Bosk is a walking forest of more than a thousand trees, which took over the city centre of Leeuwarden for a hundred days in the summer of 2022. It began with an almost impossible plan, full of ambitious goals. From radical imagination to behavioural change, and from the mobilisation of social energy to strengthening the economic and creative climate in Fryslân. Residents and passers-by repeatedly moved the trees to their new location, resulting in Bosk covering a total distance of 3.5 kilometres. A successful cultural and educational programme emerged, for and by a whole range of people – including no less than 4,000 volunteers – and organisations. Bosk is part of cultural triennial Arcadia.

Bosk applies gentle yet firm pressure to make cities greener. Using groups of trees to outline a green area created a sense of meaning and then loss. A brilliant idea, yet unbelievably complex to achieve and to mobilise so many people and parties. The fact that this complexity is not immediately visible in the project is very impressive. The municipality of Leeuwarden committed in advance to giving the trees a permanent home. This is a nature-inclusive protest that everyone wants to embrace, with demonstrators you will love. The entire project is exemplary, with trees as the prominent protagonists. In which other cities and neighbourhoods should Bosk appear next?