PinkPonyExpress

Brood

2011-09-15T13:02:00.001-07:00

A flying loaf of bread with two wings means high prices.

Coprinus comatus

2011-09-14T03:38:00.000-07:00

The Pink Pony Express has arrived at our 3rd destination – Kolenkit, Amsterdam.

In Detroit where the local government has all but disappeared we visualized emerging social networks sprung from economic crisis.
In Heerlen we dug deep to reveal initiatives and networks operating freely from the local government – which is hijacking and institutionalizing them before they can stand up and walk on their own.
In the Kolenkit government is loving the alien by inserting artists that hopefully bring status and allure to the hood.. we'll see how we fit in.
The Pink Pony Express investigates and visualizes social structures that emerge from extreme urban conditions. We're looking for them. Are they associated with the smoking shoes on the barbeque, or the wild mushrooms?

Geschubde inktzwam soep
Een jonge geschubde inktzwam smaakt uitstekend, maar moet wel direct na het plukken verwerkt worden. De zwam is niet meer eetbaar wanneer vervloeiing of verkleuring optreedt.
Verwisseling kan voorkomen met de kale inktzwam (Coprinus atramentarius), die giftig is indien alcohol twee dagen voor of na consumptie wordt gebruikt.

Ingrediënten
-250gr inktzammen
-6dl groente bouilon,
-4dl room
-iets boter/olijf olie
-1 bos peterselie

Hulpmiddelen
Zeef of staafmixer
Voorbereiding
Ontsteel en was de zwammen
2dl room lobbig slaan

Bereidingswijze
Bak de zwammen 4a5 min
Pureer de zwammen of wrijf ze door een zeef
Voeg de bouillon toe laat dit 15 min zachtjes door koken (trekken)
Breng het op smaak met de peper en zout
Als laaste: 2 dl room toevoegen

Serveertips
De lobbige room verdelen over de 4 borden en bestrooi ze met ruim peterselie

Markings à raison 170.000 euro

2011-07-14T13:49:00.001-07:00

De Vrieheidenaren houden van honden; Bulldogs, rottweilers, pitbulls en herdershonden voor de veiligheid – grote honden. Chihuahua’s, terriers en bordercollies voor de gezelligheid – kleinen honden. Bullet, Luna, Ferry, Shaggy, Joep, Angel en Lady komen elke dag tegen op het veld in de Rozestraat. Net als hun eigenaren.

Wij waren geïnteresseerd in de gebruiksintensiteit van het veld. Hoeveel honden komen er? Hoeveel mensen? Daarom hebben wij besloten het achtergelaten bewijsmateriaal van het bezoek te markeren. Elk uitwerpsel is de representatie van een bezoek en toont daarmee de sociale potentie van het veld aan.

Na eindeloze tests om de juiste kleuren vast te stellen, hebben wij besloten de drollen te markeren met grote en kleine parapluus. Gele binnen het hek van de hondenuitlaat, groene voor erbuiten.

Fotograaf Mark Vaasse heeft het veld met zijn speciale ‘camera-op-een-hengel’ techniek vastgelegd.

Na calculatie bleek het veld een goudmijn te zijn. De waarde: 170.000 euro. Tweeduizend uitwerpselen keer 85 euro boete voor misplaatsing levert al snel bijna twee ton op.

Maar meer nog dan de financiële winst interesseert ons de ongerealiseerde potentie van dit (bewust aangelegde) publieke terrein. Nu gaan we met verborgen middelen à la minute inzoomen op het dagelijks gebruik van deze plek.

starwars, STOKVIS en strontvlieg

2011-07-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

We hebben het in ons onderzoek vaak over onzichtbare netwerken. Zie hier het luchtruim van Vrieheide. Het zijn de namen van de draadloze netwerken die in Vrieheide in de lucht hangen. De paswoorden buiten beschouwing gelaten.

Visite

2011-07-14T01:14:00.000-07:00

Pauze

2011-07-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

Het is in Vrieheide al meer dan een jaar vijf voor twee.

Meer dan 40 jaar lang gaf de klok de tijd aan in de buurt; scheidrechters floten er de voetbalwedstrijden op, de mensen wisten nog of ze zich moesten haasten of juist niet.
Velen kijken uit automatisme nog steeds omhoog, slechts om zich te realiseren dat de tijd niet meer loopt zoals deze liep.

Staat Vrieheide op pauze? Is deze klok een metafoor voor de toestand van Vrieheide, of is de geest van deze wijk weerbarstiger dan de materie?
En bovendien ¬– is het twee uur in de middag, of is het ’s nachts?

Barcelona Rambo II

2011-07-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

Everytime I see a pigeon I wonder how far it still has to fly

Ze ontmoeten in café de Roodhuid. Hier worden duiven gezet voor Bordeaux of Barcelona. Voor verre tochten. In busjes worden de duiven naar Frankrijk en Spanje gereden, vanwaar ze allemaal tegelijk losgelaten worden om de race naar het thuisfront te beginnen. Er wordt gespeeld om de eer en om de prijs - een smak geld.

Rond de duiven wordt volop gegokt. De hoofdprijs van de tocht uit Barcelona kan oplopen tot 150.000 euro. Je kan ook inzetten op de duiven. Dit recht is echter voorbehouden aan eigenaren die zelf ook duiven hebben vliegen.

Wil je als buitenstaander meedoen aan deze gok, dan zul je een duivenvriend bereid moeten vinden om geld op de één of andere duif in te zetten.
Sommige duiventelers vinden dit lastig, omdat ze dan het gewicht van een ongelukkige gok op de schouders moeten dragen.

Bij aankoop van een winstgevende duif moet je kijken naar de pupil en naar de duiven die op een oorspronkelijke manier vliegen. Een mooie naam is ook belangrijk. De gevederde vrienden luisteren naar namen als: Kamikaze, Goede Blauwe, De Bordeaux, De Marseille en Barcelona Rambo II.

Double Booking

2011-06-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

Pony Talks #2

2010-10-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

Soft data in Detroit, Preliminary findings in the new Wild West

The Pink Pony Express formed in 2009 to investigate the positive effects of population decline within the city of Detroit.A multitude of external conditions paved the way for the slow breakdown of infrastructure in Detroit, ranging from the almost total extinction of public transportation to the closing of supermarkets. These deconstructed conditions demanded strategies to ensure survival in a place which has become the new Wild West.

Throughout this landscape, barely detected networks are emerging.During the summer of 2010 The Pink Pony Express lived in Detroit; and set out to identify and map these evolving networks.

Please join us in the manege when we present a collection of projects plotting neighborhood revival, food distribution, opportunistic communication, and steam.

Thursday October 21
19:00
De Hollandsche Manege
Vondelstraat 140
1054 GT AMSTERDAM

On Wednesday the 28th of July the Pink Pony Express will say their goodbyes!

2010-07-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

Giving back to Rome

2010-07-27T14:36:00.000-07:00

Detroit receives a lot of international attention; and at the moment, it is receiving a lot of attention from abroad (us included). We've been thinking and talking about why this is. Historically, artists are drawn to places that have bottomed out, economically. It is cheap to work in these places and easier to avoid arranging permits and permission. This is certainly the case in Detroit.
Our initial purpose in coming here was to conduct research. It is also, specifically, for what we received funding to do. Perhaps our home country alloted these funds because shrinkage will plague Holland, and the country is seeking a mild sense of preparedness. Regardless, now that we are (all) here, in addition to realizing our personal projects and professional goals, we are faced with question of 'giving back'.

When we met our good friend Wesley he described this phenomena as follows:
'When you go to other places, say, like Rome, you don't ask yourself, what do I have to give back to Rome'.

Why then, do we feel obligated to carry out this task here, in Detroit? When did pure observation, and project making, also extend to serving the greater good by 'giving back'?

For the first time since we've been working in Detroit we were accused of 'hit and run'. This term describes people that come to Detroit, and do not give back. Because giving back was always an integral part of our project, we were surprised to find ourselves suddenly tagged as non-givers. Our accuser was an 84 year old grandma.

Giving back to Rome / part 2

2010-07-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

The still life fruits and vegetables were returned to the Peaches and Greens circuit, by making pies for them at their store location on 3rd street, and donating them to people shopping at their store.

Expanding the radius

2010-07-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

'If Detroit is to be saved it will be by it's churches.'

Cornucopia

2010-07-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

To translate the collected data from the Peaches & Greens routes into more than just a map showing the basic selling and the route, we made a still life tableau of all the produce sold on one day, being around 180 pieces of fruits and vegetables. To collect all the ingredients we had to stop by the produce terminal early in the morning for the larger amounts, and to fill up the gaps we paid a visit to eastern market and to a grocery store further out of town.

(thanks to Garrett for taking the still life photo and for getting up early in the morning)

What up tho?

2010-07-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

Combining a visit to a Detroit Tigers game with interviewing some supporters there we came upon some interesting answers to the question "can you tell us something good about Detroit, in opposition to all the bad news?"

Listen for yourselves:

The Truck

2010-07-18T15:11:00.001-07:00

On July 7th and July 8th we joined the Peaches and Greens' Produce Truck, which covers the surroundings of Higland Park area. The truck reaches out to liquor stores, to senior centers—where they set up their produce like a market stand, and equally important, it sells products to people on the streets. We basically joined them on the roads, mapping what, where, and to whom was sold.

The truck driver—Marvin—grew up around Maine Street/McNichols, and therefore knows a lot of people on his route, which makes the job a real social business. Sometimes he makes a special stop to do visit an old lady that barely just because he knows her. And because she might want some grocery.
One of their most selling items, considering it being summer of course, are the watermelon (sliced and packed in a plastic cup, comes with a fork) and the peaches. One man bought some vegetables: a broccoli, some tomatoes and an onion, to make a salad.

As the flyer in their store says: "The MI Neighborhood Food Movers Will Come to You!" Similar initiatives are F.O.O.D. Field Of Our Dreams and UpSouth Foods. (www.michigan.gov/foodmovers). What Peaches & Greens does is enrich a neighborhood with access to their produce, for a fair price, with little means.

Call for a Greater Detroit—A cross-denominational invitation to all Detroit churches

2010-07-17T17:27:00.001-07:00

'If Detroit is to be saved it will be by it's churches.'

BOOST the city's spirit by displaying a message of OPTIMISM on your outdoor message board, featuring the word DETROIT.
The content of your message is up to you; we ask you kindly to focus on POSITIVITY, and to utilize the word DETROIT.

If you are missing letters for your desired message, we will purchase them for you. We will supply the word DETROIT (removable vinyl letters) which we will deliver to your location, and help install.
If you would like, we will also assist you with developing and fine tuning your personal message.

The more congregations that participate in this project the stronger the message! So, let's unite to reach everybody that drives, walks or bikes through the city of Detroit! Let us flood the city with strong messages of OPTIMISM that reach and speak to us all!

Pastors and churches currently posting messages:
Pastor Henry Covington - I Am My Brothers Keeper
Pastors Ray and Toni Anderson - House of Help Community Center (see picture below)
Chaplain Kathy Ann Wuopio
Pastor Diane Chapelle - Ruth Chapel

GREATER DETROIT#2

2010-07-13T05:17:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning. We shuffle through the back door of the Ruth Chapel. We've been invited to join Sunday morning service by Pastor Diane Chapelle, who is participating in our project, Greater Detroit. Pastor Diane's wisdom permeated the small, warm church; and her sermon about rebirth and resurrection was awesome.
Like every Sunday, worship began with a 'banner ministry'.

Sunday Morning from Pink Pony Express on Vimeo.

Sunday afternoon. We've been invited to discuss our project, Greater Detroit, on Pastor Kathy's weekly radio broadcast Finding Your Destiny. Since we were first-timers, we were relived to hear (according to Pastor Kathy) Jesus was protecting the air-waves. Our conversation touched on different aspects of our work in Detroit, including organizing tomatoes with the Black Community Food Security Network, mapping Farnsworth Street, and growth as progress.

We deliver for you

2010-07-06T10:40:00.001-07:00

There are about three different ice cream trucks circling the neighborhood at any given moment, pushing soft ice to all ages. In order to entice people to get up and out to buy an ice cream, the drivers broadcast a sticky tune from their car.

Imagine this same car, but instead of selling soft ice, it sells fresh fruits and vegetables. This is an initiative introduced by CDC (Central Detroit Christian), called Peaches & Greens. Alongside thieir produce truck, they run store, close to Hamtramck, that sells food at low prices.

The city of Detroit covers 144 square acres, including a total of 39 grocery stores. At less than a million inhabitants this means that each grocery store serves—or should serve—22,000 people. Nevertheless, 92% of food stamp recipients go to the gas station and/or liquor store to buy their food, which is not the most fresh and nutritious option one can imagine.

With this in mind, Peaches & Greens launched their store in 2008. It took some time to convince the city of it's commercial value, and secure a license for their business (since normal commercial licenses were mostly handed out to people opening a liquor store or strip club).

They immediately replaced the bulletproof glass facing the street, sending a clear message to the neighborhood. Their truck delivers food within a two mile radius of the shop; stopping at senior houses, and selling to the streets. When stock runs out, it can easily return to the shop and take some more produce back on out.
25% of the clientele are kids, coming out for the exotic taste of apples and oranges.

50% of families living in downtown Detroit don't have a car, or any other form of transportation to facilitate the drive to healthy food. Considering this, we rank Peaches & Greens as a modern day Pony Express; only instead of bringing the mail, they bring nutritious foods to 'food desert' downtown.

This Wednesday and Thursday we will be riding with the produce truck hoping to learn some more.

Pink Pony Express live on the air

2010-07-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, July 11th at 3:00 pm, tune into Pastor Kathy Ann Wuopio's radio station!
We will be speaking about GREATER DETROIT, a collaboration between Detroit pastors and the Pink Pony Express.
Listen Online:
www.am1500wlqv.com

our hostess, pastor Kathy Ann Wuopio

GREATER DETROIT

2010-07-03T16:20:00.000-07:00

Some churches put up messages, on outdoor letter-display boards, that are so remarkable they make you stall your car right then and there. The holy spirit must be with us, because we haven't crashed yet!

Throughout the last few weeks we've assembled a great collection of outdoor messages from churches all over town. Simultaneously, we initiated conversations with several pastors about their ties to Detroit, and opened a dialogue discussing how they are connected to Detroit life.
The variety of connections is really fantastic, spanning rental blowup castles to collaborations with city council, and the local police force.

Last Wednesday, we had a great meeting with about ten pastors, with whom we are embarking on a collaboration to boost the city's weary image, and that of all it's people.
Obviously, we feel blessed to work together with them.

Is it Coleman Young's angry spirit or is it the Ninja Turtles smoking weed with Splinter?

2010-06-24T18:42:00.000-07:00

We've been intrigued by the ever-present clouds of steam coming out of pipes and manholes.
Detroit's incinerator—one of the cities most controversial buildings - leaks out excess heat steam from its underground pipes.

The system turns waste into electricity and steam.
It also turns out 25 tons of hazardous air pollutants annually plus 1800 tons of other pollutants including sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, mercury and lead.

As the result of a bad financial deal between the city's administration on the one hand and two financial holding companies (one affiliated with Philip Morris tobacco, one with Aviation Services) on the other, the city is also paying the incredible amount of $125 per ton to burn their trash, compared to $25 if it would be stored as landfill. The good news is that by 2009/10 the bonds will have been paid off, so the costs for the city to use the incinerator would drop drastically.

Today there will be a protest at the incinerator to close it.
Will that happen, nobody knows.

Until then, we're onto the steam, we already let up a balloon, cooked one egg -sunny side up, and boiled another one. They tasted just fine. In the near future we'll test roasted potatoes. And we might set up a dry-cleaners'.

Tribute to Jan R.

2010-06-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

Follow our jog

2010-06-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

View Detroit Pink Pony Express in a larger map

Drawing on Farnsworth Street #2

2010-06-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days, we've been entangled in placing the three-dimensional 'group map' above the street. This group map is based on our earlier collaboration with the neighbors; who we asked to draw their personal connections to each other on smaller, individual maps. The results have been welcomed by residents, and people from surrounding blocks.

We tied 20.000 feet of string (6 colors) to the houses, each color of string representing a specific connection that exists between neighbors. On this street, each house has approximately twenty-five individual connections traveling to the other neighbor's houses. We used trees as 'routers' and 'hubs' to direct longer lines.

Mapping the connections between neighbors successfully tapped into both the history, and patterns outlining social interaction, on Farnsworth Street. It also directly affected residents, who realized just how closely knit their community is. They engaged in conversations by tracing their personal routes along Farnsworth Street, and spontaneously started explaining the installation to passers-by.

This type of mapping can be used as a tool in an unknown neighborhood to reveal connections that provide social structure and information. It is a method that involves each resident, on a personal level, as well as focusing on the collective whole. The three-dimensional installation itself provides a temporary, tangible image of these, mostly subconscious, connections.

Soon, we will cut the map down. It was our first step toward exploring social-residential structures, and neighborhood regeneration in shrinking cities. A lot of ideas are spreading about what to do with the leftover string, including making a giant ball, knitting a sheath for a new ethernet hub or composting it.
We're open to suggestions!

Drawing on Farnsworth Street #1

2010-06-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

We are interested in the ongoing re-habitation of Detroit neighborhoods, and the factors that contribute to the development and sticking power of new communities. Property in East Detroit is virtually valueless. Investing in real estate here is as sound as the houses themselves. No one is interested in demolishing and erecting new houses on this land, because most people do not want to live here. Most people.

Throughout the city, small, independent communities are flourishing. We started calling them ‘pockets’. Farnsworth Street is a primary, and perhaps the most popular, example of a pocket community.
All the houses on this street are re-claimed, instead of newly built. It seems that here, social structures are more important than physical ones.

The Farnsworth Street community started twenty years ago, and has grown enormously within the last two years. Here, the patterns of social-interaction have been essential for regenerating and establishing a thriving street, within a shrinking landscape. We were curious if Farnsworth Street could be used as a model to study how small-scale social interaction contributes to re-building a city.

To discover how a neighborhood like this one continues building itself we hosted a mapping session (disguised as a BBQ). We asked everybody, one by one, to draw their connections, to each other, on a street map. We used color-coded markers to identify different types of information describing the origin and length of their acquaintances. Additional questions detailed their personal background, and whether or not they are homeowners or property investors.

This week, we’re using the personal maps everyone made to create a three-dimensional group map. The trunk of our rental car is filled with thirty-six kilometers of string, which we’ll use to visualize the connections, in the street. It may just be the only new structure to materialize on Farnsworth Street in the last twenty years.

2010-06-10T18:56:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we will be having a barbeque for the neighborhood --->

Mowing Detroit

2010-06-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

‘When the grass is chest high, how are you supposed to feel good?’
- Detroit resident Pam Weinstein

Since we’ve been here we can’t help but notice the intense lawn mowing taking place on Farnsworth Street and around our neighborhood. Rows of dilapidated and burned out houses regularly dominate fields of well maintained lawns and freshly trimmed city sidewalks.

‘Curb appeal’ is a proven force when it comes to attracting new residents. Neatly manicured lawns boost the local economy by enticing potential home-buyers.
But here in downtown Detroit, where whites and blacks alike continue fleeing in great numbers, the value of mowing the lawns seems purely psychological. A commitment to simple landscaping boosts moral.

We’ve observed different degrees of maintenance ranging from manicure-level nail clipping to informal community gardens. Now and then, an overgrown lot turns up full of wheat swaying in the wind. More goal-oriented projects, like the Catherine Ferguson Academy, have reclaimed the grasslands for socially responsible farming; and are using it to teach a new generation the value of cultivation.

In a city where the man-made infrastructure is crumbling, it seems people rely on nature, and their ability to regulate it, to provide a sense of hope and security.

This spring the city began cutting back on cutting grass. Budget cuts proposed by the City Council affecting ground maintenance have turned mowing the lawn into an economic and political discussion. Local, and even non-local residents, appear undeterred. Recently we encountered a group of former Farnsworth Street residents weeding a church parking lot. They travel a half hour by car, once a month, to insure a fifty square meter block of pavement remains black.

Since 2009, the city of Utrecht (NL) has been using sheep to maintain city lawns. This is nothing new. Sheep have proven themselves to be an efficient and reliable solution for trimming the grass growing around farmland and rugged terrain for centuries. Perhaps the Detroit City Council could be persuaded to adopt this low-budget, fuel-friendly solution. There are certainly enough local farming initiatives to support and care for a few herds of hungry sheep around town.

Neighborhood associations are calling on the City Council to reconsider the budget cuts affecting city-wide mowing. On June 2, Mayor Bing’s office announced a veto of the proposed changes affecting the General Services Department.

Headquarters

2010-06-03T06:29:00.001-07:00

Arrival / Car Rental

2010-06-03T06:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after an eleven and a half hour journey, we arrived in balmy Detroit!
Upon our arrival, we inquired as to the best way to reach downtown Detroit using public transportation. The man at the counter stared back at us blankly.
'There is no public transportation into Detroit.'

Luckily, we could rent a car to complete our journey; in true style, with a complimentary mid-size upgrade.
Reporting live from 3393 Farnsworth, PPE

Pony Talks #1

2010-04-19T06:01:00.001-07:00

Pony Talks #1

2010-04-19T05:55:00.001-07:00

Background

2010-04-13T11:23:00.001-07:00

The Pink Pony Express was formed in 2009 to investigate the positive effects of population decline within the city of Detroit, USA. Twenty percent of the postal addresses in Detroit are empty; this is equal to twice the size of Manhattan. Our mission is to map small social initiatives which have arisen throughout this shrinking city. We name the valuable information attached to these types of initiatives 'soft data'. Soft data is a key component to the future evolution of the city of Detroit.

Shrinking
We've been led to believe that growth = progress. The Pink Pony Express thinks otherwise, namely, shrinking = progress.
With this vision as our starting point, were setting out to map the innovative ways in which local citizens are developing their own means of dealing with the current crisis.
Up until now, most studies conducted in Detroit have focused on the negative components of the economic downturn. Paradoxically, our investigation aims to shed light on the positive, otherwise unexplored, social initiatives, which have arisen throughout the city in an attempt to cope with extreme circumstances.

Hitchhiking with the post
'The neighbourhood where I lived as a child, where for decades orderly rows of sturdy brick homes lined each block, is now the urban equivalent of a boxer’s mouth, more gaps than teeth.'

Beginning in June 2010, the PPE will utilize the postal routes throughout downtown Detroit as a 'mother-ship'. The postmen and postwomen are our key to the community, and our guides along the oldest network in the city. In principle, the postal routes are a 'neutral' network which reaches all the residents in the city. Our investigation will focus on the literal gaps in the network, and the uncharted social activity blooming in these seemingly abandoned spaces.

Hard Data vs. Soft Data
A plethora of research has been generated highlighting dwindling population densities, and rapidly increasing poverty, vacancy and unemployment rates in Detroit. We label this type of traditional statistical information Hard Data. Even though Hard Data can prove analytically useful, it often contributes to the negative and hopeless image of Detroit; and doesn't take into consideration some of the most important, and nuanced information regarding activity within the city.
The PPE focuses on Soft Data: independent small scale actions which contribute to, and result directly from, the municipality itself, often realized via untraditional means.

The Pony Express

2010-04-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

The PPE is a reference to the original Pony Express, conceived in The United States of America. The arrival of the Pony Express (nothing more than a man on horseback) signaled a new era of communication between the then isolated Eastern and Western regions of The United States. These pioneers bore the inception of one of the oldest and most important networks in the country: The United States Postal Service.
Ironically, modern day Detroit resembles the 'Wild West' of yesteryear; an isolated landscape, yet full of great potential.