Corona monument gets final place in Izegem

“It has become a symbolic location, because the artwork is located next to the building where thousands of people received a corona vaccine several times,” says Kurt Himpe (N-VA) alderman for Culture.

Existing artwork has been processed

The decision to create a corona monument was made in 2020 after a proposal by councilor Nick Verschoot (N-VA). After consultation with Pol Berlamont, Alderman Kurt Himpe immediately saw an opportunity to have the approximately four tons of blue stone, which stood unfinished for years on the square at Prizma Campus Middle School, into a work of art that refers to the corona period.

Artist Piet Duthoit set to work with it.

“An opening was created in the blue stone as a glimpse into the future, in which some stones from the felling waste will also be placed, which symbolize the traces that the entire corona period will leave behind with us. The stone also contains bars that symbolize for being imprisoned during the lockdown. A stair structure in the artwork refers to transcending, overcoming being locked in. In the stair structure there are 19 steps, again a symbolic reference to covid-19. bluestone alludes to the hard and difficult corona period,” says Kurt Himpe.

“Unveiling and modest ceremony will follow in the autumn”

“The artwork was ready at the end of last year, but the circumstances were far from ideal to organize a unveiling, because of corona,” clarifies alderman Kurt Himpe.

“It took a while to find a suitable location, because there were obstacles to placing it in the park of the Blauwhuis castle or the Wallemote-Wolvenhof domain. In the end, the choice was made for a symbolic place, next to ISO hall, where thousands of people received a vaccine against the corona virus. There will also be a plate with an appropriate poem by Kristin Verellen. We are planning an unveiling and a modest ceremony in the autumn, in which the library and the city poet will be involved”.

City councilor Nick Verschoot is delighted that his proposal has taken concrete shape. “The corona monument is not only a reference to a historical period that captivated the population for a long time, it also ensures more art in the public space,” concludes Nick Verschoot.