The secret bestiary of De Ultieme Hallucinatie: a story symbols
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
At the Ultieme Hallucinatie, there is what you see… and what looks back at you.
Behind the discreet signature of L. Rion, a bestiary slips into the décor, almost silently, across the radiator covers of the house. Pheasants, pelicans, fish, a peacock… presences that accompany your visit without ever fully revealing themselves. Nothing here is purely decorative.
What if these creatures had something to tell you?
What the decor does reveal at first glance
It begins the moment you step through the door. On your left, two pheasants are waiting. Waiting, yes - because their face-to-face is no coincidence. They are not fleeing; they are watching. In symbolic traditions, the pheasant is not a bird of excess but of balance. A composed, almost diplomatic elegance. Here, it seems to ask a first, silent question: did you truly enter… or merely pass through?
A few steps further, the atmosphere shifts. In the billiard room, two pelicans take over, less decorative than they appear. In the Middle Ages, it was said that the pelican would wound itself to feed its young. A striking image that became a symbol of sacrifice and regeneration. In alchemy, it even becomes a tool: a sealed vessel in which matter transforms upon itself, in a continuous loop. In other words, there is no shortcut here; transformation comes from within.
Then come the fish, in the Cohn Donnay dining room and at the entrance to the former winter garden. They are plainly there, visible, unashamed. But their language is different. The fish imposes nothing: it glides. It evokes the depths, what moves beneath the surface. In many traditions, it symbolises life, silent transformation, sometimes even a form of hidden knowledge. Here, understanding gives way to feeling. Your gaze slows, softens. You begin to see differently.
The peacock of the Ultieme Hallucinatie: the revelation
Then you must go up. Not everyone does. But those who venture to the first floor sometimes encounter a peacock. Majestic, inevitably. But above all… revelatory.
The peacock is an ancient symbol, laden with meaning, almost excessive. In mythology, it is linked to vision, to consciousness, to those famous "eyes" spread across its tail. In alchemy, it corresponds to a very specific moment: the one where, after darkness, colours finally appear. This is known as the Peacock's Tail. It is the sign that something has begun to transform, but that everything remains still to be accomplished.
In other words, if you have made it this far, you have not "finished" anything. You have simply learned to look.
And perhaps that is the true luxury of the Ultieme Hallucinatie: a place where even the radiator covers have something to say… provided you give them the time.
A mere decorative detail… or a threshold to cross?
Next time, you may walk past these panels without a second glance. Or perhaps you will slow down, just a little.
Look for the pheasants. Let the pelicans surprise you. Follow the fish. And if you come across the peacock… you will know you have gone a little further than planned.
That is often how the best stories begin…
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