Based on research into the natural landscape and the design of the urban landscape of Amsterdam, Mariëlle Videler developed the installation 34.09 m². The number 34.09 refers to a green standard: the number of square meters of 'green space' that should be available per resident in Dutch towns and villages, to ensure quality of life, wellbeing and health (Nota Ruimte, VROM, 2004). Videler wanted to explore how she could relate — physically and personally — to this modest patch of ground.

In one of the small nature reserves in Amsterdam-Zuidoost, she harvested large stands of reed together with the volunteers of nature association De Ruige Hof. After drying the long reed stems, she studied the material's character and possibilities. Sketching with Indian ink, she explored the reed as a drawing tool, and the unpredictable, living lines that flow from it. This is how the idea emerged to visualize 34.09 m² through a mural composed of patterns that echo the weaving of plant fibers.