The research theme Retroflex is an investigation of the impact of retroreflective and fluorescent materials, mostly used in highway signalisation, on the urban space. The brightly coloured panels along the side of traffic flows are very common in day to day circumstances. They lead people to a certain destination, they mark a construction site or warn drivers for a change in the traffic situation. Their appearance is always associated with an area of movement, transportation and speed.

However, placing them out of their spacial context, for example indoors or in a natural environment, alters the impact the panels have on passers-by. They can form architectural installations, they can be moved, turned, they can mark a destination in the distance or a frontier between areas. The recognisable, standardised form remains but the functions change and adapt to the surroundings.

Retroflex is a research in progress that can take many forms. In collaboration with the Belgian highway and traffic signalisation company Fero, I have tested the possible uses of different materials in sculptures, installation, performances and photography.

The exhibition “[bækˈsteɪdʒ]” organised by Recyclart in the Brussels Congress Station was a great opportunity to discover the possibilities of the signs in the public environment. They acted as a visual beacon in the distance, and as a wall nearby. The dimensions were confusing as the location was completely not adapted to the scale of the panels.