De Van der Steur gymzalen, 1928

In late 2021, a gym located at Boergoensevliet / Zegenstraat, Rotterdam, was closed by order of the mayor after drugs, weapons, ammunition, and a cannabis plantation were discovered on the premises. The gymnasiums were designed by the renowned Rotterdam city architect Van der Steur in 1928.

The complex is a piece of social real estate (maatschappelijk vastgoed), and as direct neighbors and artists, we took the initiative that same month to write a letter to Mayor Aboutaleb, asking if the building could be repurposed for community use. The letter received a positive response, and, together with the neighborhood manager and a policy advisor, a group of residents, artists, and curators began exploring all possibilities within the municipality.

Two weeks before our planned opening of the group show A Loud Voice Never Dies we received the keys. Finally being able to start exploring the buildings and its possibilities.