Tielt (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The schedule of utilities work in Peperstraat, Tielt, has been rescheduled in order to facilitate preparation for an art show to be held at the former Ave Maria Maternity Hospital. This came about as a result of an urgent meeting called between Open Atelier Tielt, the city of Tielt, and the corresponding municipalities following Open Atelier’s discovery of planned utilities work in Peperstraat and Krommewalstraat.
The works were planned to start from Friday 21 August to Monday 31 August. Jacops was instructed to do the works on behalf of Wyre, the company managing the telecommunications and utility infrastructure. This is expected to help ensure that artists have time to install their works before the opening of Bakermat on 5 September. There is no further information regarding the rescheduled date of the works at Peperstraat.
What will happen to traffic in Krommewalstraat?
According to the City of Tielt, the initial plan entailed a closure of Krommewalstraat from Keidamstraat to Peperstraat and of Peperstraat. The first phase of the works, which ran from August 21 to August 28, was scheduled for closure of both the roads. While the second phase, which was meant to run from August 24 to August 31, was set to continue impacting Krommewalstraat, traffic was to be diverted through Kistestraat, Manestraat, Keidamstraat, Krommewalstraat, Ringlaan and Bruggestraat.
Temporary waste collection areas were to be set up at the car park at the cemetery, the Keidamstraat–Krommewalstraat junction, Sint-Pieterskerk and the Peperstraat–Bruggestraat junction. According to the City of Tielt traffic notice, the works were to be subjected to changes and were to be carried out by Jacops for Wyre. It is still uncertain whether the delay will affect the Krommewalstraat works.
Why is the exhibition important?
Bakermat will be an exhibition curated by the ceramic artists collective Open Atelier Tielt XL along with some guest artists. The old maternity hospital along with the adjacent Sint-Rochus convent will be turned into a temporary exhibition space for the purpose. It seems that this exhibition is going to have 34 or 36 artists according to different sources. The city’s list of events states 36 artists whereas media sources mention 17 members of the collective with their respective guest artists. Perhaps this contradiction arises due to counting differences. The artists will display ceramics, paintings, textile art, photographs, bronze sculptures, glass, leather, assemblages, and installations at the exhibition.
Reports say the exhibition will use between 70 and more than 77 rooms. The difference likely reflects the distinction between the total number of rooms in the complex and the rooms accessible or selected for the exhibition.
Open Atelier secretary Mia Haemers described the event as the collective’s largest exhibition so far.
“It will be our biggest exhibition ever,”
Haemers said, according to the report.
The exhibition will open on September 5 from 2pm to 6pm and continue on September 6, 12 and 13 from 10am to 6pm. Admission will be free. A cafeteria is planned, although the building does not have functioning sanitary facilities.
What is the history of the former maternity hospital?
Ave Maria maternity hospital is seen as an iconic structure in Tielt due to the fact that it has been the place of birth for thousands of people from the area. Reports available date the operations of the maternity structure from either 1937 or 1939. The date provided by the City of Tielt on their events webpage is 1939, while media coverage mentions 1937. It is, however, agreed that the operations took place until 1980, at which time they were moved to Sint-Andriesziekenhuis. The nearby Sint-Rochus convent had sisters who served in the maternity hospital. The sisters have left the convent in 2023, which rendered it vacant. In that sense, this exhibition goes beyond being a temporary cultural activity. It is a chance for the residents to return to a building with personal meaning ahead of its redevelopment.
According to Haemers, the organizers received personal accounts from people who have either been born at Ave Maria or have lost their babies at the location. There will be an element of memorials in this exhibition that is related to the emotional background of the maternity hospital. Birth notices for babies born at Ave Maria are going to be compiled for the exhibition. There are also plans for making a replica of the plaster statue of Mother Mary sculpted by Maurice Vander Meeren, which had its head chopped off due to the deterioration of concrete.
Have similar incidents happened before?
The Peperstraat has been closed before due to works carried out as part of construction activities. Specifically, in January 2023, there were works in the area involving the demolition of some facilities that resulted in the closure of the road. The road connects Krommewalstraat with Bruggestraat, which means that any activity in the area is likely to result in a quick reaction. Tielt has also experienced other projects related to the construction of utilities by the companies named Jacops and Wyre.
According to the information provided by the city, there was a project for the utility works in Regentiestraat that took place from March 2 to March 6, 2026. Moreover, in this case, traffic restrictions were put in place during the process. Another local infrastructure accident happened on August 4, when gas leakage occurred in Tielt as part of the works and 10 houses had to be evacuated. From the available data, it cannot be determined that the gas leak had anything to do with the project on Peperstraat. However, it may serve as an additional example of problems that arise during the works.
