A GUIDE TO GUERRILLA GARDENING

We live in times where the loss and decline of green spaces is taking place daily; nature is forced to give way to new houses, parking lots, malls and whatever else humans can possibly think of. This of course drags along problems that we are all well aware of; the decline in the world's bee population, export and import of unripe fruit and global warming are only a few of them.

Guerrilla Gardening is a practice that serves as a form of protest against the loss of our green spaces, involving people from different backgrounds and strengthening the local community spirit through engagement in nature. It encourages people to go outside, find a desolate spot that has the potential to be green, plant something there and care for it. This mostly happens in public places where no legal rights to the land have been obtained, for example along walkways, in public parks or in desolate and unused public planters. Therefore, Guerrilla Gardening does not only serve as a communal urban activity, especially for people that do not own their own private gardening space, but it poses the questions of how far one can interfere with public places and how these spaces can be used more lucratively for both animals and humans alike. For example, is it not more beneficial to grow local wildflowers that will attract many bees and insects, instead of just grass? What about being out on a walk and noticing ripe juicy tomatoes growing along the walkway? Or an abundance of kitchen herbs that are ready for use? As humans we have the responsibility to care for this planet, and I believe a connection to growing food, herbs and beneficial flowers, as well as knowing your surroundings and learning to work with them, is a big step towards creating a greener future.
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A source of visual inspiration for the guide was the Voynich manuscript, an illustrated manuscript written in an unknown language during the 15th or 16th century. The intricate drawings and illustrations of botanical and human nature combined with mysterious texts made me think about a more contemporary approach, combining handwritten texts, drawings, actual objects and photographs into a visual guide on how to plant and care for your own urban Guerrilla Garden.