Museum Prinsenhof Delft is going public this summer with the socio-cultural institution CANIDREAM, renowned street artist BEYOND and local residents to create a mural in Delft’s Buitenhof district.

BEYOND will be inspired by both museum objects and the stories of local residents on themes such as family, friendship, nature, freedom and safety. The mural is part of the long-term co-creation programme de Delftse Blik, the NOBIS Community Art project and the national project Museum Murals.

Gathering stories

During an Iftar at Buitengewoon community centre and a tour of the Buitenhof neighbourhood, over 70 local residents answered the question ‘What do you cherish?’. For this group with a wide diversity of cultural backgrounds – from Iranian and Surinamese to Turkish and Somali – family, friendship, nature, freedom and safety are central. The museum selected unique objects from its collection to further discuss these topics with the people of Delft and BEYOND.

For participant Helen Smees, the 18th-century Delft White and the Pike Terrines were where all the stories came together. ‘Sharing our personal stories about celebration, family and food created connection. We got to know and understand each other better. Then you see that it doesn’t matter whatever your culture or origin’.

At the apology of William of Orange, participants dwelled on the topic of freedom. People talked about who themselves had ever rebelled for their own freedom. There was recognition among each other and participants concluded that standing up for your freedom is of all times and that history repeats itself over and over again.

Inspired and impressed by the conversations, BEYOND will now set to work to visualise the collected stories on one of the flats in Delft’s Buitenhof district. The realisation will take place this summer.

Street artist BEYOND

Roelof Schierbeek (1983, The Hague), better known as BEYOND, impresses worldwide with his murals. His unique style balances between abstraction and realism, giving his work a special appeal. With his latest painting in Delft, he secured a place at the top of international street art. Now he returns to Delft for this special collaboration with Museum Prinsenhof Delft and CANIDREAM.

The Delft View

With the multi-year programme De Delftse Blik, Museum Prinsenhof Delft works with various communities from the city on exhibitions, tours and other activities. On Sunday 30 June, the ceramic artwork Monutotam, created by Yuro Moniz in co-creation with citizens of Delft, will be unveiled in the museum. On Monday 1 July, during Keti Koti, Museum Prinsenhof Delft will open its doors specially and offer a number of guided tours made in collaboration with descendants of the colonial past. On Friday 5 July, the travelling exhibition ‘De Delftse Blik op je veilig voelen’ will open in the afternoon in shopping centre De Hoven.

CANIDREAM

CANIDREAM is a socio-cultural institution that increases the resilience and resilience of young people in vulnerable teenage years through sports, art and culture, among other things. As initiator of the NOBIS Community Art project, the organisation aims to beautify and connect Delft’s Buitenhof and communicate its identity to the outside world through artworks. The cooperation with Museum Prinsenhof Delft and BEYOND concerns the third NOBIS project and further shapes the cluster of beautiful murals enriching the Gillis neighbourhood.