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060709: Belgian Coast: Beaufort03
Belgian Coast: Beaufort03
Target group dynamics
Jetsam, flotsam, cultural goods. The wind is blowing in all directions on the Belgian North Sea coast of Flanders, presumably at bearable Beaufort gusts. Beaufort: a storm of art, projects, and installations is blowing along the Flemish coast until October 4. Sir Francis Beaufort, born 1774 in Ireland, developed this wind speed scale, which is still valid today. It divides the wind into 12 classes - from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane).
And this part of the coast is also turning more and more into a touristic crisis region; another reason why many works of this international art triennial are located directly at the seaside and can easily be reached wearing a swimsuit – and if it rains, there isn’t much else to do anyway.
Beaufort03 is one of many bi-, tri-, and quadrennials around the globe; every fourth day a new one opens its gates. At the beach near Bredene, the milky skyline of Ostend in the background, a journalist working for La Stampa discovers a limp red balloon with a little note attached to it. “Marieke and Gerry, soon we will be a threesome”. This discovery forms a surreal connection to a rusty, octahedron dice-like creature, which somehow ended up on the beach: jetsam, flotsam, cultural goods? A garbled German-language sign attempts to give detailed information and a German-language “Art- and Coast Guide” provides diverse tips on hiking and biking. Contributions from German artists are displayed at Blankenberg’s Pier and Ostend. Among them: an “Ikarus” by Lothar Hempel, and a huge concrete wall by Harald Klingelhöller at the Ostend Museum.
The rusty dice-like creature mentioned afore is named “Metatron” and was created by Louis de Cordier. Other works shown along the coast are a painted cuboid by the American artist Sterling Ruby, which attempts to soak up the rainbow-like dramatic atmosphere, Niek Kemp’s red steel pavilion maze, ducking in the white sand. Aneas Wilder’s 12 meter high wooden dome installed in Middlekerke-Westende and Tamar Frank’s water tower, its roof immersed into green neon-light. Evan Holloway set a huge sail made of silver and copper mesh. On the sail one can read the words: “Never good enough”. Daniel Buren’s striped wind sleeves attached to poles at the beach of De Haans are a pleasant decoration. Architecture and nature, like Jason meadow’s “Plopsaland” Blowups, provide for one of the dialogues at this third “Beaufort” project. The other dialogue is provided by contemporary art’s answer to the history of the Flemish coastal strip. Such as the remains of a feigned floor plan of the Ten Duinen Abbey (1138) in Kojksijde by the Dutch artist Krijn de Koning. The Belgian Philip Aguirre created a boat-memorial to remind of the refugee problem. Following a journey to Senegal, Aguierre installed one of these tragic ship constructions perpendicular to the sky, which resembles cemetery chapel offering informative content on misery.
Belgian ocean-art-history and reminiscences of the years 1830 to 1958 are presented at the “Art Museum at Sea” in Ostend – including interiors and seascapes, and contributions by Margritte, Ensor or Permeke. In view of the concrete frontier along nearly the entire Belgian coastline, the Belle Epoque posters appear like a farewell, Some target group tactics were intentional: the Avant-gardists out towards the contemporary sea, the lovers of tradition into the museum on Romestraat 11.
By Roland Groß
Belgian Coast
until 04.10.09
www.beaufort03.be
Mehr Texte von translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville
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