M O N U M E N T

introduction to the work

The Vlaamse Leergangen was a beautiful building opposite the city hall of Leuven, Belgium. Unlike its neighbors, Hulleputtegebouw and Hotel d’Eynatten, it did not receive monumental status. In 2016 the building was demolished to make space for a more modern construction.

Before the Vlaamse Leergangen disappeared, Peeters made a flux installation for the local visual arts festival Ithaka. After converting one of the rooms into a darkroom, she printed a photograph of the building onto the wall. Unlike most images, this depiction was not fixated. When light entered the room, the photograph began to fade. Visitors of the festival witnessed the transformation. By the time Itaka came to and end, the image of the Vlaamse Leergangen had fully disappeared.

Who decides what can be preserved and what can be forgotten? Peeters analysed this quest by making use of analogue photography, a historical process that is also under threat as technological advances move further into the digital.