Not so idle youth

This is a photo of a group of Dutch youths leaning against the wall of their families apartments in the Den Haag's Schilderswijk. I shot this photo during my research into this neighbourhood for a food-systems related project, Foodscape Schilderswijk.
Photo taken on the Schilderswijk Vaillantlaan during Foodscape Schilderswijk research and inventory. These young men aren't actually idle, they're just chatting. The one on the far leftt is studying…

Is it possible to correct the notion that occupation and use of the public space is not an act of aggression?

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  • A comfortable presence in the public space is something I look for when identifying people that might be interesting collaborators. I see this presence as a tremendous opportunity.
  • For the 2 images above, I specifically asked the guys to behave like hang jeugd, like idle youth. So they hid their faces from the camera.
  • The guys' images were used in collages like this one which show how the installation of public flatbread irons might be a good addition to the squares and sidewalks. People that are successful in the public space might be interested in different forms of