Coupure (Sculpture)

This dancing sculpture sprang from the imagination of – who else? – a choreographer. Find this moving artwork along the City Ramparts, on the Conzett Bridge over the Coupure. Here, artist Ugo Dehaes (1977, Leuven) is referring to his background as a dancer, but the unusual bridge architecture by Jürg Conzett was a particular source of inspiration. The creation came about as part of the Masterpiece for young artists, organised by the Flemish Government Architect (then Bob Van Reeth) in 2002. That was the year when Bruges was the Cultural Capital of Europe and Dehaes was given additional impetus to integrate his artwork into one of the major architecture projects to be implemented during Bruges 2002. The idea succeeded, as when the life-size marionette comes dancing up thanks to the discs and cables, his choreography lasts just as long as raising the bridge. And do you see the other similarities? The cables, the bearing structure, the oak wood and the blue stone, etc.