In 2008 I was invited by the architects suede 36 (Brussels) to join their brainstorm sessions around advices for the 'contrat de quartier Rouppe'. The idea was to give indications and directions for a potential future of a neigbourghood in the center of Brussels.
As one of the invited artists I went for the concept of 'trying to see things very different'. To imagine THAT it all could be different, before jumping on HOW it should be different.
Therefore I gave a workshop with exercises in 'misuse', which resulted in a series of photographs and then postcards.
Further, we found a new name for neighborhood between Gare du Midi and Place Rouppe: Drie Ponts ('Three bridges', a mix between Dutch and French). Instead of seeing the rails and the bridges under the rails as a border between two areas, we rather understand them as the eye-catching marks and the geographic center of neighborhood with a very own dynamic.
Shortly, the project is to artificially push elements of an urban identity, like nicknames for the quarter, graffiti tags, touristic postcards, ... With the photo-series 'imagine changeability' I try to focus on the potential of defined spaces to be something else.
(This project is still waiting to be continued. Please contact me, if interested)
The photo-series 'imagine changeability' was presented in Académie des Beaux-Arts, for SUEDE 36 /architects and the City of Brussels, 2008.
Some examples of tags and logos for the 'new-named' quarter: DiePonts.
Article in 'Vijfhoek', monthly magazine of De Martkten, which mentions and supports the project:
http://www.demarkten.be/html_inhoud/vijfhoekpdf/Vijfhoek%2011%202011.pdf
