Helen Anna Flanagan

For Publiek Park, Helen Anna Flanagan presented a video work that engaged with and reflected on the genius loci of Citadelpark and its layered social fabric, weaving together inventive dialogues with evocative audiovisual scenes. The inner spaces of the Poortgebouw, the only visible remnant of the original citadel, was opened to the public for the first time in years, following a long closure due to squatting disputes.

Swamps & Ponds takes loose inspiration from the speculative origins of a peasant community known as the Toxicophagi, who reportedly developed resistance to arsenic by ingesting it regularly. Arsenic, as a symbolic point of departure, opens a space to consider the power of invisible substances and systems, and the resilience of marginalised collectives. The film traces the effects of such unseen toxic forces on both environments and their inhabitants. It also resonates with contemporary debates on urban planning, while recalling the original vision for Citadelpark as a green, health-giving retreat for the bourgeoisie amid a rapidly industrialising and increasingly polluted city.