Womb of Time: Art at the Meuse / Kunst aan de Maas

The motif of the land artwork Womb of Time is based on an Indonesian tampan weaving, in which two mirrored vessels form a womb-like space. Human figures appear to float within a cosmic, cyclical continuum, evoking passage, transformation and refelct on the relationship between humans, plants, minerals, water, nature and the cosmos.

The work resonates with its surroundings and history, in the nineteenth century, the castle owner Villain XIIII created an arboretum of extraordinary trees. Later, a neighbouring building became a maternity clinic; many people from the villages around Leut were born there. Nearby, the river Meuse flows as a natural border between Belgium and the Netherlands.

The artwork takes the form of a weaving made from handmade bricks, using clay from the Meuse. Each brick is stamped with leaf patterns from the arboretum. Formed from river sediment accumulated over eons, the clay carries geological time.  Nature and memory come together in a work about time, transformation and renewal.

Commisioned by Z33, House of Contemporary Art, Design & Architecture and the Regional Landscape Kempen en Maasland (RLKM), the work is part of a large-scale art project in the Meuse valley: Art on the Meuse in Belgium.