Intruding light, descending dust, noise, … it changes our experience of space. The layers that arise carry information and tell us more about time, space and context. Reconnaissance, brings together those hidden layers in an immersive installation within the 18th century Vleminckx Chapel in Leuven. All together nine translucent textile panels depict one enlarged image of the street side. This image was taken using the entrance hall and the keyhole as camera obscura.

In the past this old devotion chapel used to attract people from across Belgium, who were looking for healing and protection. People from the street would stroll in and fill the interior. Today this historical site is part of the KADOC-KU Leuven archive and research center. During my preparations, restauration works where going on and I was able to witness layers of the past becoming present again. While working on location I noticed how the intruding light would bring in images from the outside world, the entrance whole was working as a camera obscura. Just like painters and photographers would use this technique to create images, it allowed me to bring in the outside inside. The late baroque architecture space became a porous vessel, allowing new spatial narratives to deploy.

With the support of KADOC-KU Leuven archive and research center With the support of the Commision for Contemporary Arts KU-Leuven