Reflection - Germaine Kruip - © Lieven Geuns
Reflection
Germaine Kruip
A poetic and audible ode to the vanished ferry between Meeswijk and Urmond (NL)
Until the 1950s, a ferry operated on the site of the artwork between Meeswijk and Urmond. The Meuse formed a natural border, but also a cultural bridge between Belgium and the Netherlands. Residents of the Meuse Valley shared a common history, dialect and customs. The vanished ferry is therefore not only a practical, but also a symbolic point of departure for the work of Germaine Kruip.
Connected to the landscape, attuned to the site
The sculpture consists of a five-metre-long vertical rod made of specially developed brass, suspended between two ten-metre-high poles set 32 metres apart. That impressive scale is no coincidence: Reflection is not only Germaine Kruip’s first permanent sound sculpture in public space, but also her largest to date.
The rod was custom-tuned by Thein Brass, a renowned workshop in Bremen. They developed a unique brass alloy especially for this work, the precise composition of which remains secret. The tuning was carried out using hammer blows, fire and water — a craft-based process that produces a deep, sonorous sound. That meditative tone carries across the water like an echo of the bell that once announced the ferry.
The landscape, too, played an active role in the design: the dimensions, orientation and materials of Reflection are attuned to the surrounding setting. Its slender forms and minimalist design ensure that the work is monumental in its impact, yet blends subtly into the landscape visually. Three black granite benches invite visitors to sit down, be still and listen.
Local input and intuitive choice
From the outset, Kruip worked closely with a local working group from Maasmechelen. During shared walks and bike rides, she explored this stretch of the RivierPark Maasvallei and intuitively pointed out places that appealed to her. Only later did it become clear that these places were all current or former crossing points. In this way, the idea emerged to make this historic connection across the Meuse audible once again — at the exact location where a ferry once operated.
“The place immediately felt right,” Kruip says. “Only afterwards did I understand why. The artwork grew out of that experience. The sound creates a connection that has physically disappeared, but is still present mentally and culturally.”
Art to look at, listen to and experience
Reflection is not only a work of art to look at, but also one to play. Its sound can be activated with a specially designed striker, but also with natural objects — a stick, a stone, your hands. Each material produces a different tone. In this way, each encounter between art, people and landscape becomes a new one.
In addition, Musica Impulscentrum developed an interactive workshop that invites participants to look at the landscape differently through sound, movement and silence. The first sessions will start this autumn.
The municipality of Maasmechelen also ensured that the podcast series Stemmen aan de Maas received an extra episode devoted to the artwork Reflection and the historic ferries.
From shore to shore
With Reflection, Maasmechelen gains an artistic beacon that connects past and present. The sound resonates along the riverbank, yet can be heard all the way across — a subtle bridge between Belgium and the Netherlands. The possibility of placing a second version on the Dutch side is currently being further explored.
Practical information
The artwork will be located between cycling junctions 50 and 56, along the dike in Meeswijk (Maasmechelen), and can only be reached on foot or by bicycle. Visitors are advised to park in Leut village square. From there, it is about a 2-kilometre walk via a signposted route. The orange (10 km) and blue (5 km) walking loops of the Leut walking area also pass the artwork. Both loops start at Leut village square. Those who prefer to reach the work more quickly can park at the car ferry in Meeswijk. From there, it is approximately 1.5 kilometres to the artwork. On the dike, follow the Kunst aan de Maas signage towards Reflection.
Germaine Kruip was a guest on April 1, 2026, on Pompidou on VRT Radio Klara. You can listen to the episode again here.
Listen here to the audio recording of the performance by Ruben Orio playing Reflection.
