THUNDERDOME

Marie-Claire Krell’s shop front is a window to the world of the city. On a screen, a video showing the rear of the Church of Saint Vincent (dating from the 14^th century in Liège) broadcasts continuously. This building and its distinctive architecture (notably its copper dome) becomes a strange and magnetic objet within the city.

Passers-by are confronted with unique light-related phenomena. The video bears witness to the light shows put on by the stained-glass windows of the church and the changing weather outside.

The artist’s work, which is result of historical research and observations in the field, does not address religion, but looks into our relations with the world. The spire of the bell tower is resituated as an elementary benchmark for gauging the surrounding environment and navigating the landscape (with a horizon distant at an all round radius of 5 km). It provides greater independence for discovering the world.

This steadfast monument of stone, metal and wood has blended into the increasingly dense architecture of the city for centuries, casting doubt on the need to invent new construction materials and techniques that are supposed to be « economic » or « sustainable ». It is an intellectual gain in conceiving an ergonomic city, « on a human scale » as imagined by the architect Le Corbusier based on the dimensions of the human body.