Let there be light: Muze’um L in West Flanders is a delight for the senses
A mysterious structure built on a country lane outside of Roeselare introduces visitors to the concept of connections through the earth’s meridians
The Light Meridian
“My father is 85 years old, and his entire life he’s been working with light,” explains Maarten Callebert from outside the museum, a thin line of a building on a lovely country lane backed by wildflowers. “He was known for a project in which he programmed a slide projector to respond to music. He travelled the world to perform these artistic concerts using abstract slides.”
And his father, Fernand Callebert, is also interested in architecture, living in a house built for the family by the famous modern architect Huib Hoste. So when the province of West Flanders asked the family to create some kind of cultural project on the grassy field next to their home, Fernand knew one thing: It had to work with light.
At solar noon, the sun comes down and beams right across this meridian. And then a few seconds later, it’s gone
The request came from the province as part of the Bergmolenbos development, a new protected nature reserve just outside of Roeselare. Native plants are being allowed to thrive, walking paths are being created, and new forests are being planted. Bergmolenbos also takes in the existing Sterrenbos forest and, when complete, will be one of the largest forests in Flanders.
West Flanders wanted a cultural aspect to the project, and they found the Calleberts’ private property, which borders parts of the newly planted forest, the perfect spot for this. The Calleberts agreed on one condition: They would own the project and run it privately.
The province agreed, and the result is Muze’um L, a blazing white structure that houses a gallery and an open area built in such a way that when the sun shines, it creates geometrical lines and shapes on the walls and floor. And one of these lines is very special.
The Light Meridian (left) at solar noon
Muz’eum L was built specifically to make the most of solar noon, the moment when the sun is the highest in the sky. In order to create a perfect line of sunlight at that moment, slits had to be cut from the walls of the roofless structure in precisely the right place.
Callebert’s field sits at 50°55’12”N, 3°7’45”E. So the architect in charge of the project, Marc Van Schuylenbergh of Aalst, calculated exactly where these slits in the wall had to be placed so that when the sun was at its highest point, it would create a shaft of light that would shine along that line of longitude.
Now at solar noon – generally between 12.00 and 14.00 local time – the sun creates that perfect line, a line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole. The Calleberts dubbed it the Light Meridian.
Down into the light
“Every meridian is connected to the light, to the sun,” says Maarten. “Time zones are divided by these meridians. When it’s noon here, it’s later or earlier if you go left or right on the earth. At solar noon, the sun comes down and beams right across this meridian. And then a few seconds later, it’s gone.”
The walls of Muze’um L – which is referred to as a museum of light and landscape – appear short from the front, but the building is sunk into the earth, which slants downward at the back. So visitors enter the right side and descend down a ramp to enter into the open space. This is where the Light Meridian makes it appearance every day.
“We call this area the workshop of the sun,” says Maarten, “because while it’s doing this” – he points to a spot on the floor – “it’s also doing this” – he points to a spot on the wall. “This is also very special” – he points to a minor slant in floor, created for drainage, where a different shaft of light is at work.
The front of the museum on Bergstraat in Roeselare
“Last week, that shaft was over there, but now it’s exactly here and there. Even after five years, I still discover things like this. Once last year I came in and saw a line of light on that wall, one metre long. And I could not figure out where it was coming from. It was there for a couple of minutes, and then it was gone. It must be some combination of all the walls, but I never saw it before, and I haven’t seen it again.”
Muze’um L was built more than five years ago, but Maarten’s enthusiasm for the concept and the space has not worn off. Since his parents still live next door, he comes down the ramp and into the “workshop of the sun” regularly.
So do many other people, he says, including some who meditate in the space and some who do yoga here. It’s open and freely accessible every day, 24-hours-a-day.
Anyone can create something on their own meridian. We just named ours and made it possible to see it
Though it really is best to visit at solar noon, which right now is just before 14.00. The day of my visit it was at 13.51 and 50 seconds. It will be a few seconds later every day until the end of July, when the days will start to get shorter. Then it will be a few seconds earlier every day. A schedule of precisely what time solar noon will flow through Muze’um L can be consulted on the website.
Of course every location on earth can be tied to a line of latitude and longitude, so this building could have been built anywhere along any one of them. But seeing the line of light enter the structure and head out the other side does give one a sense of wonder about what else is going on on that line halfway around the world.
3°7’45”E starts in the ice, then travels through water until it reaches the coast of Belgium – Blankenberge to be exact. It heads through West Flanders, goes through Muze’um L, then heads into France.
An artwork also runs along the meridian behind the museum
And it’s solar noon at the same moment across the meridian. “If you put things on the line, they are automatically connected – just by virtue of being on this line,” says Maarten.
The fact that it could have been built anywhere “is the inspiring part,” says Maarten. “Anyone can create something on their own meridian. We just named ours and made it possible to see it. We are simply making our meridian visible.”
And not just with the museum. The farmer across the street agreed to not plant in his field along the Light Meridian. Instead, there is a grassy lane lined by trees. Go to the back of Muze’um L to see another line of grass, also cutting through trees in the distance. As far as the eye can see, one line.
Life on the line
It does speak to the imagination. Who else is standing on this line at the same moment I am? What else can you find along it? Maarten became curious, so he looked it all up. And he found some amazing coincidences.
The meridian enters Europe not just in Blankenberge, but directly at the city’s lighthouse. In France, it cuts across a piece of land art and directly along the Meridienne motorway before leaving Europe in Palamos, Spain … at a lighthouse.
And it enters Algiers at the site chosen for the Great Museum of Africa, an ambitious plan to build a mammoth museum with art from every country on the continent.
Those are the highlights, but the Light Meridian also crosses more towers and works of public art. Maarten would love to see a collaboration among them one day. For now he’s content to know just what lies along the Light Meridian.
Behind Muze’um L are two works of art in the open-air. One of them is made up of horizontal lines of green strings that stretch along the Light Meridian. “Another copy of this installation used to stand in Blankenberge,” says Maarten. “So if you were standing in front of it in Blankenberge, and you looked to the south, you knew the museum was here.”
Muze’um L, at Bergstraat 23, Roeselare, is freely accessible at any time except for the gallery, which is open only on Sundays from 14.00-17.00. It hosts a new installation every season. The current installation by Gerard Kuijpers is called “Dancing Stones”. It is a hands-on show, visitors are encouraged to give the stones a little push. A guided tour of the entire museum site is available by appointment for €50
Photos ©Els Debbaut
