21 March 2025 will be a symbolic date for Urban in more ways than one
First and foremost, this is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, an essential moment for questioning our collective memories and our public spaces. It is also the anniversary of “The Grand Opening”, an installation conceived as part of the “Art Nouveau Brussels 2023” programme and developed in the context of the action plan “Towards the decolonisation of public space in the Brussels Capital Region”.
Ephemeral and engaging, “The Grand Opening” made its mark last year by questioning the colonial propaganda conveyed by the Monument to the Belgian Pioneers of the Congo, located in the Parc du Cinquantenaire.
A podcast for further reflection
To mark the end of “The Grand Opening”, we invite you to (re)discover one of the artistic activations that marked its inauguration: an extraordinary performance by committed poets. Some of them had also performed at LAB-AN x Hôtel van Eetvelde as part of the “Art Nouveau Poetry Act” project, where they explored the links between poetry, Belgian colonisation and Art Nouveau.
To extend this reflection, Urban and its partners are making available an original podcast, “Art Nouveau Poetry”, in which several poets, men and women, accompanied by two experts, discuss this experience and the issues it raises.
A project run by Urban in cooperation with NPI Patrimoine & Culture, as part of the “Art Nouveau Brussels 2023” programme.
Discover the “Art Nouveau Poetry” podcast
The “Art Nouveau Poetry” podcast gives the floor to several poets, men and women:
- Laurence Vielle
- Lisette Lombé
- Marie Darah
- Avery Bertrand Iradukunda
- Alex Deforce
- Jan Ducheyne
This podcast is produced by: Studio Hoordoos – recording: Tibo Renodeyn & Emma Ducheyne – editing: Tibo Renodeyn.
→ Find out more about the concept
→ Enjoy the podcast
“The Grand Opening”
Find out more about the Monument to the Belgian Pioneers of the Congo and about the installation “The Grand Opening”, designed by the architectural firm Traumnovelle.
The action plan “Towards the decolonisation of public space in the Brussels Capital Region”
Urban is in charge of implementing this action plan, which was approved by the government in May 2023, in cooperation with a series of partner institutions and administrations.
