'I Can Hear It,' an installation by artist Ivars Drulle on the beach by the villages of Middelkerke and Westende, Belgium
'I Can Hear It,' an installation by artist Ivars Drulle on the beach by the villages of Middelkerke and Westende, Belgium (© Arterra Picture Library/Alamy)
Listening to the sea
Two enormous horns like those of old-fashioned gramophones are pointed toward the North Sea along this stretch of the Belgian coast. At the end of one of the horns, a bronze figure of a woman sits on a bench, seemingly listening to the distant sounds of the sea, while the other horn invites a visitor to do the same. The woman's antiquated clothing, the outsized bolts on the horns, and the fluted Victrola-like design all echo the Belle Époque style once prevalent here on the Flemish coast. (Click on the above image to see more detailed views.)
© Arterra Picture Library/Alamy