Photographer Kees Martens has been living in Woensel-West for over thirty years. He has seen the neighborhood change over the years and has documented that development.
His photo exhibition can be seen at Pennings Foundation on the Geldropseweg. Martens photographed the demolition, renovation and new constructen of homes. He also portrayed residents in their living rooms to illustrate the diversity within the neighborhood. “A living room often says a lot about the occupant. Every living room looks different and I wanted to show those differences,” says the photographer.
Positive changes
The Woensel West district was built to meet the growing demand for workers’ housing for Philips employees. In the 1980s and 1990s, the neighborhood got a bad name due to crime and prostitution. The Municipality of Eindhoven therefore committed itself to improving the neighborhood.
“Woensel West is now just a very nice, lively neighborhood,” says Martens. “Completely different people live there, from immigrants to yuppies and everything in between. There are shops and terraces. Trudo plays a crucial role in this. Not only because of the renovations, but also because of all kinds of projects that they have set up here.” The photographer is proud of his neighborhood and wants to convey that feeling with his exhibition.
In addition to the exhibition at the Pennings gallery, an outdoor exhibition is also being organised in Woensel West in collaboration with Kelderman and Van Noort. A book has also been published with interviews accompanying the photos. The exhibition can be seen until January 28 from Wednesday to Saturday from 12:00 to 17:00 at gallery Pennings on Geldropseweg.
Source: Studio040.nl
Translated by: Anitha Sevugan
