Sunny opening of the Bourgondische Linietafel

After more than four years of waiting, the Bourgondische Linietafel by artist Floor Snels was officially unveiled on Wednesday, June 11. Naturally, the location was Liniekwartier in Breda, in the field between Doornboslaan, Stationslaan and Vughtstraat. With cookies from local residents, treats from the local Moroccan bakery – and radiant sunshine – Tom Geboers (housing corporation Alwel), Esther van Rosmalen (Witte Rook), and artist Floor Snels told the attending neighbours where the idea for the table came from and how it came into being.

In 2020 Witte Rook organised an art route with various artists under the name Studio Linie. One of the artists was Floor Snels, who was guided by her curiosity about the meaning of ‘bourgondisch’. What does that mean in Liniekwartier? She went in search of flavours and stories from the neighbourhood, but due to COVID she couldn’t sit with people – which was her original plan. Instead, she created table packages and asked people to draw and write on a tablecloth what they had eaten. All these cloths together formed the inspiration for the design of the Bourgondische Linietafel – whose drawing is engraved into the tabletop and whose shape is based on the contours of the neighbourhood.

For Witte Rook, the table also symbolises a farewell to the neighbourhood, where we were active as an Artist in Residence between 2017 and 2022. At the same time, it is a tangible conclusion to the large-scale renewal of the Liniekwartier – a 1950s neighbourhood that in recent years has become greener, more sustainable, and a little more welcoming, with a table that invites people to meet and share flavourful stories. Where everyone is welcome.

You can find the table in the field near Doornboslaan, Stationslaan and Vughtstraat in Breda.