Face of Flanders: Willem Vermandere

Vermandere was born in 1940 in Lauwe, part of the town of Menen in West Flanders. His father was a clarinettist, and Willem soon picked up the instrument and played with the local marching band. At the same time, he became interested in the guitar, spurred on by the folk revival. He went on to follow religious studies at Ghent University before teaching in a school in Nieuwpoort.

Vermandere describes himself primarily as a sculptor, though the broader public knows him best for his songs. In Flemish, the genre is known as kleinkunst, or small art, which some regard as belittling; others maintain the word points to the small-scale, intimate nature of the music.

Vermandere sings almost entirely in the dialect of West Flanders, which is as impenetrable to other Flemings as it is to foreigners. He also sings of everyday life and ordinary people as well as major themes such as the church, the Great War or multicultural society. He’s a writer and poet, and inevitably something of a philosopher.

Right now Vermandere is touring a show called 14-18 … en wat nu! about the First World War. “You can’t live in the Westhoek and not sing about it,” he said. “That insane war is still very much present here, even after 100 years.”

The two sculptures that make up the Nieuwpoort memorial, De verzoening (The Reconciliation), are carved from Burgundy stone, rising up out of the ground, each a tangle of limbs entwined, symbolising the former enemies who are now friends and allies.

“I did my best, sweated a lot and swore once or twice,” he said during his dedication speech. “I think these two Burgundians will enjoy it here, with the sea and the salt and the wind and the sand, and all these fine people passing by. People of Nieuwpoort, keep this place clean. The statues are watching you.”

Photo courtesy Lannoo