Maarten Vanden Eynde

The Points of No Return (2021) - detail, Mu.ZEE, Ostend, BE (photo: Steven Decroos)

The Points of No Return (2021) - detail, Mu.ZEE, Ostend, BE (photo: Steven Decroos)

The Points of No Return is made of melted uranium glass shaped like stalactites that become fluorescent green when exposed to UV light. The title references the alternative time scale Before Present or BP (sometimes mentioned as Before Physics), which is mainly used in archaeology and geology. Year 0 is 1950 in the BP time scale, and it is instigated by the artificial alteration of the proportion of carbon isotopes in the atmosphere by nuclear weapons testing, making carbon dating after that time increasingly challenging. There is no way back. The work is both daunting and scary but also festive and nightclub-like: a final party, a last toxic dance before the lights go out...