Our journey, in early July 2026, to Fort Liefkenshoek with Marc Dhaenens, Anna Maria Mestdagh, and me is, to say the least, sobering. The route leads us through a landscape of container terminals, towering loading cranes, bridges, chemical plants, and an almost endless network of roads crowded with heavy trucks moving in every direction. Everything speaks of industry, speed, and logistics. But then, almost unexpectedly, Fort Liefkenshoek appears like an island of tranquillity in the midst of the Port of Antwerp.

At one of the entrance gates, the busy waterbus pulls up to the quay. The contrast could hardly be greater. Outside, the port hums with relentless activity, while within the fortifications time itself seems to slow down. It is as though a single step carries you into another century. The clamour of steel and concrete gives way to silence, grass, and centuries-old brickwork.

Fort Liefkenshoek, located in Kallo, a district of Beveren, is one of the oldest and best-preserved forts in Flanders. It stands on the left bank of the River Scheldt, directly opposite Fort Lillo. For centuries, the two fortresses together controlled the river and, with it, the shipping routes to and from Antwerp. Whoever controlled the Scheldt controlled access to one of Europe’s most important trading cities.

Today we explore the fort together with the artist Marc Dhaenens from Melsele.
Above all, Marc is a walker. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our paths crossed regularly. Those chance encounters developed into inspiring conversations and a shared appreciation of walking as a way of seeing, thinking, and living. For Made of Walking 2026, we invited him to present his work in this remarkable historical setting.

For Marc, art begins with a walk. His studio is not enclosed by four walls but stretches along forest paths, dikes, open fields, and riverbanks. Along the way, he collects the things that others often pass without a second glance: a weathered branch, a piece of metal, a stone washed ashore, or a discarded everyday object. Some of these finds he alters with the lightest of touches, while others remain exactly as he discovered them. By placing them in a new context, they acquire an unexpected poetic resonance.

For Marc, there is a fundamental difference between looking and seeing. Looking is merely observing; seeing is being fully present. Do not simply look at a tree, try to truly see it. The thought inevitably recalls the words of Marcel Proust: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Walking thus becomes more than a physical journey. It is an exercise in attention, through which the ordinary reveals itself as something extraordinary.

This way of seeing is perfectly suited to Fort Liefkenshoek itself. Behind its brick walls unfolds a place where history remains visible layer upon layer for those willing to slow down and look carefully. Today, the fort serves as a visitor centre where the story of the River Scheldt, the Eighty Years’ War, and the development of the Port of Antwerp is vividly brought to life. Visitors can walk along the ramparts, explore the historic buildings, and gaze across the Scheldt as some of the world’s largest ocean-going vessels glide past. Despite its immediate proximity to heavy industry, the fort has also evolved into a surprisingly valuable nature reserve, providing a safe haven for a wide variety of plants and animals.

The history of Fort Liefkenshoek begins in 1579. Commissioned by William of Orange, the fort was built to block the River Scheldt and prevent the Spanish forces of Alexander Farnese from advancing during the Eighty Years’ War. At the same time, Fort Lillo was constructed on the opposite bank of the river. Together, the two fortresses formed a strategic military barrier, enabling control of the shipping channel and, when necessary, the complete closure of the river.

Owing to its strategic location, Fort Liefkenshoek experienced a particularly turbulent history. Over the centuries, it successively came under the control of the Spanish, the Dutch Republic, the Austrians, the French, and eventually the Belgian state. Each new ruler adapted the fort to reflect the latest military developments. Yet its original structure has remained remarkably well preserved, making it today not only an impressive military monument but also a tangible witness to more than four centuries of European history.

Perhaps that is the fort’s greatest strength. Fort Liefkenshoek stands in the heart of one of Europe’s most modern port areas, surrounded by a landscape of containers, cranes, and heavy industry. Yet it reminds us that every place has a past, and that behind today’s economic powerhouse lie centuries of conflict, trade, encounters, and human stories. To walk here is not only to move through a landscape, but also through time.

As the military importance of Fort Liefkenshoek gradually declined, the fortress found new purposes. Behind its sturdy walls, it successively served as a quarantine station for ships, a customs post, a naval base, and military accommodation. In this way, the fort remained a place of strategic importance even in times of peace. Since 1985, it has been protected as a historic monument and is recognised as an important part of Flanders’ military heritage.

Yet Fort Liefkenshoek tells a story that reaches far beyond warfare alone. It is also the story of the River Scheldt—the lifeblood of Antwerp and one of Europe’s great maritime gateways. For centuries, the river shaped the city’s economic prosperity and political influence, while the forts guarded access to its waters. Today, anyone walking along the ramparts experiences how military history, maritime heritage, nature, and contemporary port activity merge here in an almost effortless way.

After our visit, we explore every building and every room, searching for the places where Marc Dhaenens’ works will find their strongest expression during To Walk Your Life on 16 September 2026. As we wander through the casemates, across the ramparts, and alongside the old brick walls, the exhibition slowly begins to take shape in his imagination. The objects Marc has gathered during his walks seem almost naturally to find their place here, as though they had always belonged to this site. And it will come as no surprise to you that one of his works is entitled ‘The Walk’.

We imagine the visitors who, on that day, will arrive by waterbus at the landing stage of Fort Liefkenshoek. After travelling through the industrial heart of the Port of Antwerp, they too will unexpectedly step into another world. Like us, they will experience the transition from the contemporary harbour landscape to a fortress where four centuries of history remain tangibly present. Between the steady rhythm of passing container ships and the silence enclosed within the ancient ramparts unfolds the very essence of To Walk Your Life: walking between past and present, between looking and truly seeing.