The Age of Forage

<p>How can our public outdoor spaces support degrowth?</p> <p>In the UK, The Countryside Right of Way Act (2000), campaigned for over a hundred years by The Ramblers, opened up vast swathes of private open countryside land to hikers travelling on foot.</p> <p>Scandinavian rights to land are older and more established, they shaped the outdoor culture of these countries. Hiking, foraging and exploring become ways of political manifestation in the face of rapid privatisation of land.</p> <p>The Age of Forage aims to raise awareness of the fruits of, and rights to, land. Foraging is a vehicle to remind us of the interdependencies between humans and nature and the systems which outflank the confines of commodification.</p> <p>In a system of degrowth we need to cultivate and support the rituals which give meaning to the common spaces and foster a collective responsibility for the land. How can our public outdoor spaces support degrowth, not only by reclaiming land but also by shaping civic attitudes against consumerism? The only thing needed to achieve self-reliance is a willingness and a little bit of knowledge.</p> <p>The Library at Oslo Architecture Triennale offers ‘Forager’s kits’ which invite the visitors to pick up a basket and explore the wilder areas of the city. The belief that there is space for wildness and chance in our increasingly efficient and controlled lives is at the heart of the project.</p>