Right now up and down the Flemish coast is Beaufort03, a contemporary and very popular initiative that marries nature and the arts. Outdoor installations by international artists pop up in the cities and the sands. Enthusiasts debate whether it is best to plan a Beaufort tour or simply happen upon the works while strolling along.

The latter option is definitely going to be the one employed for those who see Getij-Dingen, Koksijde’s simple yet engaging outdoor arts project. Unveiled with little fanfare, the installation is made up of works of art attached to 15 already existing tide posts along eight-and-a-half kilometres of the beach in Koksijde and neighbouring towns Sint-Idesbald and Oostuinkerke.

The works are by artists who live or have roots at the Flemish coast and are situated low on the tide poles. When the tide comes in, it swallows them up. Although the works are constructed of tough materials like stone or iron, the effect the tide has on each one is part of a process of constantly changing effects. A bit like Beaufort in its setting, but, in this case, nature is having her way with the art.

“A confrontation with nature, with the temporal process of ebb and flow,” says Ingrid Sinnaeve, the artist who spearheaded the project. “We’re allowing reality itself to affect our work.” The works will remain on the poles until the end of the year – “through all four seasons”, notes Sinnaeve. The title is a play on the word “tide” (getij) and “tidings” (tijdingen).

But the word “time” can also be found in the title (tijd). An easy symbolism could be applied about the temporary nature of art and the power of the sea, which is wearing away Getij-Dingen like so many sandcastles. But the installation also conveys the message that anything can change – an idea, a plan, knowledge – if you simply leave it on its own.

www.koksijde.be