De Druppel
Artwork
De Druppel (meaning ‘Droplet’) is an interactive installation consisting of 165 buckets. The buckets are stacked over nine layers in the shape of a pyramid. Only the highest bucket on top of the pyramid is filled to the brim with water. There is, however, no pump for the water to flow continuously. The intervention is therefore dependent on the weather and kicks into action only when it rains. Rain will make the brimming top bucket overflow and suddenly turn the entire installation into a fountain. Visitors are invited to admire this work in classic Belgian showery weather.
Location
Exact GPS coordinates location artwork: 50°46'37.0"N 3°02'33.1"E
In Wervik, between the lofty Saint Medard Church and the new bridge on the river Lys, a five-metre wide strip slopes gently from the centre to the river. Emphasising the movement towards the water, this slanting little square is also the stage for this installation. The vegetation further models and colours the flow towards the water and serves as a green background for the artistic intervention. The new bridge, far more than a symbolic connection between Flanders and France, spans the gap towards a robust water system and a blue-green future. De Druppel is situated in close proximity to Balokken landscape park, a fairly recent 89-acre recreational island between two river arms that came about when a river bend was straightened in 1990. It is the consummate place to dream away thanks to its walkways, a swamp deck path, sitting corners, gentle undulations, a cafeteria, hiker’s cabins and camper site. Here, Wervik has water, green, art and movement all flowing fondly and fabulously together.
Artist
Ghent-based Belgian artist Zeli Bauwens (°1992) graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Textiles and as a master of Sculptural Art. Having focused mainly on everyday objects and their function during her training, the Ostend-born artist has since then zeroed in on nature and landscapes. Her body of work consists mainly of installations, sculptures and land art. Bauwens looks for connections and seeks to link objects, occurrences and actions from our daily life and out of nature. She considers herself a conceptual artist due to the deep line of thinking that runs through her work, mostly tucked underneath a layer of surreal humour. Her works are individual stories that, somehow, still need to converge. With each story, she tries to impart something to think over, something to contemplate or fantasise about.
