Monolith of Baasrode disappears after a day, is now “resting”
Flanders first monolith, the Monolith of Baasrode, has disappeared. The monolith, a work of art in the form of a silvery post appeared in a field of potatoes in the East Flemish hamlet on Tuesday, but as is customary with works of art of this kind across the globe soon disappeared without trace.
The time people got to admire the monolith was particularly short in Flanders – less than a day. Meanwhile, the Monolith of Baasrode has been exposed, not as a work of art, but as a practical joke executed by the local carnival group D’Omerkes.
The Monolith of Baasrode attracted attention in the international media, but true art lovers will be disappointed. Tom Pletinck of the carnival group revealed that it started as a ‘silly idea’.
“We noticed these monoliths in the news and thought it would be great to have one in Baasrode too. We constructed it practically completely by ourselves. It had to go quickly because we wanted to be the first.”
The carnival group says that it wanted to bring fun to Baasrode now carnival has been cancelled. Group members placed the monolith in the potato field on Monday evening but insist they were home by the start of the curfew.
“Our action generated far more interest than we expected. We removed it earlier than planned because we were worried it could get damaged or even stolen.”
So where is the monolith now? “Resting in my van. If corona measures permit some more fun, we’ll be there” Tom told VRT Radio.
