荷蘭烏特勒支　水線紀念碑

The New Dutch Waterline was a historic defence line measuring 85 kilometres in length. Waterline Monument, the latest artwork by Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, was recently installed on the slope between the A12 motorway and the green recreation area Laagravense Plassen in Utrecht (Netherlands). The new work depicts in a contemporary manner the ingenious hydraulic engineering of the New Dutch Waterline. The Waterline is an extensive system that lies hidden in the landscape. Gijs Van Vaerenbergh chose to work with the figure of a lock, one of the most important elements in this system, used as a gate to hold back the waters. As such, it forms a crucial link between dykes and embankments.

Viewed from an angle, Waterlinie Monument looks massive. The work was formed through the stacking of hundreds of open steel tubes of different lengths. A field of tension is created: the logic of stacking creates an abstract repetition; the diversity of lengths creates an irregular relief. From a distance, the image of the lock is dominant; up close, the work's appearance is determined by the rhythm and composition of the tubes. The slope onto which the work is placed, the footpath, the A12 motorway and the water, they all run parallel to each other and at right angles to the tubes of Waterlinie Monument. As such, the work always presents itself as a solid stack of tubes, except when visitors pass by it. The gaze then not only passes through the arches of the gate, but also through the tubes themselves. For a brief moment, the image dissolves; the artwork becomes partially transparent. This creates a special, elusive moment of wonder and a new perception of spatiality.

位於荷蘭烏特勒支的新荷蘭水線是條歷史悠久的防線，全長八十五公里，在近期，由吉斯．范．瓦倫伯格在此設計的「水線紀念碑」藝術作品，以一種當代手法描繪了「新荷蘭水線」這一巧妙的水利工程。由於水線屬於景觀規劃裡的龐大系統，因此設計師選用「鎖」的圖樣作為概念，不僅代表此項作品是水線系統中最重要的元素之一，更是堤壩和路堤之間的重要聯繫。

就某些角度來看，水線紀念碑相當巨大，這是因為它是由數百根不同長度的開口鋼管堆疊而成；堆疊的設計邏輯創造了一種抽象性的重複，而不同長度的鋼管組合，則創造了如同浮雕般的起伏外觀。從遠處觀看，「鎖」的形象代表著主導地位，然而近距離觀察它時，鋼管的韻律和組成卻形塑另種氛圍。另外，紀念碑周邊的斜坡、人行道、高速公路與水面彼此平行，並與作品的鋼管成直角，因此當參觀者經過時，作品總是以一堆堅固的鋼管形式呈現，人們的視線不僅穿過拱門，亦穿過管子本身，且有那麼一瞬間，紀念碑彷彿消失一般。

Principal Architects：Gijs Van Vaerenbergh
Structural Engineering：ABT
Contractor：Van Wijk Nieuwegein（groundwork）．AREL（steel contractor）
Principal Materials：corten steel tubes
Location：Utrecht, The Netherlands
Photos：Johnny Umans
Interview：Jason Chen
Text：Gijs Van Vaerenbergh
Collator：Grace Hung

主要建築師：吉斯．范．瓦倫伯格
結構工程：ABT
施工單位：Van Wijk Nieuwegein（基礎工程）．AREL（鋼鐵工程）
主要建材：耐候鋼鋼管
座落位置：荷蘭烏特勒支
影像：強尼．烏曼斯
採訪：陳宗岷
文字：吉斯．范．瓦倫伯格
整理：洪雅琪