‘Ode to fathers’ created by TU Delft alumni may win a local prize

The colours jump off the wall at the end of a block of flats in the residential neighbourhood of Buitenhof in Delft. The image is of Remses Rafaela and his daughter from Rotterdam. Rafaela still sees her, but does not see his son Joah any more. “This painful situation is reflected in Remses’ eyes,” says Glenn Weisz, the Director of the Canidream Foundation and former TU Delft teacher. “One eye looks sad and the other one bursts with love.” Every year, 9,600 children no longer have contact with one or both parents as a result of an acrimonious separation. The Mira Mí mural puts this in the spotlight.

Mira Mí, which means ‘see me’ in Papiamento, is part of Canidream’s Nobis Community Art project. In the project, TU Delft students, artists and community builders work in areas around Buitenhof to ‘connect it and decorate it’. Alumnus Parya Lotfi was still studying at TU Delft in 2022 and took part as a student. She was in contact with neighbourhood residents and organised workshops for all sorts of groups in Buitenhof. “They included young people, senior citizens, primary school children and refugees. During the workshops, they told us who their heroes are.” Family members were named the most: fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles. As were buurtvaders (neighbourhood fathers). “Fathers are key in the contact between young people and various authorities in Buitenhof,” explains Weisz. He himself grew up in Buitenhof and recognises the key role that parents play in raising the children in the neighbourhood.

Pain

It was the artist called BEYOND, known as Roelof Schierbeek in everyday life, who translated the subjects emerging from the workshops to the mural. He chose the story of Rafaela and his children. “In doing so, he expresses the pain of the fathers who want to be there for their children, but who may not be. An acrimonious separation is one of the few areas where men are disadvantaged compared to women,” explains Weisz.

Weisz taught personal leadership at TU Delft for seven years. Lotfi was in his last class. The two met again in 2021 and Weisz asked her if she wanted to be part of one of his projects. This became Nobis 2. “She has really done exceptionally well,” says Weisz, “And that while she was already so busy as a research assistant and running her own company.” Lotfi is the co-founder and CEO of DuckDuckGoose, a company that specialises in technology that recognises deepfakes. Weisz continues. “We knew each other as student and teacher. The dynamics are completely different now – entrepreneur and entrepreneur. For example, on the way to this interview, we talked about organising certain processes in your company. It’s fabulous to see how she went from a student to a global entrepreneur.”

Art route

Apart from Mira Mí, Buitenhof has another mural called La Perla. Lotfi says that “It is about the hidden gems in the neighbourhood and was also conceived with the neighbourhood residents.” Weisz and Lotfi call this piece of art Nobis 1. In September of this year, a third mural will be painted in Buitenhof, the Nobis 3 project. The Prinsenhof Museum and the Mauritshuis Museum are involved. “During the workshops, neighbourhood residents will address the question of what we should cherish. What we should all look after. It could be anything: freedom, a green environment, travel, whatever.” The Prinsenhof Museum will then put together a tour for neighbourhood residents in line with their input. “That’s where the real magic happens,” says Weisz. “BEYOND, the artist, will also join the tours and will design Nobis 3 according to what he sees there and hears from neighbourhood residents.”

TU Delft students can also share their thoughts about this mural. Or to be more accurate, about the art route that will emerge. Delft is planning to add another 15 murals. To set a route along all the works of art, Weisz is planning to call on the help of TU Delft students. What that help will bring is still open. “One option is that it could be to look for the best places for the murals and how you then arrange the route. A second option is that I ask them to work on expanding the collaboration between the campus and the suburbs. A third is to integrate art and technology, one possibility being to include augmented reality in the art route.”