Fourth edition David Bade draws down Heerlen
David Bade visited Heerlen for a fourth period between 29 June and 10 July 2015 for his David Bade draws down Heerlen project. Residents in Beersdal and Rennemig entered into dialogue with Bade about how to create a work of art on the boundary line between the two communities.
Return to Beersdal - Rennemig
It was in October 2014, armed with brushes, paint and easel, that artist David visited the Heerlen neighbourhoods of Beersdal and Rennemig for the first time. The latter is a former mining community and the former a housing project built in the 1980s. These two neighbourhoods were merged to form one administrative district within the city. Bade made acquaintance with local residents, aimed at discovering what really made them tick. The contacts he established and his findings about life in the neighbourhoods provided the basis for ten new works of art. The lively conversations with residents and the completely different characters of the two neighbourhoods prompted Bade to return to Beersdal and Rennemig, so that he could this time create nothing less than a permanent work.
In the summer of 2015, residents were challenged to help David Bade devise a plan for a permanent work of art which reflected the identity, history, future and experiences of the district(s) and the residents. In his open studio, residents were welcome to look, talk, even influence his work and actually help make portraits themselves. Under the watchful eye of Bade, the contact between the two distinct neighbourhoods determined the production process. Eventually, a physical work of art was created: a contemporary relief in which the DNA of the two neighbourhoods, as part of the growing David Bade draws down Heerlen collection, gradually became visible. As part of Heerlen’s ‘collection on location’, this work of art serves as a landmark for the area.
The history of the mining communities and the former coalmining terrain, juxtaposed with the modernity of the new estate was alluded to in M2015, the Year of the Mines, initiated by SCHUNCK and other partners that same year. In addition to the nostalgia and pride in this history, this moment provided the perfect platform on which a road map could be charted for the future of the neighbourhood and its residents.
Installation
The completion and the installation of the work of art took place in the late summer of 2016. See the result here.