Amnis I, 2012, Cement board and wood, 590 x 410 x 590 cm

Temporary installation for KANAL, Wielsbeke, BE (with support of Isolava & Unilin)

The monumental work Amnis, installed next to the Roeselare-Leie Canal in Wielsbeke, was positioned so that visitors first encounter a tall, solid black wall with a rectangular opening at the top. On the other side of the sculpture, they discover a grand entrance with stairs, inviting them to step inside. Once inside—after the initial experience of light outside—the visitor finds themselves in a completely darkened space, enveloped by a black mass.

Feeling their way through the darkness, visitors can ascend to the top of the structure via stairs, where a bench awaits them. Sitting there—having first been temporarily blinded by the intense outdoor light streaming through the opening—they can take in the view of the canal, as well as the tranquility of its long, straight waterline. This canal, once heavily trafficked in the twentieth century, played a significant role during the war and functioned in West Flanders not only as a passageway but also as a kind of border.

This work thus provides a physical space for memory—both personal and geographical—a shelter where one may linger briefly, embraced by its presence, whether as an intentional visitor or a passing wanderer.