Belgian artist makes miniature creations to give life to boot scrapers amid the coronavirus pandemic

Niloufar Saleem, Staff Reporter

Belgian artist, Elke Lemmens, tries to build the connection between people with her work during the on-going pandemic.

She aims at using ordinary stories from people’s lives to build an extraordinary work of art that connects people.

In her unique style, the artist uses disused boot-scrapers to display her artwork in front of houses.

 Belgian artist Elke Lemmens lies on the sidewalk as she installs a miniature scene.

Lemmens has installed at least 50 miniature scenes outside homes that families once used to clean off their shoes.

The artist insists that every family has a beautiful story to tell hiding behind doors.

 "Every one of these stories fits into one of these wooden cigar cases, and then I write the names of the (property) owners in chalk on the front."

 Elke Lemmens is transforming disused boot scrapers in the port city of Antwerp.

She uses her skills to tell some personal stories of people that sometimes help them to live the dream that they never could.

The boot scraper project is certain to arouse curiosity during the months ahead in Antwerp, where a partial lockdown has residents not venturing far from home and keeping their distance from others.

For some, a simple evening walk can feel like an adventure.