Artist Susanne Luurs Creates Sensory Walking Route Along Reitdiep

Artist Susanne Luurs has developed a new walking route in Middag-Humsterland, Groningen, commissioned by Coöperatie Sterke Musea Groningen (CSM) for their Veldatlas project. The route, available from October via the Veldatlas app, starts at Museum Wierdenland in Ezinge and covers nine kilometers along the Reitdiep river, passing through farmland, wierden, and ditches. The walk takes about two and a half hours and includes stops at Allersmaborg and the lock at Aduarderzijl, with an option to take a ferry to Schaphalsterzijl or continue through Feerwerd back to Ezinge. Participants are guided by audio fragments on their phones, which instruct them to engage all senses—tasting local plant tea, touching water, and observing wildlife. The route also features a video performance by Luurs at specific locations. Luurs's practice, including her duo ZOLT with Debora Westra, explores human relationships with landscape, drawing on regional stories and the concept of 'reading' nature. She cites influences such as Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass and Li An Phoa's Drinkable Rivers, and references the 1969 closure of the Lauwerszee, which impacted the Reitdiep's salinity. The walk is designed as an exercise in embodied learning, contrasting with cognitive knowledge, and aims to foster a sense of connection and care for the landscape. Luurs's work was inspired by Klara Hosnedlová's exhibition 'Embrace' at Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, which she saw last year.