Machine room MS Noordereiland (2003) Joe Cillen
The firebreak behind a supermarket was transformed into nine by the artists of the North Island at the initiative of artist Joe Cillen Machine room MS Noordereiland, or the engine room of the motor ship Noordereiland. The painting was made in 2003 and was then the largest mural in Rotterdam with an area of 800 m2. It contains virtual and historical information about the Noordereiland. Inspiration for the colors at the top of the green wall came from the track Coulours by the jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, which is why the firebreak has been renamed 'Pharoah Sanders Alley'. After a number of doors that were part of the work had been removed, Cillen thoroughly adjusted and refurbished the painting at the end of 2021.
Joe Cillen (Paal, 1945) is a former skipper and conceptual artist, who expresses himself through both installations and painting. He has been working on the 'MS Noordereiland' plan since around 2000, in which he sees the Noordereiland as a large motor vessel.
De Ruyterstraat 8B, 3071 PJ Rotterdam, Netherlands