Exhibition 'the Netherlands-Belgium, Belgium-the Netherlands', Fort Ellewoutsdijk (nl)
At the little harbor of W.S.V. Ellewoutsdijk on the Western Scheldt, five minutes’ walk from the fort, a dark grey Volvo 740 was parked on the waterside next to the changing-rooms for two months. Visitors and passers-by were invited to get in and to gaze across the Western Scheldt. Those sitting in the car could listen to the live marine telephone calls between the Traffic Management Centre at Terneuzen and passing ships: ‘shipspotting’ as a contemporary form of coastal monitoring. Jeroen Doorenweerd was born in Terneuzen and grew up on a barge. Directly opposite this point, at the dyke, he used to spend hours fishing, gazing across to this side of the water. His father navigated the tugs that pilot large seafaring ships into the Western Scheldt. These were the experiences that prompted this work. The walk over the dyke and past the little harbor, the place where the car was parked and the view were all part of the work. Visitors were encouraged to focus on their surroundings, to engage in the conscious observation of the area. The work also invited them to share in the artist’s exuberant enjoyment of this marvelous location.