FABRIC OF LIFE
Introduction
From March 27 through November 3, 2024, the Belgian Coast welcomes the eighth edition of Triennial Beaufort. Beaufort24 is an invitation to explore various perspectives and familiar expressions, and to unravel aspects of an intricate web of relationships, threads, loops, braids, cables, swarms, and scales at specific places at the Belgian coastline. From West to East, from De Panne to KnokkeHeist we found - together with the artists and in dialogue with the local communities - spaces in transition, places with an intense atmosphere, open fields, dunes or parcs, dense marketplaces or vivid hotspots that welcome an artwork or installation for Beaufort24.
In this publication, we want to focus on these surroundings, the specific places, streetnames, legends or histories and bring some words and imagery together in an envelope sustainably made from corn dextrose. The texts are written by curator Els Wuyts and are complementary with all the information that is accessible in print or online during the exhibition Beaufort24. The nine collages are created by Gus & Stella, a creative duo that made abstract atmospheres tangible in a beautiful way. They brought with all their senses details of forms and colours of places and artworks together in a certain grid. Every sheet is woven with the villages and cities, and can also be seen on its own, like a poster, one jigsaw piece of the puzzle that Beaufort24 likes to imagine.
SELVA APARICIO
ALEXANDRA BIRCKEN
SARA BJARLAND
JOHAN CRETEN
RICHARD DEACON
MAËLLE DUFOUR
LUCIE LANZINI
JORGE MACCHI
JEF MEYER
IVAN MORISON
LUCY + JORGE ORTA
FEMMY OTTEN
MARIUS RITIU
DRITON SELMANI
MONIKA SOSNOWSKA
FILIP VERVAET
PEI-HSUAN WANG
ROMAIN WEINTZEM
The artists docked in and connected with De Panne, KoksijdeOostduinkerke, Nieuwpoort, Middelkerke - Westende, Oostende, De Haan - Wenduine, Blankenberge, Zeebrugge and Knokke-Heist.
FABRIC OF LIFE
Beaufort24 is rooted in the idea of natural connections. ‘Fabric of Life’ serves as the point of departure, a common thread, a wickerwork of various lines and fibers, directions, and patterns. Simultaneously, this weaving metaphor provides an avenue to comprehend certain facets of our present reality, to reassess our immediate, communal public space, and to connect it to numerous potential worlds, predictions and desires.
What is going on in the many municipalities along this North Sea coastline? What’s on people’s minds? Which legends, histories, and stories enshroud particular sites? Which artistic movements have flourished and continue to resonate in the realm of contemporary arts? And who, from the past or the present, whether or not people, flora, or fauna, still leave their indelible imprint? The string of distinct locales between De Panne and Knokke-Heist offers perfect opportunities to make seemingly invisible connections, construct unexpected bridges and allow a distinctly tangible network to articulate itself.
The eighth edition of the Beaufort Triennial is, therefore, an invitation to explore various perspectives and familiar expressions, and to unravel the intricate web of relationships, threads, loops, braids, cables, swarms, and scales. Just as in a seashell, feather, or leaf here are traces of lines and life to discover, much like a keepsake or a beautiful thought. Similar to a grand monument or an intimate artwork, you’ll encounter more than one storyline, with versatile memories and undiscovered values rising to the surface. The new installations will consciously, meaningfully and humbly influence existing points of view and thought processes, and in their imaginings, they will be accessible, tangible, or even obstinate. Whether at a crossroads, a rolling dune, a quiet area or a simple roundabout, by a lighthouse or the waterfront, or amidst the foamy tides and shallow puddles along the beach, within the furrows of the rich farmland, or near the joints of those distinctive dike tiles along the Belgian coast.
In essence, this exhibition underscores that both the local context and minute details, as well as broader reflections on our contemporary society, can be cherished and lovingly remembered. The sculptures delicately touch on innovative worlds, inspiring encounters and changing thoughts. Beaufort24 ventures a bit further inland, offering a series of visual proposals along the coastal tramroute that seamlessly connects ports, village centres, markets, dikes, fields and parks. Beaufort24 moves along this coastal strip, which is simultaneously open to the vibrant life of recreation and relaxation, and also possesses the capacity to strike universal chords. Beaufort24 reaches for a continuous process of shaping and provoking, whether as a person among people, en route, or in a crowd, battling against the wind or going with the flow.
Because, even in the present moment, it appears that everyone is fundamentally interconnected, and it seems as though everything can exist everywhere simultaneously, seamlessly woven together in harmony with distant and nearby elements and beings. Although there may be outlines around narratives of nature, heritage, architecture, or vivid recollections of historical events, the boundaries of social, cultural, and ideological components flow into one another. There is space to navigate within tentacles, in the web of care, where all life forms dynamically engage with one another in a dynamic process of interdependence.
Els Wuyts (BE) was part of the curatorial team for Triennale Brugge 2021 and was in 2022-2023 involved with HISK / Higher Institute of Fine Arts as general coordinator. Besides her work as a freelance exhibitionmaker on various projects on contemporary visual arts, Els Wuyts is co-initiator of Salon Blanc in her home base Oostende.
Kerkstraat 53, 8660 De Panne
A STAGE FOR THE SEA
De Panne
Maerebrug, 8660 Adinkerke
The Saint Peter’s Church was the very first church in De Panne (then called Josephsdorp or Kerckepanne) and was built in the late 1870s for the inhabitants of this fishing hamlet of Adinkerke. Over time, it was extended to become a three-aisled, yellow brick neo-Gothic hall-church, with distinctive flying buttresses, arches and window-sills which break up the planes with airy vaults.
The church was deconsecrated in 2021 and will be repurposed as a library and meeting place, based on a contemporary design by architects TM Juxta-Fallow The square reflects the same metamorphosis, with artistic, social and ecological touches Thanks to Staging Sea by Filip Vervaet (BE), the fishermen’s church will once again be an inviting, unpaved and biodiverse environment.
STAGING SEA - The Saint Peter’s Church was surrounded by dunes when it was built at the end of the nineteenth century. In 2024, the church square undergoes a transformation: the church will be converted into a library, and the stone square is replaced by a dune landscape. Seven lanterns with blue-green glass orbs now adorn this area, referencing the peculiar painting Paysage aux lanternes (1958) by Paul Delvaux.
Staging Sea is a Gesamtkunstwerk: an interplay between the landscape, lanterns and a pavilion with a fountain. The piece’s colours and light changes like the sea. The fountain visually represents the tidal range on the Belgian coast, which is a substantial five metres. Therefore, it encompasses both a natural and hightech aspect. While the sea’s proximity is announced, it cannot (yet) be seen from this location. Two of the pavilion’s twelve panels are open, inviting visitors to take a seat. The work not only serves as an ode to the sea, but also as a commentary on the human impact on nature.
The square will become an open communal park in a renewed dune landscape with sand, shelves and grasses in which the existing trees and rhythmically arranged lampposts alternate. The Panneboot P.1 Scharbillie and the bust of priest Alfons Mervillie (who once composed the dune song Leve De Panne) remain nearby. The fountain depicts the rhythm of the tides, representing the sea, and is surrounded by a twelve-sided pavilion. Reflections of light, colour and shade enhance the heavenly scene with a blue and pinky glow, a moment of calm, an oasis or some respite before the stress of everyday life.
CAPSULE - The shape of Capsule evokes a storage silo or a bioreactor. Maëlle Dufour (BE) comes from a family of farmers. Until recently, pesticides were still used frequently and widely, as a miracle potion to safeguard production. Today, biotechnological research is used to modify crops, which also raises (ecological) objections. Maëlle Dufour questions our human urge for complete control of nature by contrasting the artificiality of Capsule with the surrounding landscape. Through the reflective surfaces of the square glass panels, the artwork both distorts and confuses us. Similar to a kaleidoscope, the images shift based on your vantage point. This prompts contemplation on the meanings of progress and the future. In the eyes of designer Le Corbusier, silos are the ultimate symbols of progress and fundamental architectural forms.
On the French border, the Maerebrug-bridge over the Nieuwpoort-Duinkerke Canal in Adinkerke connects the Moeren with the Coast. The name of the bridge refers to the connection it creates with both parts of Maerestraat. These were once united, but were literally cut in two when the canal was built in the 17th century. The steel bridge links networks for cyclists, horse riders and walkers on either side of de schreve and was integrated into the rural setting with a picnic area on the Smekaertpad.
At the end of the Middle Ages, De Moeren (or ‘Les Moëres’) consisted of a low-lying marshland that was increasingly drained in the 17th century. Today it is an agricultural area with rectangular plots accessed by a grid of canals and ditches with straight connecting roads lined by trees or hedges. Rather like the bocage landscape which forms a patchwork of meadows and fields and which inspired Maëlle Dufour’s work during a residency at La Chambre d’Eau in Favril, Avesnes-sur-Helpe in France.
And of course the coast is not far away, both in the name Maere which incorporates the word ‘mer’ or ‘mar’ meaning sea, but also in the reflection of the water on the banks of the canal. The watercourse continues almost parallel to the coastline, between two and four kilometres from the sea, ending in the North Sea past Bray-Dunes and Zuydcote (FR). In the rectangular transparent and reflective surfaces of Capsule not only does the wind move, but so does the activity of agriculture, the swell in the current and the announcement of various border areas.
DE MAERE, DE MOEREN AND THE COAST
JOHAN CRETEN THE HERRING
Beach Sint-André, at the end of G. Scottlaan, 8670 Koksijde
Koksijde Oostduinkerke
Zeedijk at the end of E. Vanlangenhovestraat, 8670 Koksijde JORGE MACCHI
JOHAN CRETEN
SINTANDRÉ DUNES
Koksijde not only has the Hoge Blekker the highest dune on the Belgian coast, but also the Schipgatduinen De Doornpanne and the Noordduinen where grasslands, dune valleys, thickets, bushes and old fishermen’s cottages alternate. The Saint-André dune zone is another special area where you can feel the transition from dunes to beach and sea beyond the yellow buoy on Gilles Scottlaan. This is not only the place to see yellow-clad shrimp fishermen on horseback passing by, but also where the sperm whale Valentine stranded on 14 February 1989. In autumn 2024, his skeleton will be displayed at the nearby revamped NAVIGO-museum, which presents the history of sea and coastal fishing.
The history of SaintAndré-sur-mer oscillated between golf course and allotments. Eventually, it has become a tranquil spot where, just past the beach bar Dock Plage you can enjoy the surroundings with your feet in the sand. Because this is where you can find THE HERRING, Johan Creten’s (BE/FR) tall bronze sculpture depicting a figure holding a fish. And although André, Andreas or Andries might seem a man’s name, it is definitely a woman who is boldly standing there. With her feet in the sand, the naked woman fixes her gaze on the horizon, holding a herring in front of her belly and sex.
THE HERRING - The sculpture titled THE HERRING plays with the double entendre of ‘la mer’, the sea, and ‘la mère’, the mother. The sea and life are inextricably connected. During the Second World War, Belgium’s west coast was able to survive thanks to an unusually big herring catch. The best herring year ever was during the winter of 1942-1943. So much herring washed ashore people could scoop it up with their bare hands. Is the resource of the sea inexhaustible? The artwork confronts us with the contemporary issues of sustainability and ecology. Fish has traditionally symbolised life and fertility in countless cultures. Even today, the spiritual aspect of rebirth cannot be separated from the sea: we often recharge our batteries at the coast. The meter-high statue reveals itself to us as the endpoint after a brisk walk in the dunes. The sea gives and takes, and that is also its tragedy. In stormy weather, the statue will end up with its feet in the water.
For each work, artist Jorge Macchi (AR) starts with an image rather than an idea. And for All the words in the world, it was immediately important to be able to detect a completely different atmosphere along both sides of the artwork. The edge of the seawall, between the residential and beach areas on Emile Vanlangehovestraat in Koksijde, therefore proved an ideal spot for the keyboard. An image that seems to tell a different story from different angles.
Not far away, the imposing artwork Acqua Scivolo by Anne and Patrick Poirier (Beaufort edition 2003) is also near Ster der Zee. The two French artists took inspiration from the ruined complex of the nearby church of the former abbey, Abdij OnzeLieve-Vrouw Ten Duinen. As a basis for their steel structure, they placed the architectural floor plan of the old church vertically as a beacon along the coastline since 2003.
Jorge Macchi depicts another geometric pattern of lines, grids and voids: a concrete keyboard set perpendicular to the edge of the seawall pavement and the soft beach. And while such a keyboard with keys for letters, numbers and symbols is universally recognisable, here the push buttons have been omitted and placed in a local context. Along one side, there is a soft and friendly beach and a possible sunset on the horizon. Along the other side, there is obvious movement of people and animals along the road, at the windows or on the terraces of their apartments. Another grid so to speak.
JORGE MACCHI
ALL THE WORDS IN THE WORLD - A keyboard without the keys – does it indicate the inability to express an image through language? Is our language inherently limited, or is there a sea of unknown possibilities? Today, we digitally connect with the world, which has both advantages and disadvantages. Some argue it leads to alienation from others, while for others, it allows for new possibilities and a more inclusive society. This work of art was brought to life thanks to the assistance of students from VTI Brugge school for science and technology while the artist guided them digitally. The sea is visible through one side of the concrete carcass, and the urban landscape through the other. The structure is reminiscent of a stripped apartment building.
SELVA APARICIO AT REST
Koolhof wandelpad, 8620 Nieuwpoort
SELVA APARICIO
The Koolhofput was created around 1980 as a sand extraction pit during the construction of the E40-A18 Jabbeke-Veurne-Calais motorway. The name Koolhof refers to a farm of the same name on the Koolhofvaart-canal. Meanwhile, the nature reserve not only attracts waterbirds and fish, but also anglers, hikers and naturelovers. The landscape architects at Studio Basta created a new dynamic around the water feature of this provincial estate with spontaneous, green and lively lines.
Nieuwpoort
Koning Albert I-Monument, Kustweg 2, 8620 Nieuwpoort
ALEXANDRA BIRCKEN
Nearby, the Frontzate has since become a busy cycleroute. During the First World War, however, it was the railway line between Diksmuide (IJzerdijk) and Nieuwpoort (Onze Lieve Vrouwstraat). It was here that the enemy advance was halted in 1914. It then became the first front line of the Belgian army and the border of the flooded IJzervlaktearea. During the Second World War, the Germans built several machinegun-posts along this strategic railway-line. You can still find relics of the war in this open landscape, 1.7 kilometres from Nieuwpoort-Stad.
AT REST - Selva Aparicio’s (ES/US) creation isn’t the accomplishment of an individual, but a collaborative effort with the residents of Nieuwpoort. To bring this work to life, she crafted moulds from hundreds of palms from people, young and old, across Nieuwpoort. Within the bronze lines, we can decipher both life lines and the intricate veins of leaves. Only when you step inside the artwork, you become enveloped by countless handprints, creating a sensation of being embraced. What may appear beautiful at first glance also carries a dark undertone, prompting reflection on commemoration. As time passes, those who left their handprints will no longer be among us, much like the elements of nature will weather the tiles and blur the lines. Here, death is a tangible presence, considering the Koolhofput-area was the war front during the First World War. The title at Rest carries multiple layers of meaning, signifying both the opportunity to relax in this intimate space, and acknowledging the passage of time and mortality.
TOP DOWN / BOTTOM UP -
A young girl defies the laws of gravity, effortlessly executing a handstand on the towering edge of the King Albert I-monument. Another girl stands below her, balancing on her tiptoes, arms outstretched. Much like Atlas carried the vault of heaven on his shoulders, this girl bears the weight of today’s and yesterday’s world. Society often commodifies the bodies of young women as the epitome of youth and beauty. The concepts of top-down and bottom-up appear in fields like sociology and marketing. Do societal evolutions occur because influential figures at the top orchestrate and propel change, or is it the individuals at the grassroots-level who initiate and drive transformation? This artwork prompts us to ponder: is the girl standing on her head, or is our world flipped upside down? It’s all a matter of perspective.
Selva Aparicio’s sculpture at Rest connects the vibrancy of the nearby town centre with the horror of wars and the changing seasons. Lives are connected in a mosaic of bronze palmprints, their visible past and their possible future, as links of a perpetual chain. Sheltered from the wind, the metal screen resonates with the red bridge and has become a peaceful memorial site embracing stillness, mourning, remembrance and longing.
FROM HEAD TO TOE
The King Albert I-memorial was erected in 1938 at the initiative and with the support of the veterans’ associations of the First World War near the Ganzenpoot-lockcomplex. Together with architect Julien De Ridder, sculptor Karel Aubroeck built this imposing equestrian statue in a circular brick construction. Twenty brick-columns from the IJzervallei support a ring beam 100 metres in circumference, with bas-reliefs referring to miners or construction-workers or the economy and science. Below the monument is the Westfront-visitor centre which tells the story of the flooding of the polder plain that halted the German invasion in October 1914.
In that rather military and masculine setting of kings, soldiers and workers, Alexandra Bircken’s (DU) two bright green figures seem to span the entire monument. Top down / Bottom up consists of two sculptures of young gymnasts, one doing a handstand, the other rising up on her toes, seemingly contrasting with the atmosphere of the monument.
One of them ( Bottom up) balances on top of the monument, forgetting to admire the panorama but apparently more focused on her fingers balanced on the edge. The other girl ( Top down is connected to what is happening on the ground, the visitor centre and the memorial park designed to mark 100 years of war. The two figures are linked from head to toe, A to Z and bottom to top. Yet their dialogue is not entirely in tune. You could compare their lines of communication with approaches to heritage and history that often prove incomplete and even questionable.
LUCY + JORGE ORTA
GAZING BALL: REFLECTIVE DIALOGUES
Normandpark, 8430 Middelkerke
LUCY + JORGE ORTA
SYMBOL OF CONNECTION
Middelkerke Westende
Beach at the end of Louis Logierlaan, 8430 Middelkerke
In 1928, a radio station was installed in Middelkerke for aviation communications, with two 60-metre masts added in 1937. This became a transmitter for maritime radio communications, sending radio signals to fishing boats, mail ships or oceanliners and various vessels sailing towards Congo. Due to rapid technological developments, the station was eventually abandoned and the last maritime radio message was sent on 11 December 2005. The demolition of the pylons marked the end of this historic site. To bid farewell to more than 85 years of radio history, several radio amateurs organised a ‘Last Farewell’ on 22 and 23 January 2016.
GAZING BALL: REFLECTIVE DIALOGUES
- In this artwork by Lucy + Jorge Orta (UK/AR/FR), we find ourselves in a gathering space with four entrances. It’s an open, boundless, and inviting piece that provides fresh perspectives on the surrounding landscape. The massive, reflective sphere that crowns the artwork captures the constantly shifting play of light and shadow. The reflections it presents are multiple, offering various perspectives on the landscape while humbly situating us, the viewers, within our surroundings. Seated within the installation, visitors are given a moment for contemplation, self-reflection, and even a chance to engage in conversation with a total stranger. It’s art on a human scale.
Close to the former Radio Ostend station you will find Lucy + Jorge Orta’s artwork, Gazing Ball: Reflective Dialogues in Normandpark, that was conceived as a green ‘Quartier Normand’ around 1930. Besides the radio station, the sculpture is also inspired by the Saint Theresa’s Chapel, an Art Deco chapel from the 1930s with a plain interior, concrete frame structure and infill of yellow brick.
Gazing Ball: Reflective Dialogues also pays homage to Radio Oostende which used to have a station close by. This not only establishes a tangible connection between people, but also a symbolic connection between heaven and earth, past and present.
The chapel’s architecture therefore resonates in the artwork in the form of a cross with four entrances flanked by seats. In the nave, a tower unfolds where a reflective sphere mirrors the world, symbolising connection both tangibly and metaphorically. At the same time a spirit has appeared in the form of a female and bronze ‘genius loci’. She is the personification of a Greek princess who choses to marry a migrant sailor. She eludes a feminine power as the union is her choice and symbolizes the openness to embrace cultural difference.
UNTITLED - Jef Meyer (BE) has a preference for concrete, a material that allows for endless variations of the end product. This artwork is far from polished; instead, it is rough and alive. The entire piece was created with just one mould. To form the doorway, the mould was turned over, and the contours of the door are still visible – a celebration of imperfection’s beauty. Because the work is, or appears to be, unfinished, the viewer’s imagination is all the more stimulated. The darkness draws you in, making you follow the twilight towards the brightness until you are rewarded with a sea view. This idea emerged after a visit to the tower of the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp, where one enters feeling a bit cramped, to then climb the stairs, and ultimately behold a wide panorama of the city. The work also resembles a bunker with viewing holes, similar to an observation post found further along.
An impressive sculpture called Untitled by Jef Meyer, which you can also enter, appears on the beach area at the seawall. This abstract concrete structure initially seems uninviting. However, once you get past the oppressive feeling of the first steps up the stairs and the oppressive walls, a window looking onto the beach and sea appears. From this lookout point, you realise all the more how special and fragile the environment actually is, taking into account the rising water levels and climate change.
To a certain extent, this lookout point also resonates with the nearby Atlantikwall Raversyde bunker complex, one of the best-preserved parts of that German defence line. Batterij Aachen was built during the First World War. In the former Royal Domain, which had been established by King Leopold II in 1903. And in the Second World War, battery Saltzwedel-neu was expanded, with a central observation and command post and artillery emplacements to defend the flanks. The ‘nameless’ troops stayed in personnel bunkers and barracks, which were interconnected by an oppressive system of corridors.
Less than 500 metres from Untitled is another observatory, the Warandetoren a tower whose long curved blades are reminiscent of the marram grass typically found in the Warande dunes. And Middelkerke is also famous for the Dronkenput a concrete structure that was initially built to provide the town with potable drinking water, but which subsided into the soggy ground. With its skewed walls and floors which make you feel drunk, it later became a tourist attraction.
WATCH TOWERS
FEMMY OTTEN MOEDER
Leopold II-laan 28, 8400 Oostende
Oostende
MISS PLAGE
Between the Spuikom and Bredensesteenweg, 8400 Oostende
In art history, the motif of the ‘reclining nude’ mainly seems to be chosen by male artists. Furthermore, female figures were mainly painted or sculpted, featuring masculine interpretations of beauty and sensuality. There are examples of this in Oostende too, such as the Zeemeermin in Leopold Park, the patron saint of sailors Santa Devota at the Library or De Bron near the Japanese Garden.
MOEDER - Femmy Otten (NL) worked for nine months, the entirety of her pregnancy, on making a wooden version of this sculpture. By taking her time, she was able to establish some distance. Femmy Otten noticed a scarcity of representations of pregnant women in art history, and particularly within contemporary art. This renewed version in marble is again preceded by nine months of precision work. The sculpture wasn’t shaped through the male gaze. Her nudity isn’t meant to be erotic, but rather disarming. Stripped of clothing, we all stand on equal ground –a reassuring notion. You can sense the tenderness and care the artist infused into the portrayal.
The woman extends her hand to touch the water’s surface. She’s in an uneasy position. A block seems tethered to her leg: a tangle of body parts at her feet. At the same time, she appears to maintain a delicate balance. The mother-figure embodies the primal strength of giving life while simultaneously emanating vulnerability.
Fortunately, the perspective of gender equality and the objectified representation of the female body in public spaces is now coming under scrutiny worldwide. Femmy Otten therefore chooses a classic portrayal of a reclining woman in marble, to which she adds a contemporary twist. She portrays herself while pregnant with her daughter, as a strong image of fertility, love and vulnerability At her feet lies a sphere, like a world she must carry or that she wants to kick away, as a starting point for a discussion about choosing parenthood, conscious childfreedom, birth control or involuntary childlessness.
Moeder lies in the ashes of the Kursaal, designed by architect Léon Stynen (1950-1952), which not only houses parties, performances and gamehalls but also an extraordinary collection of art treasures, such as a mural (with naked women) by Paul Delvaux. In the water-basin, she gives a nod to the long-standing tradition and esteemed reputation of underwater births in this city and to De Zee (1954) by George Grard. The ravishing Dikke Mathille was originally intended for a plinth on the Oosthelling of the Kursaal. However, it was deemed too voluptuous and controversial in the 1960s and has since been located in a green zone near De Grote Post and Leopoldpark.
AT THE MERCY OF NATURE (SISYPHUS PART X) - The artwork appears as though it’s from another universe – like a meteoroid that collided with various objects on its journey to Earth, and could as well have crushed us. Our destiny ultimately rests in the hands of nature. Marius Ritiu (RO/US/BE) strategically places his meteoroid artworks in several locations worldwide, akin to a modern-day Sisyphus persistently pushing a boulder uphill. Copper is a material that’s literally binding the world together because of its role in transport and communication. Copper has not only played a role in human history, it also shares a connection with the cosmos. Already since ancient times, alchemy has associated seven materials with what they considered to be the planets, linking copper to Venus. Copper repoussage involves an extremely labour-intensive, artisanal approach. Marius Ritiu places copper plates around a stone, initiating a months-long process subjected to millions of hammer blows.
to Fort Napoleon and the Spuikom an island has been created in the Vuurtorenwijk (Opex – Ostende Phare et Extension), as a green zone on the Vicognedijk and the school for fishing, Koninklijk Werk IBIS. Originally, the aim of this institute was to provide maritime training to disadvantaged children and orphans of fishermen. IBIS refers to a series of school ships (from IBIS I to IBIS IX) until pupils could move into the buildings on Prinses Elisabethlaan in Bredene. Today, the boarding school remains a home for learning maritime trades.
MOORED
However, with Part X of the Sisyphus series Marius Ritiu allows a very different kind of ship to dock: At the Mercy of Nature descends from the cosmos. Along the coast, the outermost edge of this country, the artist seeks the borders, which he then tries to bridge, as a migrant or newcomer, as a non-native speaker or a dissenter, as a person among people. It is a powerful volume of copper plates that - at the mercy of coastal weather conditions - has nevertheless proven to be resilient. It is therefore a challenge to defy wind and water here, not just as a sculpture but equally for the users of the Spuikom, like the students of IBIS the scouts, the members of the watersports-clubs and the Naval Sea School
The communal park is not only an open-air classroom with large stones that you can see on the breakwaters, washedup yellow buoys and an abandoned bunker, but also a route used by cyclists of the Groene Lint Initially, it seems a somewhat forgotten place. Nevertheless, it is a popular site for walkers and locals to have a picnic or barbecue, for birds and birdwatchers and oyster farmers L’Ostendaise).
Close
MONOBLOC MOMENTS
Roundabout at Manitobahelling, 8420 De Haan
De Haan Wenduine
FREE OF RUBBISH SARA BJARLAND
Sustainability has high priority in De Haan, with initiatives aimed at actively combatting litter, for example, to ensure a completely clean beach. Incidentally, one of the first 100% eco-surf clubs is housed in Wenduine, the Surfing Elephant, with a stimulating slogan: “Let those who want to set the world in motion first take action themselves”. And on the way to Blankenberge, a bridge was built with washed-up wood, Het Wrakhout on a narrow strip of dunes and the Uitkerkse Polders.
While those blocks of wood from the bridge form a chaotic and horizontal line, Sara Bjarland’s stack of chairs is more likely to rise vertically and gracefully. Monobloc Moments is a tower of Monobloc-chairs cast in resistant bronze and characteristically patinated. Such a typical plastic garden chair is obviously a familiar piece, a universal item that is also commonly used on the coast, from snack bars to campsites and from beach tents to garages. It’s a democratic chair that is easily available, but which soon adds to our waste problem.
MONOBLOC MOMENTS - Sara Bjarland (FI/ NL) asks essential questions about our throw-away society. What holds value: something new, or an item that bears the marks of having been used? She is intrigued by the material remnants people leave behind. Plastic Monobloc-chairs are a global summer staple. Yet, they also serve as a symbol of our disposable society. In today’s world, plastic is nearly omnipresent, and the term itself has taken on a negative connotation – signifying something quick, effortless, and cheap, but far from sustainable. In Monobloc Moments Sara Bjarland arranges these chairs in a chaotic and playful manner, creating a dynamic and organic appearance, as if the stack has been shaped by a sea breeze and is on the verge of falling over. By transforming the chairs into bronze, Sara Bjarland imparts a timeless quality to this everyday object. Her choice deliberately heightens the contrast with plastic, elevating a mundane item to the status of a high-quality art object.
AL MET DER TYD - Flanking a bench with a sea view, two discreetly present statues provide company for those seeking moments of solitude. We see two mythical creatures, guardians who are usually placed at entrances to ward off disasters or evil. Here, they are positioned along the dune path’s seating area. Drawing inspiration from mythical figures and deities in the Chinese-speaking world, these hybrid beings serve as protectors for waterways and coastal communities. The standing figure cradles a fox, a nod to the local legend of Mong de Vos, a beachcomber from De Haan. In bringing this piece to life, Pei-Hsuan Wang (TW/BE) sought guidance from the De Haan Heritage Society Tussen Noordee en Noordzee and local residents. The title, Al Met Der Tyd refers to an inscription on a facade stone from a Belle Époque villa, one of the first in De Haan dating back to 1890. The phrase conveys the importance of allowing time to facilitate growth in life. Poetically, it also alludes to the cyclical rhythm of seaside living: visitors come and go in waves with the passing seasons.
In De Haan, the legend of Mong De Vos is remembered and celebrated during the annual Vosseslagfestivities. It is said that Mong De Vos and his father would scour the beach looking for wreckage, fishing nets, bales of cotton and barrels of wine. As a beachcomber, he spent hours peering over the horizon, wanting to be the first to reach the washedup rubbish and beat the other beach thieves. And he did not shy away from stealing other people’s finds or provoking fights. However, his lifestyle led to him being accused of witchcraft. He was dragged to the beach by locals and burned at the stake.
There are also many stories about the naming of De Haan, such as the one where a rooster is said to have crowed loudly enough for boats in distress to find their way to a mooring on land. Until 1976, it was even a tourist name for the seaside hamlet that was part of the polder villages Klemskerke and Vlissegem. The emergence of coastal tourism and especially the construction of the steam tramway-line that opened in the summer of 1886 brought sweeping changes. After 1889, an AngloNorman-style villa-district grew up and was given to private individuals on a long lease (concession). And in 1924, one of the first social holiday centres and children’s homes arrived: the Zeepreventorium
In the dunes between this sanatorium and the concession, artist Pei-Hsuan Wang adds more stories. At a bench on the paved footpath, there are two ‘guards’, an installation referring to universal and local myths and sagas. With its Eastern origins and this Western context, a mix of fragments from chronicles, fairy tales and parables appears: Al Met Der Tyd
Zeedijk De Haan at Koninklijke Baan 4, 8420 De Haan
And a roundabout also has something banal about it. Much has already been said and not said about roundabout art, with proponents praising its ability to transform boring roundabouts into landmarks, and opponents highlighting the often mediocre quality of such artworks. Monobloc Moments responds to those contrasting perceptions and could pay tribute to the mundane, the common or the vulgar. It is as if that dance of chairs at this intersection for cars, bikes and the coastal tram by the Manitobahelling puts us even more in holiday mood.
A MOMENT IN TIME
ATTENTIFS ENSEMBLE
Franchommelaan 2, 8370 Blankenberge Pier, 8370 Blankenberge Scarphoutstraat, 8370 Blankenberge
ATTENTIFS ENSEMBLERomain Weintzem (FR) grew up in Paris, where Art Nouveau graces the streets, including iconic metro entrances. Today, the Paravang remains an elegant relic of the Belle Époque in Blankenberge. At first glance, Romain Weintzem’s work appears as a beautiful sculpture with nostalgic, elegant shapes inspired by Art Nouveau. The title, Attentifs ensemble, brings a second reading that is harsher and tinged with violence. This excerpt from a fear-inducing message broadcast on French public transport, urging passengers to look out for each other, inspired the artist to create his work. The structure, consisting of eight chairs separated by steel partitions, invites the user to observe the environment without interacting with their neighbours, revealing the dystopian nature of our surveillance societies. Three such artworks were placed in the city, intensifying the panopticon effect. In the oeuvre of Romain Weintzem, biting humour and social criticism are never far away.
Blankenberge
Dune path at Zeedijk 245, 8370 Blankenberge
LOOK LEFT
LOOK RIGHT ROMAIN WEINTZEM
Blankenberge has quite a heritage from the Belle-Époque period (1870-1914). This was a time when the resort enjoyed great prosperity and various major construction projects were completed, like the Casino and the Pier beautiful coastal villas and large hotels for the emerging tourism. There is a Belle Époque-centre near the Saint-Rochus church, where you can learn about the Art Nouveau and Art Deco-movements and the eclectic styles of local architectural history and holiday pleasures of yesteryear.
The three editions of Attentifs ensemble by artist Romain Weintzem are therefore functional sculptures, which seem to pay homage to those decorative patterns, as in the floor and wall tiles, unique tile panels, decorative stained-glass windows in fine joinery and ornate wrought-iron. In keeping with the exotic greenery of the Paravang (the historic windbreak), these are three seats located around the city which encourage you to look around: look left, look right, just as you are instructed to do when getting off the coastal tram and safely crossing the road.
One of the sculptures is now located in the left bulge halfway down the Pier. One of the most unique buildings on the Belgian coast, Blankenberge Pier was completely restored in 2023. A second sculpture can be found at the lighthouse on the Zeedijk, where you can follow from afar the works on the new breakwater aimed at reducing the silting up of the harbour channel. And the third artwork connects the green passage past the station, the town hall and the fishermen’s church dedicated to Saint Anthony.
LOST FOR WORDS - When Driton Selmani (XK) first arrived in Blankenberge, he was struck by the tranquillity of the dune path’s entrance. The silence offers a stark contrast in experience, sound and view compared to the festively fizzing promenade. As if drawn towards a lighthouse, we find ourselves captivated by the rotating artwork Lost For Words In the quest for poetry amidst challenging times, this piece becomes a weather vane for empathy. The artist believes that the residents can not only connect with each other, but also aspire to higher goals by tapping into the emotions lingering in the air. Driton Selmani’s art is intricately tied to the geopolitical nuances of his roots: Kosovo, a place on the brink of international recognition. Different languages and cultures coexist in isolation – not due to the residents’ unwillingness, but due to political intrigue. In Lost For Words he navigates this complex terrain with finesse, employing his artistic language to temper the harsh tones of difference.
One municipality that is brimming with energy is Blankenberge. The promenade is a particularly attractive and entertaining place whilst also being one of the noisiest and most colourful along the coast. The wide promenade resembles a fairground, while the crowded beach is popular for picnics, sunbathing or enjoying a drink at one of the many beach bars. And last in line is the O’Neill Beachclub which actively offers and promotes watersports like windsurfing, supping, kitesurfing and wave-surfing.
Yet you are ‘lost for words’ when, having navigated the sensory overload of colours and noises, you reach De Fonteintjes Nature Reserve (Zeebrugge). Parallel to the Koninklijke Baan, this is a long dune area with freshwater lakes and wet grasslands, created by the sea breaking through the dunes and the Graaf Jansdijk in clay holding back the water. The name does not literally refer to fountains but to four dune pools: the Rietfontein Bosfontein Orchisfontein and Eendenfontein
And in that restored silence, three words appear in a self-made font, turning with the wind: Lost For Words. Although the black lines in the blue sky are clearly visible, they also give a sense of boundlessness, looking towards the abstract horizon of the open sea with the glow of the light and the clouds drifting by. While Driton Selmani himself comes from a country still not fully recognised by the international community, he is very familiar with the issue of identity, representation and language. So Lost For Words can be about who we are, where we come from and what we are trying to achieve.
BOUND LESS
Sint-Donaaspark, 8380 Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge
Beach at Zeedijk 35, 8380 Zeebrugge
IVAN MORISON STAR OF THE SEA
MONIKA SOSNOWSKA
Saint-Donaas is not only the patron saint of the city of Brugge, but is also invoked against lightning, drought, hailstorms, thunderstorms, floods and storms. It is therefore ideal to have church, parish and park at the heart of dense urbanisation and port-industry nearby. The church has been built several times (1910) and rebuilt (1950), and inside, scale models of fishing boats recall the custom for praying for a safe trip. Outside, there is a military cemetery with 175 German and 30 British graves and a park for sports and games with native coastal vegetation.
FA
Ç ADE - Monika Sosnowska (PL) witnessed her home-country of Poland transform due to the disappearance of modernist buildings after the fall of the Soviet regime. Communist ideas literally and figuratively gave way to capitalism, ushering in a new era of architecture. As buildings crumbled to rubble, something new emerged, akin to urban weeds. Monika Sosnowska replicates the windows of the Foksal Gallery Foundation in Warsaw. Simultaneously, she carefully selects hinges and windows from the facade, cutting them out of paper. She molds this paper-prototype with her hands, compressing it into a compact wad. The steel is then bent by heavy machinery, as if colossal hands are exerting force upon it. Subsequent painting adds an element of elegance, concealing the violence inherent in the fabrication process. The material not only experiences metal fatigue, but the shapes also turn lifeless. One can envision a breath of wind causing this tumbleweed to go on endlessly.
Day-trippers and local residents are not the only people who come to relax on the benches or by the pétanque court. Polish, Romanian and Lithuanian truck-drivers also meet up here after a hard day’s work. And while the locals may not be familiar with Monika Sosnowska’s international fame, you won’t be able to look past her artwork.
Façade is a monumental sculpture in a green strip that seems to defy all traffic. It no longer depicts a front view, but looks like a three-dimensional scribble or doodle that is actually a one-to-one copy of the window section of a Warsaw modernist building: Foksal Gallery Foundation (1966). And while in Poland this modernism is rather a reminder of the oppressive Soviet regime, there is nevertheless a renewed interest in this architectural movement around the principle of ‘less is more’. This growing interest also applies to (the outskirts of) Brugge, and on the sea-dyke you will find a timber-framed holiday home from 1962 by architect Peter Callebaut that reflects that sense of simplicity and austerity.
SINTDONAAS STELLA MARIS
STAR OF THE SEA - Conceived specifically for the beach of Zeebrugge, Star of the Sea attracts attention from afar with its voluminous, concrete structure and curious chimneys. With its cylindrical tubes, triangular inspection chambers and modular parts, the work echoes architectural structures typical of the coast: a bunker, a pavilion or even a sandcastle. Star of the Sea opens possibilities for subtle and spontaneous connections. It invites passers-by to enter, to explore and appropriate its different spaces. Inside, one may experience interplays of light and shadow and sense specific sounds and smells. The varied landscape of Zeebrugge can be viewed through the openings. The work will gradually transform through its constant interaction with the elements while on display in Zeebrugge. The concrete temple – surrounded by sand – reflects time and impermanence. Star of the Sea as a barometer for change.
An hour’s cycle ride from the centre of Brugge, through neat suburbs and along the industrial canal, past scrap yards, cement factories, warehouses for building materials, past car parks and distribution centres, along main roads and railway lines, you finally arrive in Zeebrugge.
In the beach district is the Stella Maris chapel (Our Lady Mary protector of sailors and travellers), which now also holds services for the Romanian Orthodox community. Of the 4,000 or so inhabitants, one-third are from Eastern Europe, often working in the port area which is largely surrounded by fences. In fact, migrants are discouraged from attempting the illegal crossing via ships and containers but still seek temporary shelter. And next to the Port of AntwerpBruges, there is a marina, the cruise terminal, a naval base and the outer port with its huge locks, train tracks, busy roads and infrastructure works.
Amid these movements and changes in village, beach and port Star of the Sea by Ivan Morison (UK) will appear as a beacon for shelter and hope, a star-shaped sandcastle inspired by the spirit of a monumental temple. It is a sculptural space of subtle connections, accommodation for humans and animals, a place that intimately changes with the surrounding landscape. It is part of the self-forming one-kilometre-wide beach that is already expanding through the perpendicular arm of the harbour wall, where there are even finds from days gone by, such as sticks and bones, vertebrae and shells.
RICHARD DEACON N/E/W/S
Burgemeester De Ghelderepark, 8301 Knokke-Heist
Knokke-Heist
Directeur-Generaal Willemspark, Frans Welvispad, 8301 Knokke-Heist
LUCIE LANZINI TROUBLE SEA
RICHARD DEACON
NORTH EAST WEST SOUTH
Jonkheer Jan Baptist de Gheldere was mayor of Heist from 1946 to 1971. It was thanks to him that the merged municipality is called Knokke-Heist and that the borough was not relegated to oblivion. Together with the municipal executive at the time, he cleaned up post-war Heist and made himself particularly useful in designing the woods at Heist and a smooth passage for the relocation of the railway station and the layout of Heldenplein. The new park created in 2023 will now be called the Burgemeester Jonkheer Jan-Baptist de Ghelderepark or Burgemeester De Ghelderepark for short.
And where the green strip between Knokkestraat and Elisabetlaan is being upgraded, the open space has been used to enhance the landscape and extend into the urban fabric. That intermediate zone features new paths and various crossings that provide a smooth connection between the centre and the dyke. The different areas are connected by a park promenade and flanked by a wide wadi that can collect rainwater.
N/E/W/S - The organic shapes of this artwork resemble speech bubbles, like those in comic books. People gather and chatter over each other, making the lines overlap. That’s why the initial title of this piece was Everybody is Talking Because the artwork has four sides and is positioned on a square pedestal, it aligns with the cardinal directions of a compass. The etymology of the word ‘news’ suggests a connection between sharing news and orienting oneself. According to popular belief, ‘news’ was once considered an acronym, representing north east west and south. Another organic form apparent in the sculpture’s shape is that of clouds, ever-changing with the wind – a subtle nod to the Beaufort windforce scale. Crafted from stainless steel, the surface features delicate, swirling lines generated through a repetitive abrasive motion, a process that makes a pattern appear serving as decoration, its appearance shifting with changes in light and the viewer’s movements, much like the ever-changing nature of news.
And in that free area where passageways, bridges, roads, trees and bushes intersect, Richard Deacon’s (UK) N/E/W/S is anchored like a beacon. It looks like a direction finder, a landmark to explore the terrain from all sides. From the north, east, west and south, that gleaming sculpture gives the location real meaning. In the midst of life, between beach and busy roads, the undulating tree structure is like a compass to continue on an adventure.
TROUBLE SEA - Drawing from her passion for architecture, Lucie Lanzini (FR/ BE) gathers details from buildings. Here, the structure Trouble Sea evokes a window. Isolated and taken out of context, it forms a frame that allows us to view the landscape in a different way. The incomplete and disoriented glass leaves space in the frame: you can step through the sculpture, as if it were a gateway. The work, situated in the park near the dunes, serves as an opening to the sea. The pastel blue tint of the glass refers to the surrounding landscape. Lucie Lanzini skillfully invites us to forge a new connection with familiar objects through nuanced interventions. The steel gleams, resembling a mirror, while the glass, in contrast, takes on a cloudy “ocean glass” appearance, rippling like the sea. Consequently, our perspective is somewhat unclear. The rope in bronze refers to fishing rope, to the port. It is a familiar object of the seaside. Its unsettling realism draws you into the work. Here the rope loses its flexibility and function, but it takes on a more symbolic dimension by evoking the idea of connection.
In 1949, when the bunkers, trenches and wire-fencing of the past two world wars were demolished, the dune remnants between Heist and Duinbergen were redeveloped under the name Directeur-Generaal Willemspark, after the official who had made the park’s creation possible. In this new park, seven paths are named after political prisoners who had not survived the war: Pierre De Jonghe, Charles Jacobs, Frans and Damien Welvis, Camiel Ollevier, Robert Vanhulle and Edgard Tonneau. The Bosje van Heist is clearly a place with references to difficult times, often forgotten tragedies and the impact they have had on local history.
The park itself then also included two ponds, tennis courts and a bench with a platform on which there was originally a stone goat that was later replaced by a jaguar. And in this context, Lucie Lanzini brings the installation Trouble Sea a sea-view composed on a human scale with coloured hammered glass flanked by a black frame and a fishing rope in bronze.
Indeed, along the coastline, the artist often saw glass walls or windows, in which sometimes the sky and sometimes the sea reflected, just like the colours of the stained-glass windows in the Visserskapel The texture of the glass directly reflects the surface of the water, depending on the perspective and sunlight, it touches both the intimate and individual story and the public and communal life. In a way, Trouble Sea can be a metaphor for potentially challenging situations or braving storms and adventures at sea.