The Floor, a place of connection, 2021—2022

MDD invited Lieve D’hondt to join the renovation process from the outset, collaborating with SVR-ARCHITECTS and the construction team to rethink the museum’s new floor.

In response, D’hondt initiated THE FLOOR IS YOURS, an online collective project through which participants could acquire sections of MDD’s floor. Thanks to the support of a large group of donors, the floors of both the left and right exhibition spaces were fully funded within two months. As a result, MDD’s new concrete floor has become a conceptual artwork, incorporating D’hondt’s permanent intervention: “The Floor, a Space of Connection” — a brass line measuring 99 cm × 0.5 cm, carefully embedded at a precisely chosen location within the space.


D’hondt reflects on the work as follows:

“The brass line is both a drawing and a mark — 99 cm long — inscribed into the floor, like a straight line on a sheet of paper. It is a minimal gesture. I chose this specific spot because of the light entering through the northwest-facing lintel window, which looks out onto the trees.

The number 9 is one I frequently use in my work and one that recurs in my life. In numerology, 9 is considered the most powerful number, symbolizing completion, wisdom, and spiritual awakening. I have a particular sensitivity to numbers, especially to the number 9. It seems to surround me; it appears along my path — in the places where I live, where I go, where I stay — wherever numbers and figures emerge. It affirms the choices I make. Here too, at Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, I chose a brass line measuring 99 cm in length.

I selected brass for its yellow-golden hue, which reflects the light that falls onto it through the lintel window.”