How do residents of Utrecht experience heat in their own neighbourhoods? How can these personal experiences be visualised?
An exhibition at Neude Library brought together residents’ stories and climate data to explore how urban heat is experienced across Utrecht. Created as part of the Urban ReLeaf Utrecht Pop-up Community and Culture Lab, it transformed scientific findings and lived experiences into creative, accessible artworks that encouraged conversations about heat and climate adaptation.
The exhibition followed an open call launched in October, inviting artists, designers and creatives to interpret data collected throughout the Utrecht City Pilot. The commission sought proposals that connected the experiences of residents living in neighbourhoods with limited green space with the project’s research, creating new ways for people to engage with the challenges of urban heat.
The selected artists, social designers Martijn Aerts, Aniek Karina and Sebastiaan Buwalda, developed the collective proposal DATAdragers, combining residents’ stories, personal textiles and climate data into an interactive exploration of how heat is experienced across the city.
Listening to Lived Experiences
Over several months, the artists combined data from the Utrecht City Pilot with personal accounts of heat from approximately 50 residents. Rather than focusing only on measured temperatures, the project explored how people’s experiences of heat vary according to their homes, neighbourhoods and everyday lives.
This collaborative process formed the foundation of the exhibition, which opened at Neude Library on 11 July. During the opening, Martijn Aerts reflected on the diversity of people’s experiences, explaining that even individuals living in the same household could perceive the same temperature differently. By combining scientific data with personal stories, the exhibition offered a richer understanding of how urban heat affects everyday life.
From Data to Art
Sebastiaan Buwalda translated the project’s climate data into visualisations highlighting where heat was most intensely experienced across Utrecht. Alongside these visualisations, Aniek Karina and Martijn Aerts transformed residents’ stories into textile artworks displayed along a washing line, creating an installation that connected data with everyday experiences.
The exhibition was officially opened by Huib van Essen, Deputy for a Healthy Living Environment for the Province of Utrecht, and Suzanne Schilderman, Councillor for Public Space and Climate Adaptation for the Municipality of Utrecht. Together with the artists, they discussed the importance of addressing urban heat, improving quality of life and recognising the valuable role residents play in building knowledge about their local environment.
The opening brought together project partners, colleagues, representatives from the Utrecht Nature and Environment Federation (NMU), library staff, family members and members of the public. Throughout its run until the 23rd of July, visitors were invited to contribute their own memories, experiences and favourite places to stay cool or enjoy warm weather, allowing the installation to grow with stories from across the city.
More Than Just an Exhibition
Although the exhibition has now concluded, it demonstrated how citizen science and lived experience can deepen our understanding of climate data. By bringing together residents, artists and researchers, the Utrecht Pop-up Community and Culture Lab showed how creative collaboration can bridge scientific research and everyday experience, making complex environmental issues more accessible while supporting healthier, more climate-resilient cities.
Thank you to the Urban ReLeaf Utrecht team, Martijn Aerts, Aniek Karina, Sebastiaan Buwalda, Neude Library, Huib van Essen, Suzanne Schilderman, NMU, and all the residents and visitors who contributed their time, stories and perspectives to the project.