The work of Gijs Van Vaerenbergh is not a mirage
Reading between the lines ("Reading between lines") is a duo project Gijs Van Vaerenbergh a collaboration between young Belgian architects Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh. Since 2007, both artists have been implementing architectural projects, but they are still starting from an artistic intention. Their projects do not always come from the client’s initiative, which leaves them a great degree of autonomy. The spectator is at the heart of their concerns: experience, reflection and physical interaction.
Reading between the lines is part of an artistic journey that brings together works of some ten artists from the region of Borgloon-Heers (in the Flemish province of Limburg). Lost in the middle of the Belgian countryside, this unusual church is a real work of art capable of taking away any notion of space and time. At first sight, this church has nothing ordinary, but the monument is actually filled with mystery. Depending on the angle of view, the building is transformed as a glamour. The church almost disappears in the landscape, giving the illusion of being suspended above the countryside.
The work reproduces exactly the lines of the local church in the background, that of the village of Looz. According to the viewer's perspective, the small chapel can therefore be seen as a massive building or it dissolves, partially or totally, in the landscape. The viewers looking from the inside of the church to the outside, are witnesses of an abstract set of lines that remodels the surrounding landscape. In this way, both the church and the landscape can be considered as part of the work, hence its name, which implies that one must read between the lines. In other words: the church makes the subjective experience of the landscape visible, and vice versa.
This “church” consists of 30 tons of steel and 2000 columns and is built on a reinforced concrete base. Thanks to the use of horizontal plates, the concept of the traditional church is transformed into a transparent artistic object.
And here is a video showing how the church was set up:
Photo credits : Filip Dujardin (via) Gijs Van Vaerenbergh ), Z33 Art centre
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