Collaborative Writing Project – Delta Voices at the Island of Brienenoord

Rosanne van der Voet, lecturer in environmental humanities and urban studies at LU, and Joep Christenhusz, researcher at ArtEZ in theory in the arts, are working on a collaborative writing project that explores the voices of the Dutch delta that can be heard, seen and felt at the Eiland van Brienenoord (island of Brienenoord) in Rotterdam. With a shared interest in creative writing, acoustic ecology and creative-critical work that applies ecocritical theory in creative practice, we are interested in exploring experimental forms of narrating the polyphonic island voices consisting of various plants, animals, lichen and the human communities on the island.

The island emerged in the 19th century due to sandflats silting up in a curve of the river Meuse. The island lies below sea level and outside of the surrounding dykes, meaning it is exposed to weather conditions and the tides of the delta. Due to the widespread industrialization and urbanization of the Rotterdam area, its identity as a delta city is not always obvious. Yet at the island, the presence of the delta becomes tangible. Having been home to industry in the recent past, the island has been artificially rewilded over the past four years. Natural riverbanks have been brought back with the aim of redeveloping tidal ecosystems, inviting tide-dependent species such as the spindotterbloem,[1] freshwater mussels and sea bass back into the city. After its redevelopment, ‘nature was given the initiative to reclaim the island’. [2] The island is accessible to people by footpaths and is home to allotments and a cultural centre that functions as a ‘rehearsal space for the future.’[3]

We started off the project with a field trip to the island on a stormy day in December. A walk around the island served to enter a state of noticing and becoming aware of the many presences on the island and in the recently restored tidal ecosystem. Making sound recordings and taking photographs provided the first material for our project. We plan to return every season, taking detailed notes of the ecosystem, hopefully in collaboration with an ecologist. This will form the foundation for identifying the various voices and the forms of narration these invite, which will inform our writing project. We envision our theoretical context will consist of an applied ecocritical approach that relies on Anna Tsing’s notion of polyphonic landscapes, Stacy Alaimo’s concept of trans-corporeality and fabulation as a form of multispecies storytelling as theorized by Donna Haraway and Bruno Latour

[1] A type of marsh marigold only recognized in Flanders and the Netherlands. It has no specific name in English.

[2] Gemeente Rotterdam. “Getijdenpark Eiland Van Brienenoord”. Accessed 10 december 2024. https://www.rotterdam.nl/getijdenpark-eiland-van-brienenoord.

[3] Stichting Buitenplaats Brienenoord. “De Plek – Buitenplaats Brienenoord,” Accessed 10 december 2024. https://www.buitenplaatsbrienenoord.nl/categorie/de-plek/.