“The Studio Zepa street artists pay tribute to the history of Enschede and some of its landmarks in this mural artwork.”
The Studio Zepa street artists pay tribute to the history of Enschede and some of its landmarks in this mural artwork. The artwork was painted for the city of Enschede, and was commissioned by Enschede Promotie.
In the 1960s, the textile industry was completely destroyed, at the cost of approximately 30,000 jobs. Most of the large factory complexes were demolished in the 1970s and 1980s , but a few were renovated and given a new purpose. For example, homes were built in the former Jannink and Van Heek factories. In addition, part of the Jannink complex was converted into
a museum . Enschede developed into a service city.
The mural artwork was painted with street artists spray paint and a mural coating was applied. The process took about one and half weeks to create.
Some of these landmarks include the water tower of the Yannick Factory Complex and the Great Church on the big market.
Enschede grew into the most important centre of textile production in the Netherlands. The population of the textile city increased fivefold between 1870 and 1900. Textile families such as Van Heek , Ter Kuile , Jannink , Blijdenstein , Tattersall & Holdsworth and Menko formed a powerful oligarchy that left a clear mark on urban society.
Textiles have left many traces, including in the form of very modern residential areas for that time. An important example of this is the Krim (1861), the first district built for workers that was neglected around 1900 and subsequently demolished around 1935. The garden village Pathmos (1924) and the district de Laares (1930) and a number of city parks are also examples of urban developments that were created by, or on the initiative of, textile manufacturers.
The city centre was revitalised from the 1980s onwards by the construction of a car-free city area and the filling of vacant industrial estates with homes, shopping centres and offices.
The street artists patterns in the artwork also represent different pieces of fabric.
The mural was also mentioned a few times in the local newspapers and online, you can see some of these here, and is a central artwork in the Enschede street art route:
https://www.uitinenschede.nl/streetart
https://www.uitinenschede.nl/routes/street-art-wandelroute
You can see more StudioZEPA projects and artworks in our portfolio here, or check our artists news section here.
This artwork in Enschede can be found along the street
Other sources of information this article include, but are not limited to, the following resources:
