P R E S S  R E L E A S E

Heerlen, July 7, 2021

Residential building Aurora becomes the largest mural in Europe

Art project Aurora Heerlen started

A festive gathering for residents and artists on Sunday July 4 marked the start of the art project. Although a year later than planned, it is now finally possible to start realizing the design chosen by the residents for their residential building. A project in which residents work side by side with the artists on a new Aurora.

Join BoaMistura

Large and small, you will come across forms of street art everywhere in Heerlen. Not just to beautify the city. Especially because art connects. And that is exactly what the Spanish artist collective BoaMistura is committed to worldwide: art as inspiration for change with active residents as an important starting point. So, it’s no surprise that Wonen Limburg, owner of the 228-apartment residential building in the GMS district, worked out the idea from the Street Art Foundation to make Aurora a building to be proud of.

A new dawn

BoaMistura was inspired in her design by the name ‘Aurora’, the Roman goddess of the dawn. But the real inspiration came from the place, the history of the city and the stories and experiences of the residents. The Aurora complex symbolizes a society where people participate, are activated, and valued. Where it doesn’t matter who they are, where they come from, what they do or what they don’t do. That is why the text “At the heart of every winter lives a quivering spring” which is affixed to the building not only speaks for the Aurora complex, but for all areas in the Parkstad region where residents need to be helped and activated. Residents thought this was a nice symbol for the new start of the Aurora building. “You can already notice that things are changing in Aurora. People are curious, come out and have a chat with each other. That alone is great!” says Noortje, an active member of the residents’ committee.

Proud of my neighborhood

The inhabitant of Aurora cannot be lumped under one denominator. With a population of over 400 people, it is a village in itself. They have their home here from all over the world and from various backgrounds. “When I say in a conversation that I live in Aurora, there is not always a positive response. I hope this project can dispel those prejudices. The people who live here deserve that’, says resident Hessel, who has enjoyed living there for over 13 years.

Art offers opportunities

“In all our projects, residents always contribute to BoaMistura’s art paintings themselves. This way they meet each other and get to know each other better. Residents who have worked together on such a beautiful project take better care of their building and the environment afterwards. We hope to achieve that in Heerlen as well,” says Pablo, one of the artists.

In addition, fifteen residents of Heerlen will follow a work-learning trajectory here so that they can move on to a paid job.

Getting started together

Residents and artists will work until mid-November on the realization of Europe’s largest art residential building. Volunteers are welcome to help with the painting. They can report to aurora@wonenlimburg.nl.

The production process can be followed on the corporation’s website.

This art project can be realized with financial support from the Province of Limburg, the municipality of Heerlen, IBA Parkstad, Parkstad Limburg, Rabobank and the Street Art Foundation.