H.S.-N.Y.-94-99

In 2007, the work H.S.-N.Y.-94-99 was permanently installed in the new Concert Hall in Bruges (designed by architects Paul Robbrecht and Hilde Daem). The monumental close-up of a section of decorative wallpaper was printed on Japanese silk paper, soaked in epoxy and fixed along the upper edge of a wall in the atrium of the building. From below, taught concrete construction draws the eye upwards, where one sees an impressive plane of gray tints, which is quite literally framed by the architecture. Once one is upstairs, the subtle scale of tones and delicate texture of the surface entice the viewer into a gradual, tactile exploration of the image. We discover traces of age (a hole, a stain, a stripe) that lend the photograph pictorial quality. The concrete walls seem to have actually absorbed the work, as if it were a fresco, as the image is seamlessly incorporated into the building. In this new context, a rather pompous pattern becomes an opposing motif and takes on meaning as a carefully considered ornament in a severe, cool environment.