In a corner of the Rensenpark in Emmen, between clay, molds and paint, ceramist Erna Schipper works on a large project day in day out. Hundreds of butterfly shapes are waiting for the oven and when they are glazed and baked, it becomes a collection of 2,500 ceramic butterflies.
“Emmen must become the butterfly city again,” says Schipper determined. “That is a bit diluted nowadays, and I think that’s a shame.” Vlinderstad is an indirect reference to the Noorder Zoo.
The idea arose earlier this year, and Schipper went on his own initiative to Studio Zookeeper in the Rensenpark. There she was given room to implement her plan, a grand butterfly cloud as a tribute to 90 years of zoo in Emmen.
Since July she has been working there every day with young and old on production. “This is step one,” she says, rolling out clay. “I have a number of malls, I put them on the clay. I try to get as many butterflies as possible from one piece of clay so that I don’t waste anything.”
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