I feel the warm air on my cheeks.
A temporal rift is opening up,
since time immemorial humans could sense
the grace of such a caress.

Everything is there and takes me away,
into distant memories,
past and future
of this land.

Etude, outdoor exhibition of S.M.A.K. Museum and Cultuurcentrum in a parc in Menin, Belgium
September 2020

Otium, 2020
Glass. Variable Dimensions.

A glass platform is placed on the ground, without altering the skyline. Its outline flirts with strangeness - not a square, neither a circle, but an intermediate form : an irregular octogon. It materializes a space-time of free and open thinking or a refuge from the demands of productivity. This invitation to mental space is inspired by etude - or musical study, a composition that is not meant to be heard by others. 

In relation to the garden, the location proposed for this experience is significant and inciting, like a neuralgic point where different universes mingle. From this setting emanates a unique sensation suggested by the visual proximity between rose arches and national flags, or between the river/border and a construction site. The material implemented is reduced to the essential in order to give decisive roles to the mental wanderings and movements of the visitor: to sculpt the gaze, to evoke tranquility and contemplation by highlighting the poetic qualities of the garden. The emphasis is on simplicity, not to give an added value, but rather to reveal the unsuspected intrinsic qualities of the garden.

Photos : Nicolas Kengen