Reading Between the Lines, Steel art installation in Borgloon, Belgium

Reading Between The Lines stands in the fields south of Borgloon, between the town and the Roman road, on a concrete base set into the sloping Hesbaye landscape. It takes the form of a small Western European church: a rectangular body with a pitched roof and a tall pointed spire at one end, built from horizontal corten steel plates joined by welded square pieces. The plates are spaced apart, so the walls and spire are pierced by wavy slits and the fields show through.

The work was created in 2011 and responds to the religious heritage of the region, where Borgloon once contained many churches and chapels. The installation transforms this legacy into a contemporary art form that bridges tradition and modern perspective.

The work engages visitors' visual perception by creating a church-like form that shifts as you move around it. The layered steel allows you to see the surrounding landscape while experiencing a geometric composition.

The site is accessible throughout the year and can be reached from a nearby parking area. You can visit at any time of day, and different times bring different lighting effects depending on weather conditions.

The structure is made of 100 stacked layers of weathering steel, joined by welded square plates and set on a concrete base. From a distance it reads as a solid church; up close the gaps let the Hesbaye hills show through, and the effect is strongest once you step inside.