OMG Van Eyck was here!
You won't believe it, but in the turbulent year of 2020, Jan Van Eyck wandered the streets of Ghent. Nobody saw that, because in the best case scenario, everyone was busy trying out a new hobby indoors.
Nevertheless, there are still traces of his visit, such as the two monumental artworks on the Ketelvest. Created by the French collective Monkey Bird Crew for the Sorry Not Sorry festival, the 'Kanaalsonate' brought a new wind to the water behind the Handelsbeurs. It is a meticulously designed framework on a gigantic scale, and you can still hear a hint of music escaping from it to lighten the mood.
Their creative process
These diptych wall frescoes were created using a combination of hand drawing, cutting, and stencil painting.
During the creative process, the Monkey Bird Crew were guided by a desire to create an echo that would resonate across the rear esplanade of the Handelsbeurs. These harmonies would then be carried further by the flow of the canal, as if they were a sonata echoing throughout the city.
The aim was to offer Ha a silent music festival and express sympathy for the cultural scene in what were then challenging times. Because even in times of emergency, the concert scene cannot be silenced.
The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb
The crew based their creation on the altarpiece The Adoration of the Lamb of God, in which music also plays a significant part. This richly detailed work of art marks a turning point in the Flemish Renaissance, providing an endless source of inspiration.
The two instruments revealed by the Van Eyck brothers are the organ and the harp. They are painted with such precision that musicologists were able to create exact replicas. If you take the time to examine the two murals closely, you will notice that the scenes, structures, postures, draperies and gilding correspond directly to those in the altarpiece.
The two men from the Monkey Bird Crew also felt a personal connection to the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb because, like the old masterpiece, it was the result of the long-term collaboration of a brotherly duo.
A lasting tribute to Ghent
The murals are dedicated to the city of Ghent and to the people who bring it to life and write its history every day.
The beautifully detailed monkey and bird have become silent witnesses to everything that happens at their feet. Come and admire them on a walk along the Ketelvest, or from a boat.
