The core of the research consists of 300 small oil paintings with an identical format and the same subject: the British coast. The paintings are subdivided into ten series that are stored in a specially constructed cassette or shrine.
Each series is built around a different location and bears its topographical place name as a title. Depending on the exhibition space, a number of 'excerpts' are exhibited.
Where possible, the paintings are created as 'fieldwork', with the same place always functioning as a starting point. Repetition of a motif results in a collection of diverse landscape interpretations, ranging from pleinairistic views to semi-abstract compositions.
On the other hand, this repetition aims at a process of intensification and deepening. The image as a result of a purely visual perception tilts to the domain of the experience. The painting gauges the resonance of a landscape.
In addition, the project has an ecological dimension. In these landscapes, an underlying feeling of melancholy and loss lurks. By focusing on coastlines, a landscape that is likely to change drastically under the influence of climate change, each cassette becomes a reliquary, in which the memory of a dear spot is archived, preserved and cherished.
Researcher: Bruno Van Dijck
Promoters: Arthur Cools (UA) & Johan Pas (KAA)
