Pastoor Van Arskerk: the study of light
Author: Maria Barnas
The house of Doubt
I looked for a peaceful corner to write in.
Not because there isn’t any peace here. The calm is as cold
as a lake that’s so deep I’m not yet able for it
I’ll come back to it once I’ve found a corner in this building
that allows my gaze to roam around and forces it into ellipses
even though the church is shaped like a block except in this light
that descends as though it is the sky itself
which lingers here wavering and everywhere there is this light
gently fanning out, like a whisper
along the rough walls of poured concrete
grotesque and baroque in structure and so ample
that flat surfaces are created after all.
With the passing of light the walls are like water
reflecting sunlight differently.
I would prefer it without people here
talking about installing folding partitions or curtains
because their voices gallop through the space and crash
against the echoing walls, disturbing the peace with their whinny.
Standing in front of Pastoor van Arskerk entrance, I am intrigued to enter the rough, block-shaped chapel. I am able to peek into the darkness of the church’s interior through the half-open door. As I pass the threshold, I take a moment to adapt to the striking darkness. Here, I imagine myself as the protagonist in “The house of Doubt”. I perceive the coldness of the space through the rough and untreated concrete blocks being gently illuminated with the beams of light coming from above. Following the light flow, I see the source. Round and deep, the skylights illuminate the space, concealing the simplicity of the space shape from the viewers. Atmosphere created with the ominous lighting conditions set my own perception of monumentality in the context of Pastoor van Ars church. To explore the contribution of lighting in the religious atmosphere, I took a further journey across the Catholic procession route of the chapel.
