Wietske Maas & Matteo Pasquinelli, “Manifesto of Urban Cannibalism”, in: Brigitte van der Sande (ed.), Food for the City: A Future for the Metropolis, Rotterdam: NAi, 2012.

Arts Holland, issue 1, 2012

Food for the City. A future for the Metropolis Edited by Brigitte van der Sande, NAi, Rotterdam, 2012

Bream and roach are two fishes that swim in cockaignian abundance in the city’s canals, lakes and Amstel river. They are the most common freshwater fish in Amsterdam though not many locals go to the trouble of eating them. This was rather different a few centuries ago when this fish was deemed perfectly acceptable for human consumption, especially during lent by the fasting multitudes.

50 guests oriented their appetites for an experimental dinner in Mediamatic bank as part of the exhibition Noord. The recipes were composed by Wietske Maas together with Sander Overeinder of restaurant As.

Maag als Kompas expedition invited dinner participants to become involved in the process of seeking, collecting and charting the urban victuals of Amsterdam Noord. This expedition and dinner (8-9 October) was realised in the framework of Noord exhibition by Mediamatic.

Clambering our way through the wet grasses and bogs of mud we take up our hunting positions. Camoflaging ourselves as dead tree stumps. Keeping very low and still with chin resting on the dew of the grass. We whisper. Michiel gives a duck call. Some minutes go by, maybe 10. A small gaggle of geese fly overhead. Then comes the pang of gunshot with pellets of hail bullet. A goose falling out of life, out of sky.

Bodem Kwaliteit Kaart (soil quality map), Gemeente Amsterdam

Irma Driessen, Tubelight, Gezien en Bevonden: Nature Vivant

A sidewalk snail farm set up in the former ABN Amro vitrines on the Vijzelstraat, Amsterdam as part of Mediamatic exhibition about Amsterdam Noord.

As part of an exhibition and a meal featuring the molluscan delicacies of Amsterdam North I am collecting as snails for a giant sidewalk snail farm in the former ABN Amro Bank vitrines on Vijzelstraat in preparation for the Mediamatic 'Noord' exhibition opening 10 September

Gastronomy is inextricably linked with travel and exploring new places and spaces. It is only through eating that we really get to know the place where we live or visit. Using food sources found only in Noord, Wietske Maas asks what could the edible genius loci be that orientates us through Amsterdam Noord?

Animals who call graveyard grounds home are considered a right plague by Amsterdam's cemetery clients.

Floor Tinga, online article: 'De Eetbare Stad', Ruimtezicht, August 2010.

The pea-like ripe linden nutlets of the linden (lime) tree Tilia x europaea, or other tilia species can be roasted and ground to a powder to make an instant coffee substitute, or even finer as a nutty flour for cakes, or eaten, roasted as they are

Mapping for Change is about defying and opposing existing structures. It decentralizes power, handing it back to individuals and allowing local communities to organize themselves autonomously. Alternative maps and visualizations are used to challenge and change official policy. They allow for multiple views and voices to live side by side.

In early spring, urban botanist Claud Biemans  (Floron Amsterdam), led plant aficionados on an early bird excursion through the giant Intratuin garden centre. Inside the store, Claud showed the source of the Amsterdam flora of the future: garden escapees.  These ‘escapees’ are plants that are constantly redistributed as they migrate beyond their ornamental confines and into the [...]

twighlight service Jeruzalemkerk Sunday, June 28th 2009 04:30h – 05:30h in the morning Jeruzalemchurch, Jan Maijenplein, Amsterdam Just before sunrise a ‘twilight service’ starts in the Jeruzalemchurch, in the light of undesirable plants in the church garden. artists: Annet Bult Christina Della Giustina Wietske Maas choirmaster: Maritta van Woudenberg choir: chorus Jeruzalemchurch organ: Hans Jutte vicar: Bas van der Graaf organisation: Foamlab http://fo.am prologue The ‘twilight service’ in the Jerusalemchurch in Amsterdam, which starts June 28th just before [...]

Artist, cook, researcher Henri Roquas has been exploring the relation between humans and cultural histories, and food diversity of the dutch archipelago through a series of experiemntal dinners that he hosts withon his East Amsterdam apartment

A supper for pathologic appetites held in the W.G kunst, a former sanatorium as part of the Wilhelmina Gasthuis hospital complex, Amsterdam.

A. Geurts, Oorlogs-kookboek [War cookbook], Roermond: Romen, 1940.

Geuzenveldgroen-Slotersnoek is a recipe for an Umwelt of urban ingredients caught and sourced in Geuzenveld-Slotermeer in Amsterdam West.

Plants grow on disused ground and fish abound in its canals: an urbanibalist adventure which sets out to fish, forage, cook and eat the flesh and flora that thrive in Amsterdam West.

Wietske Maas & Matteo Pasquinelli, “The City Devouring Itself: Urbanibalism in Times of World Wars, Insurgent Communes and Biopolitical Sieges”, in: J. Seijdel and L. Melis (eds), Open #18: 2030 - War Zone Amsterdam, Rotterdam: NAi Publishers, 2009

Six hours of casting the line, waiting, swapping stories and waiting again for the snoek to bite. Alas, no fish, but it was a beautiful day of being outside in the open, staring at the mercurial surface of the water, learning the tricks of the leisure fishermen and what, apparently the snoek like and don’t [...]

Thousands of thistles colonise the fallow zones of Amsterdam west. Yet these ‘plague plants’ are perfectly edible and delectable. Artist Wietske Maas and city botanist Claud Biemans invite you to join them on a thistle plucking expedition.

Domestic umwelt of albino Louisianna crayfish, saved from the pan and kept as kitchen pet.

A convivial service held at dawn on the 28 June 2009 at the Jeruzalem church, Amsterdam.

An expedition and convivium developed in cooperation with Wietske Maas, Sher Doruff, Matteo Pasquinelli, Rick Dolphijn and cook Sander Overeinder.

The menu for the convivium 'What's eating Amsterdam?' at As restaurant.

Fisherman Piet Ruyter took us out on his boat to check his traps in the waters behind Amsterdam central station.

An exploration through the streets and weeds of Amsterdam West.

Two exotic aquatic decapods have taken up residence in the posh precincts of Amsterdam's canals and waterways: the American red swamp crayfish and the Chinese mitten crab.

A conversation about earth from another planet 1000 years from now: do you remember that silver birch tree? — Anton Chekov, 1899.

Making a soda starter culture using Amsterdam Shepherd's purse roots instead of ginger root.

Urban Edibles, FoAM lab a growing map marking food sources in public space in and around Amsterdam.

To control its swan population, the Amsterdam city council would tattoo the black bills of cygnets with the insignia of Amsterdam: 3 Andreaskruizen

This inventory is an under-construction historical overview of survival techniques and sources of food that have been improvised and hunted in the urban environment under the extreme conditions of war.

A confection-making stand as part of City Sense, an event curated by Nat Muller at Garajistanbul.

Remco Daalder, Stadse Beesten, Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Bas Lubberhuizen, 2005.

Today we went on a goose hunt. Our hunting grounds were reached within 15 minutes by bicycle from the centre of Amsterdam.

Learning the art of hunting and a crash course in Dutch wildlife management on culling the surplus of swine and deer.

At Schiphol, birds and planes share the same airspace. Sometimes it goes wrong.

Pleegzuster bloedwijn, translated as 'Nurse's blood wine' is an age-old remedial drink given to alleviate stress, tuberculosis, or most commonly as a cure for aenemia. A drink to reinforce the blood.

In early summer, a diasporia of red flander's poppyies pop up everywhere along railway tracks and the outer edges of town. A syrup can be prepared from the scarlet flower petals.

In catching snails which one will cook oneself, one experiences the joy of a hunter who stalks his prey, anticipatory stew, and that of the fisherman casting his line, with matelote* before his mind's eye. — Alin Laubreaux, The Happy Glutton

The first ever urbanibalist dinner was held in Amsterdam in March 2007.

In Dutch 'trek' means having appetite, in English it's a long arduous journey, a migratory route.

Swans are sometimes deemed a plague in and around the Randstad in the Netherlands particularly when they flock to pastural zones and forage and gobble agricultural crops. On these occassions, farmers or council bureaucrats have called in hunters to cull a few to stave-off the rest and prevent further harvest damage…

Johan van Zoest & Martin Melchers, Leven in de Stad: Betekenis en toepassing van natuur in de stedelijke omgeving [Life in the city: senses of nature in the urban environment], Utrecht: KNNV uitgeverij, 2006

Martin Melchers & Geert Timmermans, Haring in het Ij, Amsterdam: Stadsuitgeverij, 1991.