Intangible cultural heritage? What a load of rubbish….

There is a seemingly endless supply of intangible heritage and governments in particular seem keen to encourage this expansion. One of the latest initiatives comes from the Netherlands, where, as the Guardian has reported, poetry printed on the side of rubbish trucks has now been listed by the Dutch Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage. As they say on their website:

Poetry and garbage—two things that, at first glance, might not seem to have much to do with each other. Yet, for many people in Rotterdam, this has become the most natural thing in the world, thanks to the city’s garbage trucks, which have been driving around with a full-scale line of poetry displayed on them since the late 1980s. They have brought a moment of wonder to many a passerby.

Apparently, the (slowly) moving poems do have an effect on the city and its inhabitants, as one Rotterdam resident remarked:

My neighbor was once the city poet. But I have to admit that, for me—as a native of Rotterdam—his status as a poet was only truly cemented when I saw one of his poems go by on a garbage truck.

Hans Abelman, an artist who was also at the time Head of Visual Arts in the Public Realm in the city came up with the original idea, which was then picked up by Poetry International and the Rotterdam garbage collection company. We are used to seeing poetry displayed in public spaces, including the New York City subway and the London Underground. Poems on the Underground is celebrating its 40^th anniversary this week, while the US Poetry in Motion programme was founded in 1992.

Public poetry is therefore not that new or unusual, but when it comes plastered on the side of a rubbish truck it can still generate attention. In an increasingly competitive global urban system, such signs of distinction are much sought after. One of the best ways for cities to be distinctive, of course, is to utilise the element of surprise, which can be found in many aspects of the 'extraordinary everyday'.

Any ideas on what might be turned into intangible cultural heritage next?