Art as Development: Mechelen, Belgium for the Win with Wood!

Project Lead: Steefan De Croock and Mechelen Muurt

Mechelen Muurt is a Belgian project of city artists who decorate the city of Mechelen with their different styles of art. This is art as development at its finest. Although Mechelen Muurt have many artists and wonderful projects, which you can see on their website linked above, I want to highlight Steefan De Croock. The project, entitled Elsewhere is a wooden mural placed on the side of an old factory building in Mechelen. The video below, done by Mechelen Muurt, shows a little bit of the process of creating the mural.

While we commonly see beautifully done murals on buildings, it is rare to see murals made of anything other than paint. In Oakland there are murals made of tiles, but this is the first mural I’ve seen that is made of wood. This mural is massive, bold, and yet — seems to blend into the aesthetic of the building. An element of effective development is the idea of newness and modernity, while also blending into the already established landscape of the city or community. This mural does this seamlessly.

The mural is “made by piecing together discarded wooden planks, doors and furniture.” You can see more photos of the project here. This project took a building that was old and gave it new life through art, enhancing the visual culture of the neighborhood.