Who Hears Us

Tijdsbeeld by Saskia De Coster, realised by Jelle Vlaeminck

This Tijdsbeeld departs from the archetypal confessional booth, a place of confession and moral reflection. Whereas the traditional confessional was for centuries connected to the enclosed space of the church, Saskia De Coster removes this historical object from its familiar context and places it at the centre of contemporary public space. In doing so, its meaning also shifts. What once remained hidden between walls, rituals and whispered voices becomes here an open question addressed to today’s society. What do we still share, what do we keep hidden, and before whom do we account for ourselves?

The choice of corten steel is essential in this regard. The material visibly bears the traces of time. Through oxidation, a rust-coloured skin emerges that protects the steel, while simultaneously making weathering and transience visible. Precisely therein arises a meaningful parallel with confession itself, a space where vulnerability, mistakes and transformation are not erased, but acknowledged. The steel does not conceal its scars, but absorbs them into its identity. The perforated surface reinforces that tension between openness and shielding. Light and sound partially penetrate, without completely dissolving the sense of enclosure. The object constantly balances between anonymity and visibility, between intimacy and public presence. Whoever stands inside can both speak and listen; the classical roles of penitent and confessor become fluid and reciprocal.

That field of tension closely connects to the literary work of Saskia De Coster. In her work, she explores how identity emerges in relation to others, how people reveal, conceal or continuously reshape themselves. Her work moves at the intersection of intimacy and performance, vulnerability and control, within a world in which the boundary between private and public is becoming increasingly porous.

In this Tijdsbeeld, the confessional thus becomes more than a reference to a religious past. It becomes a contemporary monument to the enduring need to be heard and understood.