A second moon for Vlimmeren
Sarah van Sonsbeeck

The context

Vlimmeren, in the Antwerp region, is part of the municipality of Beerse. However, a small group of passionate inhabitants of all ages wanted to assert their own identity, independent of Beerse : they will become the patrons of a work of art that will symbolize this distinction.

The church of Saint-Quirinus, which belongs to the municipality, is a central point in the life of the village of Vlimmeren. Visible from afar, it also offers a sense of protection to the inhabitants. For the patrons, it was obvious that the future work had to be directly linked to the church.

The commission

The young artist, Sarah van Sonsbeek, was chosen for her ability to make slight shifts in the perception of our daily environment through her works based on light or sound. To mark the difference of Vlimmeren, the artist wanted to change his reality, thus making the village unique.

So Sarah van Sonsbeek offered Vlimmeren... a second moon!

The model of the project was tested and produced with the help of the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam.
During the year of working with the patrons, Sarah van Sonsbeeck won two prizes : the Public Visual Art Prize of the Nederlandse Volkskrant and the Theodora Niemeijer Prize.

The inauguration took place on 27 January 2013. On a full moon night, when Vlimmeren was suddenly illuminated by two moons!

Sarah van Sonsbeek

Architect by training, she was, like the patrons, sensitive to the simple and harmonious architecture of the Church of Saint Quirinus. Made of a special material that stores sunlight, the new moon is fixed to the church tower and illuminates the village at night.