Through a marked route through the historic downtown area, also known as “the tub,” visitors could enjoy 34 light objects. The most impressive work of light art was on VSP pontoons by Van Schie.
The artwork in question is an ode to the city’s architecture. Ghent’s skyline is world famous. It has been defined for centuries by three towers built in a row in the middle of the city center: St. Nicholas Church, the Belfry and St. Bavo Cathedral. The floating light artwork, consisting of three structures rising from the water, refers to those three structures.
The pontoon was located exactly where the city of Ghent was founded in the year 630, on the banks of Portus Ganda, where the Scheldt and the Lys meet. ‘Portus’ is Latin for harbor and ‘Ganda’ is the Celtic word for confluence, which eventually morphed into Ghent.
