Mural Co-Creation

February 2^nd 2013, Mural Day

February 2^nd marked the day when we, the MEG 7 students, held a mural session from 10:00 to 17:00 at Kartoffelmarkt, in Freiburg. The aim was to give a voice to the citizens of Freiburg and engage them into a creative dialogue on what it means to live sustainably in Freiburg. Passers-by were asked how they personally understood being green, and whether, on a personal level, they could identify any opportunities, limitations or pressures related to adopting green lifestyles in Freiburg. They were encouraged to express their ideas through drawing or writing on the mural.

The mural consisted of two large wooden walls with 3 provocative questions on them, meant to promote discussion: Is it an eco-tyranny? Is it an eco-paradise? What do you think? To help people reflect on and answer these questions, we provided them with brushes, markers and plenty of paint to use. Also, we had a map of Freiburg where people could identify issues which they considered important, and localize them on the map. Overall, the mural session can be regarded as a success - by lunchtime the front of the mural was full of diverse opinions. Throughout the day there was a constant stream of engaged citizens, and in the spirit of encouraging continued reflection, we encouraged participants to start painting back of the mural, which we hadn’t initially intended to paint. By the end of our session, many passers-by would stop to participate, without us having to approach them.

Outputs from the Mural Co-creation

Thus, numerous people participated in the mural session, presenting rich and diverse perspectives and experiences. Many citizens reflected on the benefits of living in a green city, including accessibility to transport and infrastructure that enables so-called green lifestyles. However, others reflected on limitations such as the cost of living in a green city, and what it means to be green versus greenwashing. Some pointed out that green opportunities like ‘Vaubanismus’ and ‘Wiehronismus’ are not financially accessible to everyone, and thus, eco-districts like Vauban are difficult to upscale.

Others reflected on the contradiction of having a sustainable lifestyle, but nevertheless having a high ecological footprint: “how does living a sustainable lifestyle go along with air travel every time we go on holiday?”, “the ecological footprint, this is what should be measured“.

Several participants questioned the possibility of living sustainably within the system we live in: “how is it even possible to live sustainably within this [capitalist] system?!”, “what kind of sustainability are we talking about when people are not social anymore [when they are looking at their cellphones]” and “we have lost a connection to the farmers”. Also, some suggested that “we need an holistic approach”, “it is not only about the environment”, and that “we need to preserve god’s creation: humans and nature”.

Other citizens identified problems such as increasing litter on the streets, the high price of public transportation, the noise during the night, the rudeness of cyclists, and the increasing housing prices. Also, it seems that Freiburg needs a re-connection of the environment and social dimensions.

Other outputs worth mentioning were:

- I love Freiburg

- More trees and f lowers!

- Fuck you Vauban

- Bike city? No! The No1 is Copenhagen.

- Nuclear Energy? Yes please!

- Go farm yourself

- Don’t eat animals

- Without cars is better

- Less cars!

- Bio=Trend

- Old vs. young