We asked , who's been shooting really cool pics of Antwerp's architecture for years now, to make a series on his favorite Antwerp hoods. He already dropped by , and . This is his final stop: Ringland.
Matthijs : "I have a love-hate relationship with the ringway around Antwerp. I hate the noise, I hate the pollution and I hate the huge amount of lost space. But I love the brutal concrete and the energy that radiates from the road. I also love to capture that energy and brutality in photos. And I love the fact that this dirty structure will one day be buried alive.
If everything goes according to plan, the area that is now taken up by the ringway will one day be new land. The road will go underground and the lost space will be available for houses, schools, parks and all other things Antwerp is in dire need of. Ringland is the future of Antwerp, and I really hope that in 20 years or so these pictures will be relics of a dirty past. Can’t wait."
Text by This is Antwerp & Matthijs Van Mierlo
Pics by Matthijs Van Mierlo