Christophe Terlinden’s work aims to situate the viewer in the work and integrate the community in his artistic approach. Manoeuvring between art, play and functionality, the artist installation project involves eight masts and flags on Thuin’s viaduct. He has created four sets of flags for the town, which can be used according to the seasons, events and festivities in the calendar. His first project, Jour de fête, involves the traditional flags of Belgium, the Walloon Region and the town of Thuin. Only the European flag differs from the original one: the twelve stars are united here to form a utopian circle open to everyone. For the second work, Formule TW1, Thuin’s viaduct (an s-shaped technical feat that straddles the Sambre) is the subject of his fantasy, which he transforms into a race track. In connection with the history of Thuin’s inland waterways, the third piece, entitled, Maritim, takes eight flags from the international code of maritime signals, usually hoisted on a ship’s mast to show who it belongs to or to send a message, which he mixes up to create a wonderful cacophony at the entrance to the port. Finally, the fourth set of flags is presented in the form of subjective maps, personal stories and trivial drawings by pupils from Thuin. They invite us to slow down and look differently at eight emblematic places in their town.
