In the rural hills near Borgloon in Belgian Limburg, you can find an extraordinary art installation that has been attracting tourists and lovers of contemporary art for over a decade. ‘Reading Between the Lines’, also known as the Doorkijkkerk, is a structure resembling a traditional local church, yet at the same time almost entirely transparent. The project has become an opportunity to reflect on the role of the Church in the public sphere and its significance in today’s increasingly secular world.
The origins of the Doorkijkkerk project
The installation was designed by Belgian architects Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh as part of a public exhibition organised by the Z33 Kunstencentrum museum. The exhibition spanned a number of locations in Borgloon and Heers, and the Doorkijkkerk became its most recognisable feature. The construction of the openwork church required meticulous planning of the entire project. The steel panels forming the basis of the installation were cut by a local company over a period of seven months, all in accordance with the architects’ specifications. The assembly of the structure took four weeks, and the official completion of the work took place on 24 September 2011.
Architecture and form of the “temple”
In their design, the creators drew inspiration from the silhouette of one of the local churches, whose shape they recreated using laser scans. The installation takes the form of an elongated structure with a tower situated above the eastern entrance. It consists of 100 horizontal steel plates, separated from one another by thousands of small columns. Thanks to this arrangement, the whole structure has a semi-transparent appearance, and the proportions of the steel elements and the gaps between them mean that from one angle the building appears massive, whilst from another it almost disappears against the backdrop of the beautiful Belgian countryside. The structure was built using 30 tonnes of Corten steel set on a concrete foundation. It stands 10 metres tall and is one of those examples of architecture where the viewer encounters something massive yet light, even ephemeral.
Different perspectives of the Doorkijkkerk
The visual effect of the installation depends on the vantage point from which it is viewed. From a lower or higher vantage point, the Doorkijkkerk appears as a solid, complete structure in the shape of a rural church, of which there are many in the Belgian landscape. However, when viewed from the level of its foundations, the observer sees through it the open landscape of Limburg’s fields and hills. The views from inside the openwork church are also impressive. They reveal a world fragmented by horizontal and vertical steel elements, which may also invite interpretation in the context of faith and viewing life through its prism.
Room for interpretation
The architects emphasise that their work is not a religious commentary, but leaves viewers free to interpret it as they wish. Journalist Ronan J. O’Shea noted in “The Guardian” that the installation prompts reflection on the role of the church in the modern world. It can be seen both as an art space, as a symbol of an institution losing its material dimension, and as a place of worship.
Wanda Lau of “Architect Magazine”, meanwhile, points out that the building serves as a reminder of the dual nature of the church, which can be the centre of community life or merely a feature of the landscape. Thanks to its unusual form, the Doorkijkkerk continues to provoke questions about the significance of architecture and its influence on the way we perceive the space around us.
Source: visitlimburg.be, worldwildschooling.com
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