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ATAVISM

ATAVISM means reversion to an earlier type. Applied to human beings, atavism is the re-emergence of the characteristics of a certain ancestor or ancestors after a lapse of what may be many generations. The implication is nearly always of something unwholesome and frightening, and the idea has been used in many horror stories. 

In a broader sense, the term atavism is used by occultists to mean the reappearance of characteristics which come from so long ago that they constitute reincarnations, or fresh embodiments, of pre-human consciousness; things which come from the time of creatures half man and half beast. Atavisms of this kind are very rare and intensely horrific. Nor do they always emerge spontaneously.

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This installation was created for the reopening of the Provinciaal Hof in Bruges after a major renovation. Originally built in 1294 as the 'Waterhalle,' it served as a central point of the port of Bruges, right in the heart of the city. This building has served various functions over the centuries. Demolished in 1787, even burned down in 1878 and replaced again with this neo-gothic style building by the architects Louis Delacenserie and René Buyck…

The material used in the installation is a cleaning paste (latex) that was applied to clean the neo-Gothic stone elements during the renovation. Literally peeled from the walls, I draped it over a metal structure, creating a ghostly echo—a second skin of the building’s history. This piece invites viewers to reflect on the layers of time and the stories embedded within the architecture.

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STADT DES ORION, 2023

STADT DES ORION 

A building by Hannsjörg Voth (born 6 February 1940, Germany) who spent 20 years living in Morocco during winter seasons to build his monumental sculptures Himmelsteppe, Goldene Spirale and Stadt des Orion. During the building of Himmelsteppe he lived in a Nomad tent on site, after completion he lived inside the Himmelstreppe, later inside the Golden Spirale where he worked and wrote. Stadt des Orion was built in 2000 until 2003 and it consists of several large observation towers built from rammed earth representing the seven main stars, plus a number of smaller towers representing less visible stars of the constellation “Orion”. The location and dimensions of all structures correspond to the respective stars. Even though the seven big towers serve as astronomical observation points, elucidating the movement of certain celestial bodies through their positions and alignments, the site and its sculptures is primarily meant to be a three dimensional depiction of the constellation Orion.

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