Labyrinth

Gijs Van Vaerenbergh

Genk, C-Mine 10

2015

C-Mine Genk

In 2005 the old mining site of Winterslag got a new destination: C-Mine. We had already visited it before, but we have come back again, because the labyrinth of Gijs Van Vaerenbergh is new. I admire the two architect artists and have already written something about another realization of them: the see-through church of Borgloon.

Labyrinth

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of C-Mine, Gys Van Vaerenbergh built a labyrinth. People have been building mazes since ancient times. It attracts people: it scares them because they can get lost in it. But it is also playful and young. As they say: the oldest form of an experience installation.

Steel

The project measures 37.5 by 37.5 meters and weighs almost 190 tonnes in total. It consists of steel plates of 5 meters high and you can get lost in it for almost 1 kilometer. Through-holes have been made in the walls with geometric motifs: whole or half spheres and cylinders. This allows you to discover the environment while walking through the labyrinth.