Thread Through Time

Created for the city of Nijmegen, Netherlands, a towering figure pulls a silk thread through the skeletal frame of the iconic NYMA water tower. Once part of the city’s industrial past, it is now a symbol of transition during the old synthetic silk factory’s redevelopment. Mirrored, the tower becomes an hourglass, capturing the essence of time.

This mural blends historic photos—a Nyma factory worker and the Dobbelman factory under construction—highlighting the city’s industrial past. Set against a twilight marsh, it symbolizes the transformation of landscape through industrialization.

The figure in the mural is a self-portrait of the artist, creating an additional layer of meaning; artist as worker, laborer, especially in large-scale mural making and the artist as narrator. Weaving disparate concepts, images and elements into a cohesive tableau. To fabricate, to pull the thread and weave a story in arrested motion.

Through time, this piece speaks to the transformation, of the environment, labor and of identity and what those changes mean amid shifting patterns of climate, manufacturing and capital.

Acrylic on concrete

2024

Photo Credit: Artist