The giant lace mural by Nespoon in Calais, France pays homage to the city’s unique history

Polish street artist Nespoon has ‘dressed’ the lace and fashion museum in Calais, France, in a giant fresco that pays homage to the city’s lace history and unique craftsmanship . the public work, which covers the entire side facade of the 19th century building, is based on a mechanical lace pattern made in Calais in 1894. with an intricate mesh, with flowers and leaves, the monumental mural is a continuation of the works of nespoon’s signature lace art. all images © nespoonlocated in the north of france, calais is famous for its lace-making tradition, which dates back to the 19th century when english textile makers immigrated to the french city to escape economic and social hardships. in the past, local factories employed more than 40,000 people in the lace industry, who developed unique know-how. paying homage to this story, nspoon translated an 1894 mechanical lace pattern into an intricate mural on a city wall the city of lace and fashion in Calais (lace and fashion museum).

commissioned by the museum on the occasion of the calais street art festival, the mural adorns an entire facade of the 19th century building, which once served as a factory. In addition to the large collection of lace, the museum also houses a 200-year-old lace-making machine, still in operation. nespoon scoured the catalogs available in the museum’s archives to select the 1984 model on which she based the mural.

“Most of my work consists of impressions of traditional lace, made in clay or painted on the walls”, this Nespoon. “They are handcrafted by folk artists. why laces? because in lace, there is an aesthetic code, deeply rooted in each culture. in every lace we find a symmetry, a kind of order and harmony, isn’t that what we all instinctively seek? why street art? because it gives freedom.

project information:

artist: nspoon

location: the city of lace and fashion of Calais, Calais, France

sofia lekka angelopoulou I draw

01 October 2020