Kristof Vrancken's profile

Gijs Van Vaerenbergh: Reading Between The Lines (Z33)

Photography
Gijs Van Vaerenbergh makes church sculpture as part of art in public space project
Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, a collaboration  between young Belgian architects Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh, have built  a see-through church in the Belgian region of Haspengouw. The church is a part of the Z-OUT project of
Z33,  house for contemporary art based in Hasselt, Belgium. Z-OUT is  an ambitious long-term art in public space project that will be realised on different locations in the Flemish region of Limburg over  the next five years.
The church is 10 meters high and is made of 100 layers and 2000 columns of steel. Depending on the perspective of the viewer, the church is either perceived as a massive building or seems to dissolve  - partly or entirely - in the landscape. On the other hand, looking at the landscape from within the church, the surrounding countryside is redefined by abstract lines.
The design of the church is based on the architecture of the multitude of  churches in the region, but through the use of horizontal plates, the concept of the traditional church is transformed into a transparent object of art.
The project is called 'Reading between the Lines' and is a project by the duo Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, a collaboration between young Belgian architects Pieterjan Gijs (Leuven, 1983) and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh (Leuven, 1983).Since 2007, they have been realizing projects in the public space  that derive  from their architectural background, but  clearly display an artistic intention. As such, their projects do not always originate from the customary commission  and carry a large degree of autonomy. Their primary concerns are experiment, reflection, a physical involvement with the end result and the input of the viewer.

More information

www.z33.be

Copyright pictures: www.kristof-vrancken.com / Z33
Gijs Van Vaerenbergh: Reading Between The Lines (Z33)
Published:

Gijs Van Vaerenbergh: Reading Between The Lines (Z33)

Gijs Van Vaerenbergh makes church sculpture as part of art in public space project

Published: