The architecture of Muze’umL (Roeselare, B) inspired Monique Thomaes to create a setting in which space, light and the viewer played a decisive role. Thomaes’ neo-minimalist works in steel, wood and glass, which she realized during her time in Berlin (1988-2002), leaned against the wall or lay on the floor. In the 90s, these sculptures developed into site-specific installations. – The space is reflected, changing lighting conditions and the movements of the visitors create a visual dynamic. Through an arrangement of glass plates leaning against the wall, the space dissolves into a play of reflections: “inside” invites “outside” and vice versa. Apart from that, visitors move between these two zones in an empty space. These diverse interactions are recorded by a surveillance camera and projected onto an opposite wall.
For Muze’umL, Thomaes constructed a temporary environment in which it is a matter of observing and being observed – an interaction between perceiving and being perceived. Time, light and space become the artist’s media. It is a poetic plea for pausing, for cautious perception and reflection. Thomaes artistically explores the sensitive structures of space and makes visible and audible what is usually not perceived: the soundlessness of silence, the splendour of light, the passage of time.
The German art critic Christoph Tannert writes about her work: “Silence. Clearance. Now you have to listen. Time is getting lost. What patience such a space needs!”
| Monique Thomaes | The glory of the light – A staging – | 2018 | Muze’umL, Roeselare BE | Photo: Johan Defour | Translation: Marlene Mueller-Haas |
Quotes from: – De luister van het licht (Lut De Block) – Bespiegelingen (Johan Pas) – Im Augenblick des Lichts (Christoph Tannert) |
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