The heavily frequented pedestrian underpass near the ‘Schulzentrum’ in Kamp-Lintfort is getting a makeover: as part of their semester art project, students at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences will be painting over the bare concrete walls of the underpass with a colourful new mural. The theme of the mural, chosen by the project group of students Marija Piliponyt, Vera Baranets and Mohamed Diallo under the supervision of Professor Jörg Petri and Jana-Lina Berkenbusch, will be scenes from Kamp-Lintfort’s history. Appropriately titled “Color the bridge – History of Kamp-Lintfort”, the project represents a joint initiative of the city of Kamp-Lintfort and the study course Information and Communication Design (Faculty of Communcation and Environment). “Our goal is to make students more aware of the technical aspects of the design process: how do various aspects change, for example the amount of detail, colours or stroke technique, when an artist takes an illustration from the drawing board to the wall,” explained Petri and Berkenbusch. Professor Dr Christoph Landscheidt, mayor of Kamp-Lintfort, also spoke about the city’s decision to get involved with the project: “Projects of this nature showcase the efforts of both students and the University in the heart of the city and make them tangible for members of the public,” noted Kamp-Lintfort mayor Professor Dr Christoph Landscheidt when discussing the city’s decision to support the project.
As the title suggests, the students chose important aspects of Kamp-Lintfort’s history for their mural, including the colliery ‘Friedrich Heinrich’ and Isabella Clara Eugenia, who was regent of the Spanish Netherlands during the Thirty Years’ War and initiated the construction of the ambitious ‘Fossa Eugeniana’, or Spanish Rhine-Maas Canal, near Kamp-Lintfort.
The design and conceptual phase of the project began in May. The actual painting phase will begin in mid-July. This phase also gives residents the opportunity to stop by, watch the work-in-progress and learn more about the project.