Lantis in Antwerp Builds Container Wall Showcasing Community Art

Antwerp (Eurotoday newspaper): Lantis built a 60-meter wall of sea containers on Merksemsestraat in Antwerp to block dust and noise from construction. Residents, including kids and seniors, painted it with the help of Rooftoptiger. Leentje De Bleser shared that the artwork reflects their dreams.

Behind the houses on Merksemsestraat in the Antwerp Dam area, Lantis has set up a 60-meter wall made of sea containers. This wall will keep dust and noise away from the neighbourhood for the next few years. Lantis has teamed up with the artist group Rooftoptiger before. For this project, residents, first-year students, seniors from Elegast VZW, and the Lantis team all helped paint the wall. Now, the community can enjoy a special art piece made by their hands.

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Leentje De Bleser shares that residents were asked about their wishes and dreams, which were then turned into art. Her kids, aged 2 and 6, wanted a tree house, and now they see a UFO-like tree house with a waving hand. People from India living nearby chose a coffee cup as their symbol of happiness. With three construction sites for the Oosterweel connection behind their homes, the container wall aims to make life better in the neighbourhood during the work.

According to Leentje, the new wall makes it a quieter downstairs, but there’s still noise upstairs. She hopes there will be less dust now that construction is going on. Even though the work will last another 10 years, she doesn’t want to move because she fixed up her house with her dad. She’s glad Lantis is trying to help with the problems of the construction. Lantis has also worked with Rooftoptiger to paint murals, like one on the bicycle bridge, which shows local stories and experiences.