Industrial heritage, creative enterprises, art and culture, and the raw edge of former dock labour. This building on Scheepvaartstraat has everything that makes Deventer unique. Rotterdam illustrator and street artist I AM EELCO brought it all together beautifully in this mural, commissioned by Street Art Streets and Creative Event location PUNT, which are located in the building.
The mural is an ode to the characteristic Havenkwartier (Harbour Quarter), a place that in recent years has developed into a creative, mix-used hotbed, where hospitality, business and housing are combined with an active inner harbour. This specific Bodenloods[LB1] dates from 1958 and functioned as a warehouse where general cargo and packages were processed and transported to Amsterdam by inland waterway.
In his mural, Eelco brings together both the history and the contemporary function of the location, also leaving room for interpretation. The bird could allude to the creative breeding ground that this area has become. The boy by the tree might represent a former dock worker or someone who is now relaxing in the Havenkwartier. The woman next to the curious fox could be a skipper’s wife anxiously awaiting her husband's return. The cup of coffee, the cosy cat and the dots are easier to interpret: a reference to the quirky event location now located in the building.
Making of video:
https://youtu.be/cOd5LgJqjFIProject: #MuralPUNT
Artist: I AM EELCO
Location: PUNT, Scheepvaartstraat 7
Date: November 2019
Made possible by: Street Art Streets, Event location PUNT, Egbert.EGD, Mano Scherpbier