The upper town of Thuin is marked by the presence of postys, vaulted passageways built into the town’s ramparts. Today, these poetically-named openings serve predominantly to reach the surprising gardens hanging over the hillside of the Biesmelle, the river that joins its destiny to that of the Sambre. Alongside the majestic posty Bury and the more discreet posty des Sœurs grises, Thuin is also the site of the posty Arlequin, a passageway that has now disappeared.
To fulfil its mission, public art must convey meaning, a meaning intuitively perceived by its users, be they visitors for a day or everyday residents. Adrien Tirtiaux’s attention to the site, its vocation and the town’s history has enabled him to fully integrate this objective. An architect of the imaginary, he has created a passage under a lookout post that never existed, anchoring his installation in the tradition of Thuin’s postys. Like the latter, its Pseudo-posty in fact plays the role of a bold, aerial gateway to the listed site of the hanging gardens. What’s more, it fulfils a new function by creating, between two blind walls, a watchtower facing a horizon to be contemplated rather than defended.
