Al Met Der Tyd
Bronze, concrete base
47 x 70 x 47 cm (18.5 x 27.6 x 18.5 in) (x2)
2024
︎Zeedijk at the level of Koninklijke Bann 4, De Haan, Belgium
Commissioned by Beaufort 24: Triennale by the Sea
Photos ©AS Deldycke
In the dunes between Zeepreventorium and the concession, artist Pei-Hsuan Wang adds more stories to De Haan. At a bench on the paved footpath, there are two guardians, an installation referring to mythical figures and deities in the Chinese-speaking world. These hybrid beings serve as protectors for waterways and coastal communities. The standing figure cradles a fox, a nod to the local legend of Mong de Vos, a beachcomber from De Haan. Wang found inspiration for the title of her work in the heritage archives. Al Met Der Tyd (’all in time’) is the name of one of De Haan's first coastal villas. The phrase conveys the importance of allowing time to facilitate growth in life. Poetically, it also alludes to the cyclical rhythm of seaside living, as is the case for owners of family guesthouses: visitors come and go in waves with the passing seasons.
－ Beaufort 24: Triennale by the Sea
－ Beaufort 24: Triennale by the Sea
I was born on an island (a 'self-ruling' island according to Western media). Water envelops mountains ravines cityscapes and anyone's imagination.
Mainland is the island's phantom limb. Some say memories and specters of the continent have estranged Taiwanese people from the pleasures of the sea. Coastlines are not vacation hotspots but wounds that rift multiple generations and realms where lost souls roam. A sinuous passage demarcated by unceasing outside encroachment.
When I work on this project I also think about my birthplace. How tender and treacherous the ocean can be, pregnant with dark history and unspoken dreams. How it fills a drifter like me with a sense of mooring, time and time again.