‘EUROPEAN LAB 05/10’

To round off this third edition of European Lab Brussels, various subjects will be discussed, including temporary occupation: a hot topic in Brussels.
To discuss this issue, we will bring together the Brussels Secretary of State for Town Planning, Pascal Smet, and the Communa association.
The role of art in the investigation (with Forensic Architecture) and the definition of identities (with Africa Desk) will then be examined during two debates that will close this edition of European Lab Brussels.

Rotunda Bertouille

15:30 - 17:00 A New Era for Temporary Occupation 

Last April, a twentieth commune was born in Brussels: Saint-Vide. Resulting from the merger of several associations, the collective aims to highlight a worrying issue in the Belgian capital: 6.5 million square metres that lie empty and uninhabited – equivalent to all of Ixelles. While some promoters sensed the opportunity to develop lucrative activities reserved for a happy few, other stakeholders aim to unite and ensure that these spaces benefit the whole community. The aims of temporary occupation must go beyond profit generation and the creation of ‘pop-up bars’. It is urgent to define a framework that would turn these initiatives into real tools of urban development, capable of meeting the urgent needs of European societies, from Brussels, to Riga and Paris. Communa will set up its STUN Camp on 10 October on the Vive Les Groues brownfield site, in order to sow the seeds of an urban utopia, where temporary occupation is seen as an opportunity to develop new practices and uses for social, cultural or citizen appropriation.

17:15 - 18:15 Reception rebellion: Sea Watch vs the Libyan coastguard​​​​​​​

Last year, Forensic Architecture discussed the murder of Greek rapper Pávlos Fýssas, killed by Golden Dawn activists. Now, the techno-activist collective is back for the Brussels edition of European Lab with another major investigation: the case of the Sea Watch rescue vessel vs the Libyan coastguard. Researchers at the agency, which stands at the crossroads of art, architecture, advanced technologies and data analysis, were able to prove the involvement of the EU-funded Libyan coastguard, in sabotaging and endangering a migrant vessel. Together with Sea Watch activists, the collective will reveal their alarming investigation.

18:30 - 20:00 Art Talk: An Afrocentric idea of Art

De-centering curatorial practices and audience engagement

The exhibition IncarNations. African Art as Philosophy presented at BOZAR marks the first time that classical and contemporary African works of art are presented together in dialogue as two interpretations of the same spiritual initiatory function of  art. The intent of artist Kendell Geers and collector Sindika Dokolo is to supply the visitor with a new reading of African art, with an emphasis on the Afrocentric. Can this approach contribute to a renewed and enriched understanding of African art that transcends the present stereotypical categories? What are potential future implications for artists, exhibition makers and collectors in looking at African Art from an Afro-Centric ‘African Art as Philosophy’ perspective?