Bas Smets

Placed in the heart of the Vallon du Vuylbeek, in the Sonian Forest, this place commemorates the victims of the terrorist attacks of March 22 2016 in Brussels. Its simple geometry embedded into the landscape and its quiet ring of trees are elements of surprise along a forest walk, and thus invite the passerby to intimately reflect. However, it is not a sole gesture of farewell and mourning. The circle is also meant to open a dialogue. When walkers settle down, they cannot turn away from each other and first look in a common direction - the centre of the circle. With this simple but powerful geometry, landscape architect Bas Smets has created a strong site of memory as well as encounter.