How green are your leaves: Nordstadtgalerie's winter campaign

"How green are your leaves" was the slogan for the 2021/22 winter campaign of the Nordstadtgalerie, the shop window and meeting point of the Fachhochschule Dortmund in Nordstadt. Elaborate installations illuminated the gallery's windows throughout December and January, while the Nordstadtgalerie(Opens in a new tab)  Instagram channel extended the campaign into digital space. The theme: the positive effect of green plants within your own four walls.

Observant residents of Dortmund's Nordstadt can set the clock by this: When the days get shorter and shorter in December, the Nordstadtgalerie makes a statement in its shop windows. The gallery team, which consists of students from the Faculty of Design(Opens in a new tab) , surprises the residents of Nordstadt with artistic and photographic activities. They invite people to linger, and in the afternoon and evening hours, the brightly lit windows literally send out rays of light.

The latest edition of the winter campaign was also influenced by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which is keeping us increasingly confined to our homes. Fresh, vibrant green plants can make a big difference here!

The event team led by Lennart Gruensel translated this guiding principle into three different plant worlds. "Green" living settings in a composition of real plants, typical furnishing items and printed canvases inspired visitors to recreate them. Between 5 and 10 pm, the windows and the green oases were bathed in warm light.

The "Grandma's living room" plant collection brought together native houseplants such as green lilies, ficus and orchids. Growing up with them, we now mainly associate them with nostalgic family memories from our childhood. They have stood up to all modern houseplants and have been cherished and cared for for generations. The result is graceful living settings with a sense of permanence.

Like the other rooms, Grandma's living room can be viewed and experienced from three perspectives: as an aesthetically composed work of art; as a documented reality of life for earlier generations and today's nostalgics; as an inspiration for what green living can look like and how it can succeed within your own four walls.

Let's be honest, shared flats are not necessarily a place of constant order and dutiful housekeeping.

Consequently, only the toughest can survive in this environment, which is unfriendly to plants: The unbreakable, which only develop their full potential when ignored. Succulents, which include cacti, store a lot of water within themselves; this enables them to grow even under difficult supply conditions.

It goes without saying that green grandees such as the "Queen of the Night" ultimately feel right at home in the shared room and can almost be something like organic expressions of certain types of residents.

During the pandemic, many people have discovered their passion for collecting plants. They welcome every new leaf in specially designed plant rooms. Many of the modern houseplants come from tropical regions, especially the arum family (including Monstera, Philodendron and Anthurium).

The plant room requires a lot of dedication, but rewards residents with their own green oasis. There are no limits to your own ingenuity. How about a bottle garden, for example?

The Nordstadtgalerie event team led by Lennart Gruensel is very pleased with the response to the winter campaign "How green are your leaves":

"We were able to counter the gray dreariness of everyday winter life with a green oasis for relaxation and would like to thank you for all the positive feedback we received in person. With a total reach of almost 5,000 digital visits, we have also made a digital contribution to the greening of our own four walls."