Surrounded by apple and pear fields, the Doorkijkkerk — a see-through church near Borgloon — is not easy to find. Getting there was almost an adventure. We drove our camper van through endless narrow paths that seemed more like trails than roads. Fortunately, we had a very detailed offline map that guided us to our destination without a hitch.
We stopped to visit this remarkable art piece when we were going from Hasselt to Liège. It was a quiet Monday afternoon and, when we finally arrived, we had the whole place to ourselves.
Also known as Reading Between the Lines, this artwork by architect duo Gijs van Vaerenbergh is part of pit — a project by local art gallery z33 that aims to bring art into the public space and to make us look differently at our surroundings.
The church is built from 100 stacked layers of steel plates and rests on a concrete foundation in the middle of a field. The structure stands 10 meters high and weighs over 30 tons. Depending on where you stand, it can look like a solid structure or it seems to dissolve into the landscape; creating an awesome optical illusion, a transparent church of sorts.
From the inside, you can admire the landscape as it is redefined by the lines of the steel layers. Also, the design of this art piece is based on the form of the local church. In fact, if you look at the structure from a certain angle, you can see how it perfectly wraps around the nearby village’s church.
For some people it might not be worth the detour, but we really enjoyed the whole experience. It was great to go off the beaten path to find this transparent church in the middle of no where. If you are in the area, you should check it out!
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Have you visited the Doorkijkkerk – Reading Between the Lines? How did you like the experience. Leave a comment and let us know!
This is an amazing piece of art. We’re from Belgium and haven’t even seen it but thanks to your post we’ll definitely check it out when we’re back in our home country!
Thanks for sharing!
Tara & Vic