‘Echelle 1:200’ rencontrer, penser, creëer,

Replica of a flint-stone miner’s shed, from the quarry of the Family Garcet, nearby the tower, Eben Emael (Be)
made of wood, corrugated iron, and steel mesh
metal case with I-pod
stool and table, covered with plaster and silex, drawer with the book ‘1:200’
a pair of headphones

2012 was the 100th birth year of Robert Garcet,

Garcet is well known as the architect and builder of the Tower of Eben Ezer in Eben Emael, Belgium.
The tower, build in silex (flint) stone is the lifework of Garcet. Inside it contains the results of his paleontological and geological research. In addition, his thoughts and philosophy about pacifism, the apocalypse, social issues and the meaning of creating are visualized in the tower.
Garcet was a well-read man. A lot of books with stories, poems, and results of his research are from his hands. Paintings, drawings, sculptures and the tower of imaginary architecture are the results of his passionate life as an autodidactic artist.

For this special occasion, I executed 2 multi media installations:

- Mai 2012, Museum of Natural History in Maastricht (Nl).
- 15 June-16 September 2012, Museum Guislain, Gent, Belgium

- The multi media installation ‘1:200’, was situated in the garden of the Museum of Natural History in Maastricht (Nl). In an original flint stone miner’s shed of corrugated iron, the installation presented my artistic reaction on the paleontological part of Garcet’s explorations. It focused on the urge of gathering knowledge by collecting and describing in the most broadly way, questioning issues of science relating to empirical knowledge.
‘Key’ in this was the book ‘1:200’. In this book, fragments of Garcet’s books ‘Pierres Pensés’ and ‘l’Histoire de silex de la craie’ are intertwined with texts and drawings of my hand.

This multi media installation interacted with the temporary exhibition of the paleontological finds of Garcet. For instance, parts of the Mosasaurus, found in the deepest stratum of the cretaceous period, were showed, as well his stones, found in the divers geological strata. This exhibition was part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the museum.

The installation‘1:200, Museum Guislain, Gent, (Be), (part of the exhibition ‘Bouwen, wonen), is like a triptych. It combines a big 3x3 mtr model of the Tower of Eben Ezer with elements from the interior of the tower, and with the work ‘Encounter’.
This triptych is my artistic view on the work and thought of Robert Garcet, related to my opinion about the actual society, cultural heritage, science, art, outsider art and handy crafts.
‘Trying to meet’ is a multi media installation (1999), I made with Ralph Noort, outsider artist. ‘Trying to meet’ iwas our artistic translation, based on the physical experience of the Tower of Robert Garcet.