Another street art project by KPR and Deutsche Bahn completed
“Once again, dull graffiti has given way to modern art. Of course the designs are something to behold, but it is also important to us that they increase passers-by’s subjective sense of security,” said Erfurt’s mayor Andreas Horn.
“Manta rays 'fly' through the seas with an aesthetic and radiate calm and power. These qualities should be transferred to the underpass and create a space of safety through this elegance,” says Veit Goßler, explaining his work. The Erfurt native won his design over 17 other applicants from the jury members in an anonymous process. He implemented it together with his artist colleague Michael Künstler. Together they transformed the 202 square meter area in six days.
The students from the Schillerschule and the neighboring primary school will now particularly enjoy the imaginatively designed manta rays, as they use this section of road on their daily way to school. The new mural takes up the colors of the opposite side of the tunnel. It is already embellished with pop art and is the side of the street preferred by pedestrians.
Horn has been involved in the project of turning dark fearful spaces into friendly and worth seeing public areas with modern street art since 2019. As a representative for safety, environment and sport, he had a corresponding cooperation with the Crime Prevention Council (KPR) in his role as chairman of the Crime Prevention Council (KPR). Deutsche Bahn came into being. The bridges on Löberstrasse and Puschkinstrasse have already been upgraded with street art. “A clean and safe city is important to me; we want our people to feel comfortable here,” adds Horn.
In addition to the cooperation project with Deutsche Bahn, the urban pedestrian underpass on Binderslebener Landstrasse was artistically designed in 2022, the underpass in am Langen Graben was cleaned and both are now sealed with anti-graffiti protection. This protective layer makes the surfaces unattractive for wild sprayers because it prevents the paint that runs down when spraying from sticking, which in turn is easy to remove.
Source: Press releases from the state capital Erfurt