IHS, together with Leiden University and TU Delft, has been awarded funding from the LDE Climate and Biodiversity Seed Fund 2026 for the project “Reimagining Urban Nature Through Art: Creative Journeys Across Dutch Landscapes.” The initiative explores how creative practice and scientific inquiry can work together to rebuild human-nature connections in the context of climate change and biodiversity loss, while strengthening education, research, and community engagement.
Reconnecting people & urban ecosystems through art
As urbanisation, climate change, and biodiversity loss increasingly distance people from everyday experiences of nature, this project seeks to help repair those connections. It brings together professionals, students, and young people to explore their relationships with local environments in Dutch cities - including rivers, forests, and coastal zones.
Across three tailored creative workshops per group, participants will engage in art–science practices that combine visual arts, storytelling, and other expressive methods with small-scale ecological exploration. Activities may include foraging local plants, carrying out mini biodiversity surveys, or documenting observations of urban flora and fauna. Guided by artists and researchers, participants will translate these encounters into individual and collective artworks that reflect how they experience the “more-than-human” world of their cities.
Sharing stories of nature across communities
The project will culminate in a cross-community art–science event and public exhibition, where the co-created works are shared with wider audiences. These outputs aim to spark dialogue about environmental change and invite reflection on a guiding question: How might we reimagine our place within the more-than-human world of our cities?
Beyond the exhibition, the project will produce documented, shareable workshop formats and creative educational materials. These resources will be integrated into university teaching, outreach activities, and community climate and biodiversity education.
Combining emotional, sensory, and cultural engagement with ecological knowledge supports deeper environmental awareness and a stronger sense of belonging to local ecosystems.
A network for future climate and biodiversity action
The project is rooted in strong interdisciplinary collaboration. IHS contributes expertise in nature-based solutions, community engagement, and co-creation. Partners at Leiden University add creative-critical and ecological research perspectives, while TU Delft’s Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment connects design, sustainable architecture, and urban resilience. Artist partners Sunjoo Lee and Rafael Martig bring experience at the intersection of art, ecology, and community, and societal partner Buitenplaats Brienenoord provides a unique space where nature, art, and social interaction meet.
Together, the consortium is building a growing transdisciplinary art–science network. The pilot serves as a proof of concept for larger initiatives, and will generate empirical insights and creative outputs that inform future research, publications, and collaborations at the climate–biodiversity nexus.
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This project is led at IHS by Elena Marie Enseñado, Charmae Pyl Wissink-Nercua, and Abbie Kristine Arcena, who bring expertise in nature-based solutions, community engagement, and co-creative approaches to climate and biodiversity challenges. Their work at IHS focuses on connecting research, education, and practice to support more inclusive and sustainable urban transitions.
