Architects Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh, partners behind the firm Gijis Van Vaernbergh, are in the process of installing their newest creations all around the Netherlands. It's a series of 34 ft. tall steel churches, each made out of 100 stacked layers of steel and 2000 steel column plates. The project is entitled “Reading between the Lines.”
As one changes their perspective, the church becomes more solid one way and less solid the other. It seems to disappear into the surrounding environment at just the right angle. Also, as the sun sets, the interior of the church changes as well. The light is filtered in through the gaps, creating a spiritual feeling.
The use of steel as the main construction material ties directly into the relationship between religion and the Netherlands. Since there are less and less visitors to churches as the years pass, many churches have fallen into disuse. By making these structures out of steel, they're emphasizing the importance and needed permanence of these buildings.
Gijis and Vaerenbergh also play with the idea of transparency. Through these installations they're stating that, though something cannot always be seen clearly, it does not mean it does not exist. Visitors are encouraged to look at the piece from all different angles, inspecting how it changes before their very eyes.
