Groninger’ does not exist. The communities in Groningen are diverse and made up of individuals who all deal with what the earthquakes have brought in an individual way. In any case, it is clear from all the conversations that the earthquakes are not the problem, the problem is how the consequences are dealt with.
Renewed Energy
‘Groninger Prospect, a Panorama of the Future’ is a Noorderlicht production performed by Dirk-Jan Visser and Gus Drake. This exhibition is part of the multi-year project Renewed Energy, a multi-year cooperation between BPD Cultuurfonds and Noorderlicht (2021 – 2024). The full programme of Renewed Energy for 2023 will be announced in February.
It will include a publication by writer and journalist Auke Hulst, known for the book Kinderen van het ruige land, on the alternative history of the area around Slochteren. There will also be activities at Noorderlicht Photo Festival, which this year has the theme REGENERATE and addresses the increasing pressure of huge global challenges in their impact on our coexistence.