Border Post & Pierik

Border Post & Pierik is a community art project about borders, belonging and the places we call home. It takes place in the Pierik, my own neighbourhood in Zwolle. People who live here know when they are “on the Pierik”, even though its boundaries are largely invisible.

The project turns existing wooden street bollards along that boundary into decorative border posts. Inspired by the neighbourhood’s plant and flower street names, flowing lines come together in a design that celebrates difference, growth and connection. A leaf rises above each post like a small flag, while an emblem follows the neighbourhood’s shape on the map.

Together with residents, the idea is to celebrate by ceremonially opening the border: cutting a ribbon as an invitation to cross it.

Borders can offer a sense of safety and belonging. They can also keep people apart. By making this boundary visible, I invite people to consider the less visible borders in their own lives. Between neighbours, backgrounds, languages and ways of living. What do we share? Where do we draw the line? And what happens when we welcome someone across it?