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Opened in 1992, the garden celebrates Hasselt’s culturalties with Japan, and the whole city is taking part in theyear-long birthday festivities.

When people in Flanders think of Hasselt, theJapanese Garden is one of the first things thatsprings to mind. For 25 years, the garden has

been a unique attraction in the Limburg capital, and nowthe city is celebrating its anniversary with a year-longprogramme of Japan-themed events.Most of the celebrations are taking place in the gardenitself, but other cultural institutions will also partake inthe Yokoso Festival, with special exhibitions and activitiesthroughout the year.“It’s actually thefirst time that somanypartners have joinedaround one subject in Hasselt, and that’s very special,” saysSara Davidson, city co-ordinator for the garden. “The Japa-nese Garden is for many people the symbol of Hasselt, andit’s quite close to their heart. That’s why so many peoplewant to take part.”

It’s the largest Japanese garden in Europe, covering 2.5hectares in the northeast of the city. It opened on 20Novem-ber 1992, a gift from Hasselt’s sister-city of Itami, Japan.The sister-city partnership dates back to 1985, but in thebeginning it consisted mostly of student exchanges anddelegations of prominent citizens. Then, according toDavidson, the city leaders realised that they needed tobroaden the scope of their relationship.“They thought that the partnership was too focused on theelites and should bemore for the people,” she says. “And theydecided to exchange cultural gifts.”In 1991, Hasselt gave Itami a carillon, the musical instru-ment made up of bells found in towers across Flandersand symbolising the independence of Flemish cities. Itamidecided that their gift would be a traditional Japanesegarden.The city sent a landscape architect named Inoue Takay-uki to Hasselt to choose a location and design the garden,but he wasn’t able to find a suitable spot inside the old citycentre. Instead, he settled on a large field between the inner

and outer ring roads.Takayuki’s garden was much larger than what the originalbudget could cover, so in addition to the funds providedby Itami, money was raised from both Flemish and Japa-nese companies and augmented by the European Fund forRegional Development.The garden took a year and a half to build, with Japanesecraftspeople traveling to Hasselt to complete the bulk ofthe work. The workers lived in the nearby firehouse for sixmonths. The traditional ceremonial house and tea housein the centre of the garden were constructed on-site withmaterials shipped from Japan.The garden is laid out according to the principles ofSakuteiki – an 11th-century manual of landscape design.Every element in a Japanese garden has a symbolicmeaningand is carefully arranged in relation to the other features.The best way to appreciate the garden is with a guided tour,offered every Sunday afternoon.This year’s celebrationmarks not just the garden’s first quar-ter-century, but its maturation. It’s only now, in fact, that

continued on page 5

Fork Inthe roadGhent’s new mobility planrolls out next week, but notwithout its detractors – andthe threat of a referendum

the beautyoF bonesA natural history museum inKoksijde is a testament to theresilience of both bones andthe people who put themback together

Zen in the cityJapanese garden marks 25 years of taking root in hasselt

diana goodwinFollow Diana on Twitter \ @basedinbelgium

© kris Van de sande

\ 2

\ cUrrenT aFFaIrs

The number of deaths caused by trafficaccidents in Belgium fell in 2016to 640, a drop of 13% compared to

2015, the Institute for Road Safety (BIVV)has announced. In Flanders, the numberdropped by 15%. The figures are historiclows.In Flanders, home to 60% of the population,320 people died in road accidents last year,exactly half of the national total. That was

down from378 in 2015. Limburgwas respon-sible for the sharpest drop.The640 total includes victimswhodied up to30 days after the accident; 540 of the victimsdied at the scene. The figures confirm adecade-long trend: Until some 10 years ago,the totals were about 1,000.“The speed cameras have created a shift inthinking,” said Flemish mobility ministerBen Weyts, “namely that we should always

keep to the speed limit on the motorwaysand not only where speed monitoring hasbeen announced.”The number of accidents with injuries andthe number of injured people also bothdecreased slightly, by 0.5% and 1.4% respec-tively nationwide. The Brussels-CapitalRegion had a slight increase in both cate-gories. The number of accidents involvingcyclists in Flanders was up by 2.2%, while in

Brussels the increase was 19.2%. A large partof the increase involved cycling seniors, theBIVV said.“For many types of users, our roads havenever been as safe as they were last year,”BIVV said in a statement. “Compared toFrance, Germany and the Netherlands,Belgium saw the most positive evolution inthe number of accidents involving injuriesand the number of injured people.”

Road deaths at historic lowtraffic fatalities and injuries on flanders’ roads continue to decrease

The one-year anniversary last week of theterrorist attacks at Brussels Airport andthe Maalbeek metro station was markedby remembrance ceremonies, moments ofsilence and even a moment of loud noise.Ceremonies attended by authorities andvictims’ families took place at the two loca-tions, and public gatherings were held inBrussels city centre and Molenbeek.The suicide bombings at Brussels Airportand Maalbeek metro station on 22 March2016 killed 32 people and injuredmore than300.Two minutes of silence was held at theairport at 7.58, the moment that two bomb-ers detonated their explosives. The same

was done at Maalbeek metro station inBrussels’ EU district at 9.11, the momentthat another bomber blew himself up.At both locations, the king and queenwere present to accompany families of thevictims, emergency service staff, airportand metro staff and politicians. Both theinjured and family members of the deadgave testimonies about the effect the eventhad on their lives.Drivers of metros, trams and buses in Brus-sels brought all vehicles to a halt at 9.11 fora minute of noise, as opposed to silence. Asthey honked their horns, passengers wereencouraged to applaud and make noise asa sign of resistance to the intimidation of

terrorism.At the same moment, Brussels City coun-cillors and staff gathered on Grote Marktto observe a minute’s silence. Elsewhere,advertising company Clear Channelprogrammed its roadside ad panels not toshow commercial advertising for the wholeday. In Bozar, choreographer Anne TeresaDe Keersmaeker led some 100 people in agroup dance referred to as a “connectionritual”.At 16.00, several hundred people gath-ered on Beursplein in Brussels (pictured),which was home to a spontaneous memo-rial following the attacks where people leftthousands of flowers, notes and candles.

An organised event featured speakers andmusic by schoolchildren. Across the canalin Molenbeek, a group of some 400 childrensang songs of peace. \ AH

Greg Van Avermaet is the firm favourite of the Ronde vanVlaanderen, or Tour of Flanders, road race on Sunday, afterwinning the Gent-Wevelgem and E3 Harelbeke races lastweekend.The Rio Olympics road race champion admitted this muchafter last Sunday’s victory at Gent-Wevelgem. “I can no longersay that I’m not the Tour of Flanders’ favourite,” he said. “Atthe beginning of the season, I said that Flanders is my biggestgoal, and that still has to happen.”The 31-year-old Van Avermaet, who races for BMC Racing,beat fellow Fleming Jens Keukeleire in a sprint finish to takethe 249-kilometre race, with world champion Peter Sagan ofSlovakia coming in third.On Friday, Van Avermaet took the 206km E3 Harelbekecobbled classic in a “poker game” – he was part of a three-man breakaway that got clear 35km from the line to contesta sprint finish, edging out compatriots Philippe Gilbert andOliver Naesen.After years of starting in Bruges, next weekend’s Tour of Flan-ders will start in Antwerp, bringing back the famously gruel-ling Geraardsbergen Wall climb. The 260km race has 18 offi-cial hellingen – the short, sharp, and often cobbled climbsthat are emblematic of the second “monument” of the season.\ Leo Cendrowicz

Police in Antwerp arrested a man last week driv-ing a car down the city’s main shopping street, Meir,narrowly missing pedestrians. The man, MohammedR, was later charged with an attempt to carry out aterrorist act.Meir is a pedestrian street, but suppliers are allowedto make deliveries to shops before 11.00. That waswhen R raced his car down the street. Witnesses saidhe passed at high speed, before being flagged downbysoldiers on foot patrol. As they approached, he tookoff again, to be stopped by police 1.5km away on theriverside.The man, a French national, was found to be heav-ily under the influence of alcohol. Items of militaryclothing were found in the car, together with a shot-gun and several large knives.He is known to French police for crimes involvingdrugs and the possession of illegal weapons, but hasshown no extremist tendencies. The prosecutor’soffice has not issued a comment. \ AH

loans of books and other mediain 2016 by Brussels public libraryMuntpunt, according to the annualreport

net loss for Brussels Airport as aresult of the terrorist bombing lastyear, CEO Arnaud Feist said. Thecost of the damagewas €90million,of which the airport’s insurersreimbursed €50 million

of residents in Flanders would liketo see a deposit on beverage cansand bottles, according to a poll byTest-Aankoop, in order to reducethe number of them thrown awayas litter

tonnes of potatoes and relatedproducts sold in 2015 in Belgium,industry federationBelgapomsaid.The biggest growth, of 14.3%, wasin frozen fries, an industry basedmainly in West Flanders

collected by the charity consor-tium12-12 tofighthunger inAfrica,during what has been describedas the worst famine since the endof the Second World War, with 20million people at risk

Anniversary of terrorist attacks marked by memorials

Triumphant Van Avermaet eyes success at Tour of Flanders Antwerp police arresterratic driver withweapons in car

513,963€676,000

2/3

alan hopemore articles by alan \ flanderstoday.org

© Olivier Gouallec/newzulu/BelGa

© yorick Janssens/BelGa

Greg Van avermaet crosses the finish line to win the Gent-wevelgem cycle race

march 29, 2017

\ 3

Face oF Flanders

Sergio Herman was born straightinto his destiny: The restaurantOud Sluis, just over the borderin Zeeland, the Netherlands. Therestaurant had previously beenhis grandfather’s barber shop-tea house-general store, and hisparents had turned it into one ofthe best-rated mussels restau-rants in the Benelux.After Herman finished his stud-ies at the hotel school Ter GroenePoort in Bruges, he returned tothe family kitchen and graduallyturned it in a more gastronomicdirection. It was a move thatwould pay off exceedingly well.He was awarded one Michelinstar in 1995, another in 1999 andthe third in 2005. He was twicenamed chef of the year by Gault-Millau, and in 2010 became theonly chef ever to be rated 20/20 bythe guide. The list of awards andaccolades goes on and on.In 2010, he decided to branch out,opening amore accessible restau-rant on the seafront at Cadzand,just up the road from Sluis. In2013, came the shock announce-ment: Despite being as popular asever, Oud Sluis would close at theend of the year.It has now been taken over bybrother Michel as De Eetboet-iek, going back to its roots with acombo eatery and shop featuring

stylish kitchen and home decor.Herman, meanwhile, opened achain of gourmet frietkots, includ-ingoneinAntwerp.AndheopenedThe Jane there, together with hisformer sous-chef Nick Bril. Theygained their first Michelin starwithin eight months, and thesecond the year after that.By that time Herman, 46, hadbecome a major celebrity in Flan-ders because of his role on thejuries of the De Beste Hobbykokvan Vlaanderen and Mijn Pop-uprestaurant!, the fourth seasonof which is currently airing.In that show, his approach isgruff and direct, backed up witha serious amount of know-how.Contestants struggling to openstylish pop-up restaurant stareplaintively from the kitchen to seethe look on Herman’s face as hetastes their dishes. It’s hard to seeif he’s happy, but it’s easy to see ifhe’s not.His appearance on the show wasinterrupted earlier this month bya sudden tragedy: He and his wifehad lost their baby just shortlybefore he was due to be born.Thecouple have two children, andHerman has another two from aprevious relationship.He’s back now on Mijn Pop-up,a little more personable thanbefore. \ Alan Hope

sergio herman

The thought likely occurs from time to timewhen trav-elling the roads of Flanders just how some of thoseplaces got their names. Things like Erps-Kwerps orHouthalen-Helchteren. Lastweek gaveus some inklingof how it happened.Two Limburg municipalities, Opglabbeek (pictured)and Meeuwen-Gruitrode, have decided to merge;sometimes neighbouring small towns merge to creatone municipal authority, saving money. But what willthe newmunicipality be called?Opglabbeek-Meeuwen-Gruitrode is a bit of a mouth-ful, authorities wisely thought. So residents of the twotowns were asked for suggestions, and 869 were sentin. When duplicates were removed, 547 were left over.A jury of 46 residents whittled that huge number downto only four, and here they are: Oudsbergen, Donder-slag, Oudsberg and Broekstede. You get the feelingsomeone is having a laugh with Donderslag, which

means “thunderclap”, but apparently it’s an ancientplace name with local associations.Now residents get to vote on their brand new name.Anyone aged 12 andolderwho is legally resident in oneof the towns can vote, either inpersonat the townhallsand libraries, or online. Voting is open until 9May. \ AH

naming a new cityoFFsIde

Week In brIeFMore than 20,000 people haveexpressed an interest in attend-ing a march to protest thearrival of US president DonaldTrump in Brussels on 24 May. Amarch, organised by four Ghentstudents, will probably start atNorth Station, although moredetails will be released closer tothe date.

\ tinyurl.com/trumpnotwelcome

Proximus has begun rolling outits glass-fibre internet to usersin Ghent’s Sint-Pieters neigh-bourhood, the company said.Proximus is also testing the newnetwork – which promises inter-net speeds many times higherthan the existing broadband – inAntwerp, Charleroi and Namur.Over the next 10 years, thecompany intends to have morethan half of all homes and 85%of businesses supplied by glass-fibre. It announced a €3 billioninvestment in the technology lastweek.

Regional planning agency RuimteVlaanderen has issued an opin-ion against the planned newnational football stadium. Theopinion is binding on the munici-pality ofGrimbergen,which abutsthe Heizel in Brussels, when itconsiders an application for abuilding permit. The agency onceagain raised the matter of a rightof way that is not included in theplans, as well as ruling that devel-opers Ghelamco had not suffi-ciently taken account of problemsrelating to mobility.

Belgium has dropped four placesto 17th in the rankings of theTobacco Control Scale (TCS),which rates the anti-smokingpolicies of 35 European coun-tries. The scale is based on pointsfor pricing, campaign budgets,smoking bans and aid to smokerswanting toquit.Belgiumachievedonly 49 points out of a possible100. Apart from the ban on smok-ing in bars, TCS said, no progresshas been made since 2006.

The Brussels-Capital Region isworking on changes to the lawon burials, Bruzz reports. Atpresent, burials may only takeplace using a traditional woodencoffin; under the new rules itwill be possible to be buriedin a cardboard casket or evenwrapped in a shroud – methodsconsidered more ecologicallyfriendly. A shroud burial is alsoin keeping with Muslim tradi-tion, which causes many familiesto bury their loved ones in theircountries of origin instead of inBelgium. The rule on coffins wasabandoned in Flanders in 2004.

Belgium will see the opening of“30 to 40” branches of BurgerKing within the next few years,with the first one opening thissummer, according to KevinDerycke, CEO of Burger BrandsBelgium. The outlets will all benew: Initial reports that BurgerKing would take over Quickoutlets are not true, Deryckesaid. A few Quick branches maybe converted, he said, but overallthe brand will remain.

Unions and management atDelhaize have come to an agree-ment over a restructuring planinvolving shop closures and staff-ing.The dispute led to spontane-ous strikes in a number of super-markets, mainly in the Brusselsarea, last weekend. The agree-ment, the details of which werenot announced, is being put tounion members.

River pilots in Antwerp havecancelled a work-to-rule afteran agreement with Flemishmobility minister Ben Weyts onthe question of cutting waitingtimes for ships entering and leav-ing the port. A proposal to reducedelays – crucial to Antwerp’s abil-ity to compete with Rotterdamand other major ports – includedan amendment allowing seapilots to work on the Scheldt, butthat has now been scrapped – atleast until a re-evaluation in 2019.

The federal police did not callarmy bomb disposal squadDovo to the scene of the bombingatBrusselsAirport inMarch2016,and the squad simply showed upon the site of their own accord.According to the head of theagency, other emergency serviceswere rapidly in attendance at thescene, but Dovo were only tippedoff when they started to receivetext messages about an explo-sion. As it turned out, one of thethree suitcase bombs was notdetonated and had to be disman-tled by Dovo.

Auditors KPMG will not haveto pay damages to the credi-tors of Lernout & Hauspie, theWest Flanders software companythat went bankrupt 15 years ago,resulting in fraud convictions forboth founders. In the civil case,more than 15,000 people filed fordamages, and since the foundersare broke, then turned to KPMGfor payment, alleging negligence.But the court of appeal in Ghentsaid KPMG did not have to pay.

Thecourtoffirst instance inBrus-sels has refused an interim inter-dict for Botanique and Sportpa-leis in the long-running disputeover the management of theKoninklijkCircus concert venuein Brussels. Botanique used tomanage the venue, but Brus-sels-City has awarded the newmanagement contract to Brus-sels Expo. Botanique teamed upwith Antwerp’s Sportpaleis tocontest the award as a conflict ofinterest, as Brussels Expo chairPhilippe Close is also a city coun-cillor. The court does not agree.

Brussels is a candidate for thenew location of the EuropeanMedicines Agency (EMA) head-quarters when the UK leaves theEuropean Union, according tothe federal government.TheEMAis currently based in London butwill have tomove housewhen theUK is no longer a member state.

\ ema.europa.eu

flanders today, a weekly English-language newspaper, is an initiative of the flemishregion and is financially supported by the flemish authorities.

The logo and the name Flanders Today belong to the Flemish Region (Benelux Beeldmerk nr815.088). The editorial team of Flanders Today has full editorial autonomy regarding the contentof the newspaper and is responsible for all content, as stipulated in the agreement betweenCorelio Publishing and the Flemish authorities.

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\ 4

\ POlITIcs

The Ghent experimentGhent has always held aspecial place in Flanders’heart. For decades, it has beenits most progressive city, witha wilful – bordering on anar-chist – population. Politically,this resulted in an absolutemajority for a socialist-greencartel, led by the popularfolksy mayor Daniël Termont.Much has changed in recentmonths, though, after newsbroke of extremely high remu-nerations some city coun-cillors have received fromintercommunals and relatedcompanies. The revelationsled councillor Tom Balthazar,set to succeed Termont, tostep down. (The mayor’s ownreputation had already beentainted by reports of closeties with the management ofa failed private bank.)The opposition also gotcaught up in this crisis, asthe controversy acted like aboomerang for N-VA’s Sieg-fried Bracke, the federalparliament speaker who hadstirred up the fire in Ghent.After it was revealed that he,too,was generously paid as anadvisor to Telenet, he steppeddown as list leader in the city.He has been succeeded byElke Sleurs, who gave up herportfolio as secretary of state.CD&V, also in oppositionin Ghent, opted for MiekeVan Hecke as list leader. VanHecke is a heavyweightwhoseCV includes being an MP andsecretary-general for theinfluential Catholic educa-tion network. At the age of70, however, her appointmentseems one out of necessityrather than ambition.The only clear winners fromthe Ghent imbroglio seemedto be the greens, who,unscathed, have strength-ened their position next tothe socialists. Groen’s bigtest starts next week, withthe implementation of a far-reaching new mobility plan,spearheaded by mobilitycouncillor Filip Watteeuw.The plan makes it impos-sible for cars to cut acrossthe city centre, which Groenhopes will improve trafficcongestion and reduce fineparticulates. Radical mobil-ity changes are nothing newto Ghent, which banned carsfrom the tourist and shoppingcentres years ago.Still, there is plenty of oppo-sition to the new plan. A peti-tion to hold a referendumabout it received 30,000 signa-tures – more than needed fora referendum – in no time.Whatever the outcome,the face of Ghent will havechanged drastically by theend of this year, making the2018 local elections some-thing to look forward towith even greater interest.\ Anja Otte

5th coluMn Undercover applicants coulduncover job discriminationminister wants decoy applicants to test employers’ hiring practices

Federal labour minister Kris Peeters(CD&V) has reportedly completed aproposal for a bill that would see “mystery

calls” made to tackle discrimination in the jobsmarket. Mystery calls involve inspectors posingas job applicants from groups who are regularlydiscriminated against.Such groups include people with an immigrationbackground, the disabled and over-50s. Whentold the vacancy has already been filled, anotherinspector would then repeats the process to seeif they get a different response.At the moment, labour inspectors are obliged toidentify themselves, which makes such under-cover work impossible. Peeters’ bill would allowan exception to that rule.

“Mystery calls offer an extra instrument inthe fight against discrimination in the labourmarket,” said Peeters (pictured). “Inspectors will

only use the process following a complaint orwhere there is suspicion of discrimination.”BothN-VAandOpenVLDhave expressedopposi-tion to the introductionofmysterycalls, in favourof a system of self-regulation of the sectors. Onlyif that proves to be ineffective should the govern-ment resort to mystery calls, they have said.“Only the temping and service cheques sectorscurrently have self-regulation policies,” accord-ing to Vincent Van Quickenborne of Open VLD.“We will be studying the proposed bill, but atfirst glance it looks as though Peeters is bring-ing in a parallel system of self-regulation andmystery calls.” That, he said, is not in keepingwith the resolution agreed to by the majorityparties in 2015.

Flanders does not export arms toSaudi Arabia and is therefore notinterested in an arms embargo tothe country, according tominister-president Geert Bourgeois (N-VA),responsible for foreign affairs inthe Flemish government. Bour-geois was reacting to calls for anembargo by federal minister fordevelopment co-operation Alex-ander De Croo (Open VLD).Speaking on VRT’s weekend poli-tics programme De zevende dag,De Croo called for an embargo onarms exports to Saudi Arabia onhumanitarian grounds becauseof the country’s involvement insupporting a civil war in Yemen.Yemen is one of the countriesaffected by the current faminecrisis, the subject of a fundrais-ing campaign by the Belgian NGOconsortium 12-12. “You can’tsimultaneously try to save livesand exportweapons,” saidDeCroo.Armsexportsarearegional respon-sibility, De Croo said, making itimpossible for him to take unilat-eral action. He issued a plea tothe regions to stop arms sales.Wallonia, for example, sends 60%of all arms exports to Saudi Arabia.“Flanders exports no weapons toSaudi Arabia,” a spokesperson forBourgeois said. “The problem istherefore not one that concernsthe Flemish side, so there is noneed to speak of ‘the regions’.” Anembargo would only make sense,the spokesperson said, if appliedat a European level.Last September, Flandersapproved the export of a ship-ment of weapons worth €179,300to Saudi Arabia, but the spokes-person stressed these were partsintended for civilian use, includingrifle sights.SP.A pointed out that De Croo’sparty voted against a proposedembargo against Saudi Arabia last

year, when the hunger situation inYemen was already serious. Social-ist member of the federal parlia-ment Tine Soens said that shesupports the call for an embargoandwould be introducing an alter-native bill at a later date, whichshe hoped Open VLD would nowsupport.

Flanders approvesamendmentsIn related news, the government ofFlanders approved amendmentsto the 2012 law on arms exports,which regulates the import, exportand transfer of arms and mili-tary equipment. “The proposedchanges don’t suggest a fundamen-tal modification, rather a correc-tion of certain substantive legalgaps and some ineffective prac-tices,” the government said.The main change concerns thetransit of arms: weapons andmilitary equipment transportedthrough Flanders but not origi-nating here. The change to the lawmakes transit obligations from EUmember states simpler, reducingadministrative obligations with-out sacrificing control.The new Arms Trade Act alsobecomes more transparent,improving reporting to the Flem-ish parliament. It retains the possi-bility for the Flemish governmentto adopt its own restrictive meas-ureswhen it considers it necessary,stopping the export of all arms andmilitary equipment to a countryfor a limited period.“This way, the government canact when an arms embargo on thelevel of the UN or the EU appearsto be justified but is unlikely forpolitical reasons,” a governmentspokesperson said. The draft billwill now go to the Flemish parlia-ment for approval. \ AH

Federal MP Yoleen Van Camp (N-VA) has submitted a proposal for policychanges to improve the care for people with epilepsy. Many patients seemto have trouble making their way to specialised centres, she said.About 60,000 people in Belgium have epilepsy, according to Van Camp, whois a medical doctor. She said that the neurological disorder leads to stigma-tisation, limited social activity, anxiety, learning deficits and exclusion fromthe labour market.She wants an improved system of registration for epileptics and a recordof interventions and success rates. Early treatment is crucial, she said, as itinfluences levels of success at school and on the jobs market.Inone in threecases,medicationused tohelpprevent seizures–which rangefrom uncontrollable jerking of the limbs to unconsciousness – provideslittle to no relief. In that case, patients can consult specialised departmentsin UZ Leuven or UZ Gent, or in Saint-Luc or Erasmus in Brussels.But since these departments were established in 2009, only about 10%of epileptic patients have used them. “Information about and guidancetowards these centres must be improved,” said Van Camp. \ Andy Furniere

Flemish energy minister Bart Tommelein has launched the new Zonnekaart,or Sunshine Map, which helps homeowners decide whether and to whatextent they shouldequip theirpropertywith solarpanels.Thewebsite crashedhours after going online last week because of the level of demand.The Zonnekaart was developed by the Flemish Energy Agency (VEA) andis based on measurements taken during two years of flights over the regionusing laser recording devices.Theflights allowedVEA to gather precisemeas-urements of 2.5 million buildings in the region, with data including roof area,orientation, inclination andwhether the buildingwas overshadowedbyotherbuildings or by trees.That information was then coupled with details of exposure to sunlightfrom the Royal Meteorological Institute, allowing the agency to estimate theamount of sunlight received for any area of 25 x 25 centimetres.“We want to convince as many people and organisations as possible, includ-ing companies, associations, schools and government departments, to investin solar energy,” Tommelein said. “The aim is for themap, together with otherelements of the solar plan, to help us make the switch to renewable energyfaster, and help usmeet our European targets.” \ AH

Development minister suggestsembargo on Saudi arms sales

Epileptics not finding wayto treatment centres, says MP

Sunshine Map shows if solar panelswill suit your home

alan hopemore articles by alan \ flanderstoday.org

© courtesy aTV

© Pujanak/wikimedia

march 29, 2017

\ 5

Zen in the cityhasselt throws year-long celebration of Japanese garden’s silver jubilee

continued from page 1

the vision of the designer can trulybe appreciated. “A garden needs 25years to grow,” explains Davidson.“A lot of people came here in 1992or 1993 and the trees were onlythis high,” she adds, holding herhandwaist-high above the ground.“People were a bit disappointedbecause they thought, ‘Ah, a Japa-nese garden’, and there was noth-ing to see yet.”This week, the mature cherry treesare just starting to bloom, and thegarden will be at its most spec-tacular over the coming severalweeks.Hanami, or the Cherry BlossomFestival, is a popular spring tradi-tion at the garden, celebrating theannual bloom. In Japan, peoplecelebrate by going out into thecountry and picnicking under thetrees.This year, the Japanese Garden willhost food trucks so that visitorscan also enjoy eating and relaxingamong the blossoms, in additionto the other activities and enter-tainment.The Cherry Blossom Festival isone of many annual events at thegarden thatwill receive anupgradethis year with an expandedprogramme. Visitors who haveattended these events in the past –including the Manga and CosplayFestival, Koinobori, the children-oriented Tanabata, or Wish Festi-val, and Obon Matsuri, or thesummer nocturne – can expectto find new additions to the usualactivities.There are also new events plannedfor the anniversary year. OnJapanese Dog-Walking Day, forinstance, owners of dogs from10 Japanese breeds can registerto bring their pets to the gardenfor one day; usually dogs are notallowed. “There are already morethan 320 Japanese dogs signedup,” Davidson says. “So that will bequite a spectacle!”In May, the garden hosts a bonsaiexposition devoted to the tradi-

tional Japanese art form of turn-ing miniature trees into livingsculptures. Both shohin – a bonsaismaller than 25cm – and satsuki,a larger bonsai made of bloomingazaleas, will be exhibited, alongwith selections from local bonsaiclubs. There will also be work-shops and demonstrations ofbonsai-cutting.The Belgian Koi Show takes placein June, giving visitors a chance toadmire the most beautiful speci-mens of these ornamental fish. InJapan, koi are a symbol of love andaffection.Many koi, a species of carp nativeto Asia, live in the ponds of the

Japanese Garden and remain oneof its chief attractions. Besides ajuried contest, the Koi Show will

also offer information and exper-tise on gardens and fish ponds.The garden opened a monthearlier than usual this year, in partto accommodate the expandedschedule of events. One of the firsthighlights of the year was a pop-up

restaurant run by the winners oflast year’s edition of the VTM TVshowMijn Pop-Up Restaurant.

For the entire month of March,Chloë and Magali Szpyt have beenserving East-West fusion cuisine ata temporary eatery in the garden’sactivities pavilion. Most of thetables were booked within days ofthe opening.

Throughout the year, there arespecial workshops for adultsplanned at the garden. Besidesmonthly ikebana (flower-arrang-ing) and calligraphy workshops,there will be sessions on wearingkimono, the traditional women’sgarment, cosplay (dressing upas characters from manga andanime), bento (lunch boxes), haiku(poetry) and Japanese cooking.The festival will culminate on 20Novemberwithaneveningcelebra-tion at which the city will presenta surprise birthday gift to the Japa-nese Garden. The full programmewill be announced later in the year.

\ cOVer sTOry

© kris Van de sande

From a festival celebrating the blossoming of cherry trees to a juried show of ornamental koi, hasselt’s Japanese Garden pulls out all the stop for its 25th anniversary

For many people, the JapaneseGarden is the symbol of Hasselt

• Across JapanThis exhibition atthe city’s fashion museum show-cases both Japanese fashion andthe country’s influence on West-ern designers. It starts chronologi-cally with imported Japanese silksand accessories of the late 19thcentury and the Japonism of theearly 20th century, when kimonos,draped garments and Japaneseprints were all the rage.The exhibition continues with theground-breaking Japanese fashiondesigners of the 1980s, includingRei Kawakubo, Issey Miyake andYohji Yamamoto, who had a stronginfluence onWestern fashion.Thisdialogue between Japan and the

West continues to this day andis well-represented by garmentsfrom Flemish designers like AnnDemeulemeester and MartinMargiela. Until 3 September, Mode-Museum, Gasthuisstraat 11

• Cranes and Cherry BlossomsThis exhibition focuses on Japa-nese and Chinese influence onillustrated books for children,with original works by celebratedBelgian and French artists. Manyof the books illustrate fairy-talesset in the East, such as Hans Chris-tian Andersen’s The Nightingale,or feature Asian characters andsettings.

As part of the exhibition, Hasselt’sLiterary Museum has built aminiature Japanese house indoorsthat visitors can enter. During theEaster school holidays, there areworkshops for children in Chinesebrush painting and calligraphy.Registration is required. Until 14October, Bampslaan 35

• Anton Kusters This Hasselt-born photographer gained world-wide attention for his in-depthseries on Japan’s organised crimesyndicate, the Yakuza. His seriesMono No Aware will premiere atHasselt’s Cultural Centre, alongwith his Yakuza photographs.

Mono no aware is a Japaneseconcept that embraces both asense of the transience of thingsand a sweet melancholy at theirpassing. 23 April to 24 September,Kunstlaan 5

• Sake Food Pairing Althoughit’s not the same as jenever, sake isalso a clear distilled spirit – madefrom rice instead of grain – witha long tradition in Japan. Duringthis workshop, you can taste foursakes paired with an appropriatedish. Each workshop is limited to20 participants, and reservationsare required. 29 April, Jenevermu-seum, Witte Nonnenstraat 19; €23

More Japan In hasselt

visithassElt.BE/En/JaPanEsE-gardEn-1

\ 6

The federal government willreclaim more than €19 million intotal from Brussels Airlines, TUI( formerly Jetair) and ThomasCook – after subsidies they weregiven for using Brussels Airportwere ruled illegal state aid. ForBrussels Airlines alone, the sumcomes to €16.8 million.The money was initially grantedas a contribution to securityinfrastructure costs for airlinesthat handled an annualminimumof 400,000 departing passengers.The aid was contested by Ryanairand Vueling as state aid and thusunfair competition; they fileda complaint with the EuropeanCommission, which agreed.The “security grants” were infact intended to help airlinescompete with low-cost competi-tors like Ryanair, which registersits employees in Ireland, wheresocial security charges are muchlower. As Ryanair’s headquartersare in Ireland, this is legal to do

even for employees who do notlive or work in Ireland.The subsidies amounted to €19million a year for three years,from 2014-2016. It was not paidout in 2015 or 2016 because of thecomplaint procedure.Theairlinessaid they would not contest theruling, but would wait for thegovernment to come forwardwith an alternative system tomeet its promises regardingunfair competition. \ AH

TheDocksBruxsel shopping centre,which opened in the capital’s canalarea last October, was constructedin the absence of valid permits, anopposition member of the Brusselsparliament has alleged. Accord-ing to Cieltje Van Achter (N-VA),the government of the Brussels-Capital Region operated a “permitscarousel” by issuing new permitsthe minute the Council of Stateappeared to be ready to nullify theold ones.Citizen action group Bral filed acomplaint with the Council of Statewith regard to the socio-economicpermit for the shopping centre, andthe Council ruled in their favourin February 2015 on the groundsthat mobility regulations werenot adequately met. The Brusselsgovernment simply issued anotherpermit.Last December, the auditor ofthe Council of State again issuedan opinion against the socio-economic permit and also the envi-ronmental permit for the shoppingcentre – which by that point hadalready been built.In both cases, the auditor said, thecomplex failed tomeet the capital’s

planning regulations.The opinion of the auditor is notbinding on the Council of State buttends to be followed more oftenthan not.Brussels avoided the problem bywithdrawing the previous permit,the subject of the complaint, andissuing another one. “To preventthe Council of State from oncemore confirming the illegality ofthe shopping complex, the Brusselsgovernment withdrew the permiton the day before oral arguments,only to deliver the same permitanew,” Van Achter said.The same thing happened with theenvironmental permit in July 2015,she said, following an opinion fromthe auditor.The final ruling from the Councilof State has not yet been handeddown. \ AH

A strike by unions representing staff of Net Brussel, the capital’s wastemanagement agency, is over, minister Fadila Laanan announced. Theresults of talks were presented to workers last week, although in someareas normal operations resumed only at the weekend.Staff had been on strike sinceMonday in protest at changes to the rubbishcollection schedule, which unions claim result in longer routes, morehours and a shortage of personnel. Among other measures, the collectionof yellow and blue bags returned to a weekly schedule following a year inwhich they were picked up fortnightly.“Our goals are reconcilable,” a spokesperson for Laanan said. “Both sideswant to improve the quality of the service we provide to the people, whileensuring the welfare of staff. We have to find a balance.” \ AH

The Vlaams Fonds voor de Letteren, or Flemish Literature Fund, whichpromotes Flemish literature abroad, has launched a new website inEnglish. The new site, called Flanders Literature, was introduced at theLondon Book Fair earlier this month.Flanders Literature allows publishers and event organisers to search thecatalogue of Flemish works to decide which author or book would bestsuit their own needs. The site is searchable according to genre, author,title or translations, making it a useful tool for the reading public as well.It also provides information on accredited translators and on the localbook market.The Vlaams Fonds voor de Letteren was launched in 2000 to support “abroad and accessible literary landscape” in Flanders, as well as to makelocal authors and their work more visible at home and abroad.According to the 2015 annual report, the fund paid out €802,500 to 92successful applicants for projects ranging from young adult literature,children’s books, theatre, poetry and prose. \ AH

Airlines must repay €19 millionin federal state aid ruled illegal

Docks Bruxsel shopping centre‘built illegally’ claim N-VA

Brussels rubbish collectors go backto work after strike

New Flanders Literature websitelaunches at London Book Fair

\ BUsIness

hotels astoriaThe landmark art deco hotelon Koningstraat in Brus-sels, closed since 2008, isto re-open in 2019 after an€80 million facelift financedby the owner, IHI holdingcompany in Malta. The prop-erty will have 126 rooms.Meanwhile, the bankruptSilken Berlaymont hotel inthe EU district is expectedto be taken over for by theScandinavian Pandox group,which already operates eighthotels in Brussels.

BeveragesPelican rougeThe largest coffee distributerand coffee machine manu-facturer in Europe, servingmostly workplaces and thecatering industry, is beingtaken over by Switzerland’sSelecta vending servicesgroup. Pelican Rouge wasfounded in Antwerp in 1863.

air aDB safegateThe world-leading airportmanagement and logisticsdeveloper, based in Zaventemand supplying over 2,000airports worldwide, is beingacquired by France’s PAIprivate equity group.

retail alain afflelouThe French chain of opticaland hearing aids has plans toopen up to 60 outlets in Flan-ders over the next three years.The company already oper-ates 1,500 stores in 17 coun-tries but has mostly focusedon Wallonia and Brusselslocally.

Dentistry solvayTheBrussels-based chemicalsand materials group is devel-oping state-of-the-art remov-able denture frames wheremetal is replaced with poly-mer-based composites.

Video GImVThe Flanders governmentventure capital fundhasmadea solid profit from the sale ofits stake in France’s Teadsvideo advertising firm to theAltice cable group. GIMV hadacquired 10% of Teads for €14million in 2011.

aerospace esterlineThe Kortrijk-based screensand visual systems devel-oper has signed a contract tosupply the UK’s BAE Systemswith equipment for simula-tors at the Royal Air ForceEurofighter Typhoon trainingfacility.

Week InbusIness Slaughterhouse closed after

graphic video footage leakedPork processing facility in tielt accused of animal rights violations

Flemish animal welfare minister BenWeyts has ordered an immediate stopto all activities at the Debra-Group

slaughterhouse in Tielt, West Flanders, afterthe release of video footage by a group calledAnimal Rights.The graphic undercover video shows pigs beingkicked and beaten and having their throats cutwithout being stunned, which is illegal in Flan-ders. Other pigs are shown being plunged intoboiling water while still alive.“From the images, we are able to determinedozens of breaches of animal welfare laws,”Weyts said. “Inspectors will compile a dossier,which I will pass on to the prosecutor for furtheraction.”The slaughterhouse is the third-largest in the

country, handling 3,800 pigs a day. Debra-Groupmanagement said it would carry out an internalinvestigation. The company later came forwardwith an action plan for ensuring animal welfare,but Weyts refused to return their licence while

a police investigation is going on. “We’re notjust going to turn the page and pretend nothinghappened,” he said.In return, the company accused Weyts of hold-ing 350 jobs to ransom. “In the film a numberof procedural breaches are filmed and editedtogether as a single report,” a spokesperson forthe group said. “This delivers a mass of imagesthat could give the viewer the impression thatthis is current working practice. It is not.”“The negative impact for our sector is enor-mous,” said Bart Vergote of the farmers’ unionABS. “Our image had improved over recent yearsthanks to the efforts of somany pig farmers whowere proud to allow consumers an insight intotheir businesses via social media or open-doordays.That improvementhasbeenundone today.”

alan hopemore articles by alan \ flanderstoday.org

© courtesy Debra Group

© courtesy Docks Bruxsel

© courtesy Brussels airlines

march 29, 2017

\ 7

The weekend before last, some1,000 pedestrians and cycliststook to the centre of Ghent

to show their support for the city’snew mobility plan. Not everyoneshared in their enthusiasm.The plan, set to come into effectnext Monday, is being opposed by agroup of local retailers and profes-sionals, backed by opposition partyN-VA. The group has demanded apublic referendum on the issue.Since 2000, Ghent’s population hasincreased by more than 32,000 to atotal of 257,000, making the capi-tal of East Flanders the second larg-est municipality in Belgium, afterAntwerp. But the rapid growth hascome at a price.Today, Gentenaars own 17,000morecars than only 10 years ago. Andcongestion has never been worse,with an additional 100,000 peoplecommuting to the city for workevery day.During rush hour, the cramped citycentre can feel unwelcoming topedestrians and cyclists, who haveto share the narrow streets withcars. To help alleviate this, last yearthe city government unveiled themuch-anticipated mobility plan,which will increase the car-freearea and create new no-parkingzones. It is due to come into forceon 3 April.According to mobility studiescommissioned by the city, 40% ofall car traffic through the centre isavoidable and could be redirectedto the ring road. Some 10% of thistraffic is made up of people whoonly pass through the city on theirway to somewhere else.The mobility plan is intended tokeep this through traffic out of thecentre. “Our main goal is to makethe city centre more enjoyable,safer and healthier,” says city coun-

cillor for mobility Filip Watteeuw(Groen). “To make this a reality, wefirst have to enlarge the pedestrianzone to about twice its size. But notblindly – we’re including the streetswhere car traffic is already slow andsparse, and where there are morecyclists and pedestrians.”The pedestrian zone will beserviced by three electric buses, butDe Lijn buses, taxis and lightweightmopeds will also be allowed in atall times. Cars and motorcycles– even those owned by local resi-dents – will only be allowed if theyare equipped with a special permit,and even then only between 18.00and 11.00.“Most delivery services, includingBpost, have already replaced theirheavy vehicles with bicycles andelectric bikes,” saysWatteeuw. “And

no one’s likely to order pizza before18.00.”The mobility plan also divides thecity centre into six traffic zonesaround the enlarged pedestrianarea. “By splitting the roads intosections and altering the directionyou can drive down them, wemadeit is impossible for cars to get fromone sector to another,” Watteeuwexplains. “If someone needs toreach another sector, they’ll haveto use the ring road.”When presented in its initial formin 2014, the plan caused an uproar.Over the course of three years,Watteeuw has worked with neigh-

bourhood committees, retail asso-ciations, transport federations andthe hospitality sector to adapt theplan where needed.In an extra round of talks last year,the councillor answered concernsfrom specific target groups, includ-ing health-care providers. “Thanksto the dialogue, the plan hasbecome much stronger,” he says.One group, however, has consist-ently resisted the mobility plan.Mobiel Gent was founded by20 professionals – mostly localvendors – who met at a city halldiscussion in 2015. Last spring,they were joined by local opposi-tion party N-VA and renamed Intel-liGentmobiel.The group has demanded that thecity hold a referendum on the planand turned in a petitionwith nearly

30,000 signatures last week – wellabove the 26,000 required. Now thecity is tasked with checking thesignatures to make sure they arevalid.The group’s chair, Jozef Burm, hasexpressed concerns that the cityhas not done enough to involveneighbourhood associations. Allcommissioned studies are availableonline, but Burm, a general prac-titioner with an office inside thecity’s ring road, is sceptical abouttheir validity.“And even if they’re true, and 10%of all transport in the city is totallyunnecessary, is that enough of a

reason to force the other 90% to gothe extra mile?” Burm asks. “Theoriginal plan would have increasedmy own commute by 80%. After thechanges, it’s still gone up by a quar-ter, but nobody’s thinking about theincrease in traffic jams caused bythe plan. This could turn out to benothing but a giant waste of time.”Burm agrees with N-VA, which saysthat, in its current form, the mobil-ity plan puts an economic stran-glehold on Ghent. Peter Dedecker,a Ghent resident and member ofthe federal parliament for N-VA,says that, even though it’s too lateto stop the plan from starting on 3April, it will have to be revoked incase the possible future referen-dum passes.“The majority of residents andentrepreneurs are of the opinion

that the plan makes the mobilitysituation worse,” says Dedecker.His claim is based on a recent pollby Flemish chamber of commerceVoka, in which 70% of respondentsagreed with the statement that theplan will make things worse forthose “who do business or work inthe city”.Councillor Watteeuw, however,is sceptical about the poll andremains confident that theplanwillstand the test of time. “After years oftalks andpreparation, everything isin place,” he says. “Thinking you canstill stop it is a sign of being out oftouch.”

The long and winding roadghent’s new mobility plan enters final stretch despite opposition

Trauma centres couldsave ‘900 lives a year’Under current legislation,severely injured patients haveto be taken to the nearesthospital. In 2015, 3,500 peoplesuffering from major traumawere brought to 145 differenthospitals. According to theBelgian Health Care Knowl-edgeCentre(KCE), it is impos-sible to maintain special-ised trauma equipment andhighly trained staff in thatmany institutions. The centrelooked at countries that usean integrated care systemthat revolves around majortrauma centres – specialisedhospitals that meet the high-est standards for equipmentand staff. According to KCE,care for seriously injuredpatients in Belgium should belimited to seven specialisedtrauma centres spread stra-tegically across the country.The system, says KCE, couldsave up to 900 lives a year.

€2.5 million for high-quality holographsJan Genoe of the Leuven-based nanotech researchcentre imec has received aEuropean Research CouncilAdvanced Grant to develophigh-quality holographicprojection. The grant of €2.5million covers a five-yearperiod. Today, holographicprojectors do not have a fastenough frame rate to allowthe projection of complexholograms. With a combi-nation of smart electronics,optics and materials, Genoeaims to enable next-genera-tion video holography, thatcould eventually be inte-grated in a smartphone andallow watching 3D movieswithout 3D glasses.

UGent researchersdevelop new plasticResearchers at Ghent Univer-sity have developed a newtype of plastic, belonging tothe family of vitrimers, chem-ically strengthened plasticsthat can easily be processed,repaired and recycled. Theresearchers have discoveredthat characteristics that areessential to the recyclingprocess can be significantlychanged by adding very smallquantities of simple addi-tives, like acids andbases.Theresearch at Ghent is a majorstep forward in the use of therecyclable plastics becauseit means the characteristicsessential for recycling can beseparated from other charac-teristics,making it possible tocreate a customised vitrimerfor numerous specific appli-cations – such as rubberand harder applications – bychoosing the right additives.\ Andy Furniere

Week InInnovatIon

\ InnOVaTIOn

daan BauwensFollow Daan on Twitter \ @DaanBauwens

© Jerroen willems/stad Gent

We have enlarged the pedestrian zone to about twiceits size by including streets where car traffic is alreadyslow and sparse

stad.gEnt/moBilitEitsPlan

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march 29, 2017

\ 9

Future-proofingisB conference leads the charge towards a changing world of education

standardisedtests required inprimary schoolStarting with the 2017-18school year, all pupils in thelast year of primary educa-tion will be required to takeat least two standardised testsin the academic subjects oftheir choice, Flemish educa-tion minister Hilde Crevitshas announced. Tests devel-oped by the Catholic educationnetwork, the Education Secre-tariat for Cities and Munici-palities and the communityeducation network Go! haveup to this point been admin-istered voluntarily by indi-vidual schools. Now the testswill be required. Some 90% ofschools are already using thetests, meant to measure theschools’ quality of educationand strengthen their policiesand methods. The tests are notmeant to determine whetherpupils are ready for secondaryeducation.

more internationalstudents seekpsych helpIncreasing numbers of interna-tional students at the Univer-sity of Leuven are seekingpsychological help, reportedthe university’s student maga-zine Veto. In the 2015-16academic year, 24% of the1,362 students who consulteda psychologist at the univer-sity’s Student Health Centrewere international students,compared to 19% the yearbefore. “Thenumber riseseveryyear,” saidAnneNeyskens, headof the centre. Someof the inter-national students who seekhelp have already experiencedmental health issues at home.For others, adjusting to thenew environment proves moredifficult than anticipated.

schools considerdelaying start dateThe Catholic educationnetwork has started up aconversation on the possi-bility of postponing the firstday of the next school yearbecause 1 September – Flan-ders’ annual official first dayof school – is also the MuslimFeast of the Sacrifice this year.The network is suggestingpushing the first day of schoolto Monday, 4 September. TheFeast of the Sacrifice is an offi-cial Islamic holiday, for whichchildren can stay home fromschool. Schools in the biggercities are concerned that largenumbers of students would beabsent on the first day. Educa-tion minister Hilde Crevitssaid that schools have enoughoptions to deal with the situa-tion and that it’s not necessaryto postpone the general start ofthe school year. \ Andy Furniere

Week IneducatIon

\ eDUcaTIOn

At a recent conference at theInternational School of Brussels,teachers from around the worldjoined students to explore newways of working in areas suchas social innovation and climatechange.

“Schools have becomelearning enclosures,separated from the world

our kids need to understand,”learning futurist David Pricetells assembled teachers at theInternational School of Brussels(ISB). “Education itself needs tochange.”The teachers have gathered tohear Price’s thoughts on one ofthe key topics of a learning confer-ence being held at the school: howeducation can transform itself tokeep pace with new ways of living,working and communicating.“Disruption” is a word that mightmake some teachers’ blood runcold, but the Learning by Designevent was put together with theexpress aim of inspiring educatorsto disrupt the existing system, tobetter equip students for a worldthat’s already rapidly changing.The English-language school inWatermaal-Bosvoorde is home tointernational students from pre-school all the way through second-ary school. For the recent Learningby Design, it hosted 420 educatorsfrom more than 40 countries – aswell as involving 120 of its ownpupils – and plans to repeat it in2019.Sessions at the three-day eventtackled topics such as using Insta-gram as a language learning tool,creating prosthetic hands with 3Dprinting, fostering student auton-omy, teaching the power of engag-ing storytelling and learning howto break out of old habits and riskinnovative ideas.

A range of workshops focusedon project-based learning suchas inventing Internet of Thingsprojects or creating interactiverobots using common electronicparts and recycled materials.As part of its social innova-tion theme, a parallel event forstudents involved being mentoredby experts to come up with prac-tical actions to help tackle globalissues like climate change, racismand poverty.“It’s an opportunity to engage inconversations aimed at re-imagin-ing how schools can best facilitatelearning in today’s complex world,”

says ISB director Lee Fertig.In his session, Price relays ananecdote about discovering thereason his own teenage son was so“zombie-like” each morning thatthey couldn’t get him out of bed.He eventually revealed that in thesmall hours he’d been appearing asa panellist on an internet radio talkshow about libertarian politics.“We knew nothing about it,” saysPrice. “I realised there was this gulfopening up between the learningthat’s being done socially and thelearning in the formal context.”Price went on to write the best-selling book Open: How We’llWork, Live and Learn In The Futureand gives talks all over the worldabout making education moredemocratic, innovative and rele-vant. Citing predictions that halfthe workforce will be freelance by2020, he says schools should focuson what children can do with their

knowledge: “We need to preparekids to be entrepreneurial, to beself-starters, to work with change.”In the next building, more than 100students are busy doing just that.Printouts of the United Nations’17 sustainable development goalsadorn the walls, and groups of chil-dren are noisily coming up withtheir own ways to tackle them at alocal, achievable level.Peter Gee, 14, and Fred Brown, 13,have put their own spin on animalconservation and devised a planfor a not-for-profit organisationproviding free 3D-printed prosthet-ics for disabled dogs. Though only

two days old, Saving Paw Printsalready has a website and flyers,and the pair have persuaded a localvet to volunteer his services.“We’ve done it all by working in theevenings,” Peter says. “Yesterdaywe called 15 vets, dog shelters andkennels, asking them to contact usif they have anyone interested.”Fred says the school has prom-ised seed funding for any projectsthat get going. “Most of the groupsin here are fantasising about theirprojects, but we are actually doingit.”Theteacher leading thesession,BenDoxtdator, says the racism grouphas set up a meeting with some-one at the EU who works on Islam-ophobia, while another is discuss-ing building an inclusive LGBTcommunity within the school.Writer and education consultantSuzie Boss, who is running a teach-ers’ session on “students as changeagents for the planet” says thereis room within the current systemfor students to engage in real prob-lem solving. Armed with myriadexamples, such as a Massachusettsstudent project to capture energygenerated by pedestrians usingspecialised floor tiles, she says that“action is doable and students areeager”.“What these projects require is thewill to think differently about howstudents learn,” she explains. “Real-world projects put new demandson teachers, but educators tend tobe energised by what their empow-ered students can do.”Over at ISB’s middle school, groupsof teachers are grappling with littlewireless electronic blocks, tryingto come up with inventions thatthey could replicate as a lessonplan. While the physics teach-ers work on a set of plastic bat-wings that flap when triggered by

a sensor, another group discussesdevising an alarm system to alertpupils when they’ve been sittingdown too long.Across the room, design teacherRyan Evans is among those build-ing a Lego animal enclosure thatcloses when a creature wandersinside. “It then takes a pictureand tweets it out to let peopleknow there’s something in there,”explains his teammate Peter Aitch-ison. “It could be used for a wildlifestudy or capture and release.”Evans, from Wales, teaches at aninternational school in Angola,and has come to the conference toexplore “design thinking”. “I wasinterested in how this conferencewas about design thinking for thewhole curriculum, to show howeverything is connected,” he says.Everything we do is a process, hecontinues. “It could be writing anessay or doing a project on faminein Africa. You approach, plan, do itand evaluate it. It’s all about prob-lem-solving, rather than just listen-ing and regurgitating.”Outside, Tabitha Johnson fromthe US and Akio Iida from Japan– who are both teachers in HongKong – say they travelled to Brus-sels after seeing the event adver-tised on Twitter. “This is the kind ofthing people in education are talk-ing about right now: how to createexperiences in classrooms that arehands-on and innovating,” saysJohnson. “We went to the recyclingand robotics session and madebirds. We could definitely replicatethat. In teaching you sometimesget marooned in your own schooland don’t know what’s going on inother classrooms.”“It’s just great to get excited aboutstuff,” adds Iida. “It’s importantin teaching not to keep doing thesame things.”

Paula dearmore articles by Paula \ flanderstoday.org

It’s important in teaching not tokeep doing the same things

Fred Brown (left) and Peter Gee, the founders of saving Paw Prints

isB.BE

\ 10

\ lIVInG

Block partyantwerp’s Plein Publiek is an urban oasis that never stops giving

In the autumn of 2015, theabandoned Fierensblokkensocial housing project near

the waterfront in Antwerp’s Sint-Andries district was transformedinto an urban jungle. A 300 square-metre greenhouse was erected inthe courtyard, and Plein Publiekwas born.Amid the lush vegetation, you’ll finda cocktail bar, a restaurant and anevent space that changes with theseasons. The derelict apartments,once inhabited by squatters, havemade way for an art gallery.“What makes Plein Publiek uniqueis its location and look,” says NelsonDonck, head of programming. “Themodernist tower blocks date backto the interbellum and give theplace an underground vibe that’sreminiscent of Berlin. At the sametime, Plein Publiek remains acces-sible. Everyone’s welcome.”The social aspect is what sets PleinPubliek apart.This isn’t just anotherhipster hangout, but a meetingplace for the entire neighbourhood.“We work closely together with thecommunity centre coStA,” explainsDonck. “Every month, there’s aneighbourhood brunch for only€8 per person, and the live musicnights are free.”Plein Publiek’s art gallery, Kunst/Werk, doubles as a creative spaceand rehearsal room for artists. “Wetry to make art available to every-one,” says Donck.But that doesn’t mean things don’tget swanky. In January, British bandThexxplayedanexclusive showcasein the greenhouse, and last year,H&M used the space to host thepresale of its latest design collabo-rationwith the French luxury brand

Kenzo.Plein Publiek is actually anumbrella term for a lot of differentthings. There’s a cosy afternoon-to-night cocktail bar, nicknamed CaféCongé; a pop-up restaurant, wherechef Thomas Van De Weyer servesplates to share, and an event space

that morphs into club or debateroom depending on the hour of theday.“The transformation is what keepsthings interesting for us,” saysDonck. “We go from dining to danc-ing to everything in between.”

The programme for the comingmonths is packed with weekendparties and free Wednesday nightconcerts, but the daytime activitiesare not to be missed, either.On 4 June, part of the Sint-Andriescity run will cross through thegreenhouse, a chance for a quick

look at Plein Publiek’s ever-chang-ing decor. Speaking of which: Thereare no fancy decorators or setdesigners here; the eccentric inte-rior, says Donck, is a team effort.“We’ve had everything from a skicabin to vintage bumper cars, and

right now we’re working on newdecorations for the spring that willfeature a small airplane. We have areal DIY mentality and find a lot ofour stuff in second-hand shops.”Just like the seasons and decor,however, nothing lasts forever.Plans to renovate the Fierensblok-ken into affordable rental flatsare well underway. “We can stayuntil the end of September, maybelonger, but after that it’s uncertain,”says Donck.Even with the end in sight, he findsno reason to despair. Congé, theorganisation behind Plein Publiek,has already secured a new place –the hip food hall Mercado, whichopened in the city centre inOctober.What will happen to the green-house? “Well, they’re not tearing itdown, that’s for sure,” says Donck.“We’re taking it with us.”

It may look like a regular self-serve breakfast-and-lunch joint – albeit a modish one with a wall ofplants, handsome parquet floors and an expan-sive terrace – but take a closer look, and you real-ise that De Serre has technological innovation atits core.Customers to theAntwerp eatery order via an app,thenhelp themselves to locally sourced salads andsandwiches. Behind the scenes, everything frompayment to stock management runs on softwareprovided by 20 tech partners, including ING.The restaurant, which is also open to the public, isthebrainchildofDieterVeuelemansof themarket-ing firmCityCubes and SebastianRummens of thehospitality recruitment agency Forganiser, whopreviously masterminded the pop-up Kaffee vanAntwerpen.Set in a former school that backs onto the Botani-cal Garden in the south of the city centre, De Serre(The Greenhouse) serves as the restaurant andevent venue for StartupVillage, an incubator thatleases affordable office space to 70 entrepreneurson a two-year basis.“Wewant tohelp start-ups, obviously,” saysLorenz

Lievens, De Serre’s operational manager. “But wealsowant to be a placewhere hospitality can growand digitalise.”De Serre, which opened earlier this week, can hostall kinds of public events thanks to the clever inte-rior, designed by the local studio Pinkeye’s; the barmorphs into a buffet, and plant stands double asreception tables.The idea is to fully integrate the software so thatit runs near automatically. This will produceswathes of data that De Serre plans to analyse toboost profits – turning it into Belgium’s largestdata-mining laboratory for catering.Big data hasn’t really been applied to hospitality,but the founders believe that it could help boostrevenue in an industry rocked by a governmentcrackdown on undeclared income.“Many businesses are scared of that data collec-tion, but we feel that you should embrace it andtry to use it,” says Lievens, adding that the demiseof numerous Belgian banks is partly due to theirfailure to grapple with digitalisation.Insights will be shared with restaurateurs viaevents and workshops. De Serre will also collab-

orate with Flanders employment service VDAB tohelp catering industry employees without a job toupdate their CVs with digital skills.Caterers who do make the leap won’t just benefitfinancially, says Lievens. “If you digitalise every-thing that the customers can’t see, then youcan use the time you save to personalise every-thing that they do see – and you end up with aneven greater layer of actual hospitality.” \ ClodaghKinsella

Lange Gasthuisstraat 29, Antwerp

bItede serre eatery reinvents the catering industry

Tour of FlandersFor the first time, Flanders’biggest and most prestigiouscycle race will start and endin Antwerp, and the city isplanning to make the most ofit with a public lecture on itshistory on Friday, an amateurrace on Saturday and a partyon Grote Markt on Sunday.The Men’s Elite pro racestarts at 10.30 on Sunday. TheWomen’s Elite race starts andends in Oudenaarde at 11.00on the same day. 31March to 2April, across Flanders; free

\ rondevanvlaanderen.be

return of themercatorAfter two years in dry dockfor renovations, the historicthree-mast sailing shipMerca-tor is returning to Ostend.There will be activities onboard and dockside all week-end, including guided tours ofthe ship and maritime quar-ter, workshops for children,food trucks and music. 1-2April 14.00-18.00, Mercator-dok, Ostend; free

\ visitoostende.be

antwerp TattooconventionWhether you’re itching toget some new ink or want tomeet other tattoo enthusi-asts, Antwerp is the place tobe this weekend.Meet Belgianand international artists, get atattoo, listen to live music orparticipate in tattoo contests.1-2 April 10.00-18.00, Waagna-tie, Rijnkaai 150, Hangar 29,Antwerp; €10

\ diamondcitycrew.be

Facts comic-conFacts is the number oneBelgian comics and popculture convention, with allthings fantasy, science fiction,comic books, cosplay andgaming.Specialguests includestars of TV andmovies, comicartists and cosplayers. Also,the world’s biggest inflata-ble obstacle course. 1-2 April,Flanders Expo,Maaltekouter 1,Ghent; €18

\ facts.be

British classiccar heritageFor just two weeks, Autow-orld is home to an exhibitionof classic cars from the 1950sto the 1970s, including theAustin Healey, Morgan, LandRover, Rolls Royce and Mini.The expo is organised by TheEnglish Drivers Guild, a groupof British car aficionados inBrussels. 1-17 April, 10.00-18.00, Jubelpark 11, Brussels;€9

\ autoworld.be

Week InactIvItIes

catherine kostersFollow catherine on Twitter \ @ckosters

dE-sErrE.BE

PlEinPUBliEk.BE

We go from dining to dancing toeverything in between

© robin De raedt

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The bone collectorsQuirky koksijde museum reveals the hidden side of the animal kingdom

The Flemish coast contains awealth of fanciful oddities,from Ensor’s house in

Ostend to the Serpentarium inBlankenberge. The fairly newMuseOs in Koksijde fits right in.Tucked away just south of the citycentre,thisinconspicuousmuseumof natural history is owned by LucTyteca and Leentje Vandenhoudt,biologists who have spent morethan half of their lives amassing avast collection of animal skulls andskeletons.“Back in the 1980s, we were bothstudying biology in Leuven,” saysTyteca. “We were taking a class onevolution, and the professor askedus to bring along animal skulls sothat we could study them.”An actual skull, said the professor,is a much better tool for learninganimal anatomy than photographsor drawings. “I brought a dog skull,”says Tyteca. “It was the first one Iever owned; many would follow.”Tyteca became fascinated withbones, but MuseOs, which openedin 2015,would remainapipedreamfor years to come. When the pairgraduated from the University ofLeuven and got married, they wereasked to take over Tyteca’s familybakery in Koksijde.“We kept it open for 27 years,” saysTyteca. “It was a demanding job,no doubt. I worked the nights andslept during the day, while my wiferan the shop. Six days a week.”On Wednesdays, he continues,“when the bakery was closed, wewere biologists again.” They tradedbones with collectors from all overthe world and stored them in theirhouse. Soon, their entire theirgarage, cellar, attic and even theswimming pool were filled withbones of various shapes and sizes.But the impressive collection wasonly gathering dust; Tyteca and hiswife had no way of displaying it tothepublic. “I felt it’dbeapity tokeepit tomyself,” he says. Eventually, hisbrother took over the bakery, andthe couple startedwork onMuseOs– a play on the words museum and

os, meaning bones in Latin.The three-story building sits rightnext to their house. Inside, largewindows let in plenty of naturallight. “We worked very closely withthe architect to make the buildingideal for displaying skeletons andskulls,” explains Tyteca. “The levelscascade so that we can fit an entireskeleton of an elephant, or even agiraffe. We also wanted to ensurethat our visitors could study thebones from all angles.”Suspended from the ceiling by thinwires, the elephant is one of themost impressive assets in MuseOs’collection. Spanning two levels, itappears to be greeting the visitorsas they enter the main hall, whereanother formidable creature lurksjust above their heads.The sperm whale’s skull weighshalf a tonne, but Tyteca wasn’tshy about putting it right over thewooden cabinets lent to MuseOsby the zoo in Antwerp.Themassiveanimal died after getting strandedon a beach in Denmark in 2000.Other specimens are no lessimpressive. MuseOs houses gorillaskulls, countless antlers and horns,a skeleton of a platypus and a two-headed calf. Even the tiny housemouse, perched on its hind legs,looms in the imagination. Bonescan be surprisingly fascinating.And this is exactly what Tyteca andVandenhoudt are trying to accom-plish. “We want to showcase thebeauty of animals,” says Tyteca.“People know what they look likeon the outside, but their insidecan be just as amazing. We want tooffer a ‘wow’ factor to our visitorsand share our excitement.”MuseOs is also an educationalproject. Most of the visitors areparents with children or part of aschool trip, and there is a desig-nated space where youngsters canassemble pieces of bones or studythem under the microscope.“Adults are satisfied with look-ing at the glass cabinets,” he says,“but children, they always want totouch everything.”

Backed by a wall decorated withsome 60 deer antlers and ante-lope horns, he explains that hisfascination with bones extendsbeyond their scientific value. “Forme, these are so much more thanjust dead animals; they are piecesof art.”His personal favourite? The mooseantlers. “They’re huge.”The museum still has some emptyspace, but the collection keepson growing. On the second floor,Tyteca is assembling the newestaddition – a skeleton of a rhinoc-eros.“It takes time, and I’mdoing it righthere inthemuseumbecausepeopleare fascinated by the process,” hesays. “Also, once the skeleton iscomplete, it will be too big to carryup the stairs.”While Tyteca shows us around themuseum, Vandenhoudt is makingcoffee and tea. “We prefer smallgroups to large crowds coming inall at once,” she says. “This way wecan have a chat with our visitors.”

The government of Flanders has approvednearly €1.2 million in funding for restora-tion work on Sint-Rombouts cathedral inMechelen. The cathedral (pictured) datesto the 13th century and has been a listedmonument since 1938.Mechelen became Belgium’s archdiocese inthe 1500s and is still the home of the coun-try’s archbishop, cardinal Jozef De Kesel.Restoration of the cathedral started in 1985.The current phase concerns cleaning andrepairs to the facade.The cathedral remainsopen for services.Minister-president Geert Bourgeois, whoseportfolio also includes heritage affairs,

announced that the government hadalso listed two electric harbour cranes in

Antwerp as monuments.The cranes, known as 400 KA and 410 KDand located on the Rijnkaai near the Masmuseum, represent a high point in thedevelopment of crane technology from the1950s. 410 KD was operational until 2003,andboth cranes are testament to the growthof Antwerp as a port.Over the last two months, Bourgeois hasapproved funding of more than €12 millionfor heritage projects. They include €787,000for the restoration of theMiddelkerke’s townhall and an Art Deco building, listed monu-ments since 2002 and 2009 respectively.A sum of nearly €1.9 million will be spent

on restoring two forts that form part of thering of fortifications around Antwerp, partof the former military protection of the city,while €1 million will be spent on the board-ing schoolwing of Sint-Jozef college in Aalst,which dates in its original form to the 18thcentury. The college was founded in 1620.There will be €1.7 million for the old watertower in Ostend, which originates from1900 and has a 50-metre neo-gothic towerand a capacity of 700 cubicmetres. €600,000,meanwhile, has been earmarked for Ypres’slandmark Cloth Hall and tower, whichhouses the In Flanders Fields museum.\ Alan Hope

Grants approved for Mechelen cathedral restoration and other projects

débora votquenneFollow Débora on Twitter \ @dvotq

© milo Profi

mUsEos.BE

© Photos: Bartosz Brzeziński

leentje Vandenhoudt and luc Tyteca have built museOs by themselves from the ground up; the complete skeleton of an elephant (below) is one ofthe museum’s most striking pieces

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All things weird and wonderfulflemish art in france offers fur, feathers and a dose of eccentricity

An exhibition in France exploresunusual and occasionally movinganimal-based art by contemporaryFlemish artists, from amorousdeer to war horses in the throes ofdeath.

Last year theMusée de Flandrein northern France exploredthepioneeringrepresentation

of animals in 17th-century Flemishpainting. Now the museum takesvisitors back to the future with afollow-up exhibition that basksin the zoological eccentricity ofcontemporary Flemish art.The French village of Cassel is situ-ated atop a hill that locals claimis the tallest in all of Flanders. Ahistorical crossroads, the regionhas for the last 1,000 years been amelting pot of French and Flem-ish influence. The modern bordermay have put the Kasselberg about10km from Belgium, but the townthat straddles it remains rich inechoes of the past.Nowhere is the Flemish legacymore pronounced than the Muséede Flandre. The museum’s perma-nent collection is drawn mainlyfrom the Baroque era, when Flem-ish painting flourished.Indeed, the exhibition that inspiredFur and Feathers showcased theart of that period. Last year’s Odys-sey of Animals presented wildlifecanvases by the likes of RoelandtSavery, Jan Fyt and Paul de Vos.The current exhibition fast-forwards a few hundred years tothe end of the 20th century andinto the present millennium. “Wewanted to bring the subject up todate,” museum director SandrineVézilier-Dussart says. “The chang-ing representation of animal lifetells us a lot about changing values,both in art and in society.”Vézilier-Dussart and her team dulyreached out to nine contempo-rary Flemish artists and acquiredmore than 30 of their works in vari-ous media, from bronze sculpturesto photographic montages to wildtaxidermy installations.“These are all revisited works,”she explains. “They were createdin different contexts across manyyears, but bringing them alltogether, in this specific context,emphasises similarities and differ-ences.”One of those similarities is the free-dom with which contemporaryartists approach the subject. “Theearly painters were busy perfect-ing a technique,” Vézilier-Dussartexplains. “Representational paint-ing was fairly new. These paintersused the varied forms of animalanatomy to test the limits of verisi-militude. Contemporary artists usethe animal subject to deconstructor transcend that very representa-tional technique.”So the ancients wrote the rule book

only for the moderns to tear it up.This general evolution is, of course,a global fact of contemporary art.There is a specifically Flemish char-acteristic, however; the currentgeneration of Flemish artistsinherited the Baroque tradition of

animal painting and can referenceit with native ease.“Look at the bizarre creaturescatalogued by an artist like KoenVanmechelen,” Vézilier-Dussartsays. “They are conscious refer-ences to the world of HieronymusBosch.”Visitors are greeted in the exhibi-tion’s first galleries by two of thebiggest names in contemporaryFlemish art: Jan Fabre and WimDelvoye. Though Fabre’s bronzelamb sculpture “Sanguis Sum”, hisstuffed owl head and their accom-panying Baroque tableaux are alittle too clumsy in their symbol-ism, he does have some excellentwork in the exhibition – partic-ularly the wood, taxidermy andbeetle installation “Gravetomb”.Delvoye’s copulating deer bronze“Trophy” is refreshingly secular,

meanwhile, even if the amorousanimals are pairing in missionaryposition. His triptych of controver-sial tattooed pigskins is also rela-tively understated (apart from onetitled “Madonna”). Still, exhibi-tion curators serve them up with a

gigantic 16th-century Italian paint-ing of a bloodied and lifeless Jesusbeing hauled to his grave.It’s only with the third featuredartist that we trulymove away fromecclesiastical domination and intothe modern era. Marie-Jo Lafon-taine’s photographic series I Lovethe World! does feature an obliga-tory lamb among the wolves (andrats and predatory apes) of WallStreet, but everything else about itis resolutely 21st century.Vézilier-Dussart’s favourite piece isa meditation on modern warfare.Berlinde de Bruyckere’s immersiveinstallation“InFlandersFields”wasoriginally conceived for the epony-mous First World War museum inYpres.

Thework consists of three life-sizedhorse simulacra upholstered in realtreated horse skins and posed intheir death throes. “This onemovesme themost,” she says. “Despite theminimalism of her approach, theartist plunges you into the inten-

sity of war.”After traversing Vanmechelen’scabinet of curiosities – a taxidermymash-up that puts iguana heads onpoultry and vice versa – and pass-ing Michel Vanden Eeckhoudt’sstark photographic depictions ofzoo life behind the scenes, the exhi-bition ends on an optimistic notewith Éric de Ville’s slick, digitallyenhanced montage “Paradise”.This utopian vision of lush land-scape and exotic wildlife is amodern update of the birds-of-paradise tableaux showcased inlast year’s Animal Odyssey. It’s alsoa reminder that contemporary artisn’t always about ironic distanceor worldly pessimism

Flemish authors upfor libris PrizeTwo Flemish authors havebeen nominated for theLibris Literature Prize, whichrewards the best Dutch-language novel of the previ-ous year. Jeroen Olyslaegerswas nominated for Wil (Will),which finds an old man tryingto explain his experiences inSecond World War Antwerpto his grandson. He struggledwith ambivalence, faced withtwo sharply disparate ideolo-gies. Lize Spit was nominatedfor Het smelt (The Melting),which finds Eva driving fromBrussels to the tiny Kempentown where she grew up. Sherecalls the events of her youth,moulded by a friendship withtwo boys, all the way up to aviolent incident she intendsto resolve on this day 13 yearslater. Four Dutch authorsare also nominated for theprize. The winning author,who receives €50,000, will beannounced on 8 May.

\ librisliteratuurprijs.nl

Play4Peace brings7,000 to BrusselsMore than 7,000 people tookpart in the third annual Play-4Peace at Tour&Taxis inBrus-sels at the weekend. The eventbrings together sports teamsand clubs fromacross Belgiumfor a weekend that focuses onsport as a way to bring peopletogether, encourage dialogueand improve social cohesion.The free event, supported byUnescoand theKingBaudouinFoundation, was open to chil-dren and adults and featuredmore than 30 sports and activ-ities. The Play4Peace organ-isation sponsors monthlyevents particularly aimed atyoungsters from disadvan-taged backgrounds. The UN’sInternational Day of Sport forDevelopment and Peace is on6 April.

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€2 million for culturalinfrastructureFlemish culture ministerSven Gatz has announced€2.1 million for infrastructureprojects across the region.Ghent cultural centre Vooruitwill receive €500,000 to auto-mate its theatrical riggingsystem, which is still oper-ated by hand. Kazematten inKortrijk and Circusplaneet inGhent receive €500,000 and€300,000 respectively to createnew meeting spaces for chil-dren and young people. Also inKortrijk, the 100-year-old DeScala banquet hall has beenawarded €300,000 for renova-tion work. And the Elzenhofcultural centre in the Elsenemunicipality of Brussels willreceive €500,000 for rehearsalspaces.

Week In arts& culture

georgio valentinomore articles by Georgio \ flanderstoday.org

© courtesy m hka, antwerp

Despite the minimalism of Berlinde de Bruyckere’s approach, she plunges the viewer into the intensity of war

Look at the bizarre creatures by an artist like KoenVanmechelen. They are conscious references toHieronymus Bosch

musée de FlandreCassel, France

Until 9 July

mUsEEdEflandrE.lEnord.fr

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The house that Victor builtthe horta museum, a marvel of art nouveau architecture, is now bigger and better

For fans of Art Nouveau,the house built by Belgianarchitect Victor Horta for

himself and his family is a must-see in Brussels. Now, with theopening of a new extension, theHortaMuseumcanaccommodatemore visitors, while reducing thestrain on its historic architectureand interiors.The revamped museum stilloffers an intimate encounterwith Horta’s genius while addinggreatly to the visitor experience.Horta is credited with designingthe first Art Nouveau building inthe world in 1893. He went on tohave a successful career, receivingcommissions from the bourgeoi-sie and, later, for commercial andcivic buildings in Brussels such asBozar.His own residence on Ameri-kaansestraat in Sint-Gillis wasbuilt in 1898, with an adjoiningstudioaddedsoonafter. It displaysall the hallmarks of Horta’s ArtNouveau style, including an inno-vative plan with rooms radiatingoff a central staircase.He also designed the interiorsdown to the tiniest detail, fromthe floors and furniture to lightfixtures and door hardware.Walk-ing through the museum allowsvisitors to experience one of hisunique houses from the insideout.One of Horta’s former students,Jean Delhaye, persuaded themunicipality of Sint-Gillis to buythe house in 1961, with the goalof turning it into a museum dedi-cated to the architect and hiswork. It was the first Art Nouveaubuilding to be listed in Belgium.

Ever since it opened in 1969, theHorta Museum has attracted visi-tors from around the world, andin 2000 it was added to theUnescoWorld Heritage List.But over the years, as the numbersof visitors has steadily increased,the museum’s popularity liter-ally became a burden. The wearand tear from foot traffic and theweight of administrative func-tions took their toll on 100-year-old structures originally intendedto house a family of three.Although a long-term restorationplan developed in 1989 foresawtheneed foranextension, itwasn’tuntil 2007 that the municipalitywas able to buy the house nextdoor. Built by Horta’s contempo-

rary Jules Brunfaut, it had under-gone so many transformationsover the years that nothing of theoriginal interior remained.Thatallowedthearchitectstostartagain from scratch and design anew interior perfectly suited tothe museum’s needs. Visitors nowenter through the ground floor ofthe Brunfaut house, which func-tions as both reception area andgift shop. Previously, they oftenhad to queue outside the frontdoor of Horta’s house, since itcan only accommodate up to45 people at once. Now they canwait inside the building or in thegarden behind the extension.The upper floors of the exten-sion now house the museum’s

administrative offices and itsarchives. The museum has thelargest library devoted exclusivelyto Art Nouveau, with more than5,000 volumes, as well as Horta’spersonal archives.The combined weight of thismaterial was simply placing toomuch strain on the upper floorsof Horta’s studio, where they werepreviously kept. By moving itsadministrative and research func-tions to a separate building, themuseum is also able to open upmore of Horta’s residence to thepublic.The most dramatic change isthe opening of the ground-floorkitchen, which was completelyinaccessible to visitors before.

Heavily damaged at the time ofthe house’s purchase in 1961, ithas been fully restored to its orig-inal appearance and furnishedwith furniture designed by Hortaand other objects from the period.Connecting the kitchen to thefloors above, the servants’ stair-case has also been opened tovisitors, helping to improve traf-fic flow and relieve some of thestrain on the main staircase. Aftervisiting the guest room on the topfloor, visitors now descend via theservants’ stairs and finish theirvisit in the kitchen.Along the way, they can also viewtwo rooms adjoining the diningroom.The butler’s pantry allowedservants to pass food brought upfrom the kitchen into the diningroom, and a small room off thebutler’s pantry – which untilrecently served as the museumsecretary’s office –may have beenused as a breakfast room.Finally, the extension also addsmuch-needed exhibition space.Though the museum remainspopular with foreign visitors, ithas struggled to attract localswhomay have visited once but see noreason to return.For the first time, temporary exhi-bitions can bemounted in a large,airy gallery above the receptionarea. The museum will host twoexhibitions a year, alternatingbetween contemporary decora-tive arts and topics related to ArtNouveau.The inaugural exhibition, A Playof Light and Shadow: Art NouveauRevisited Through Five Artists,showcases several original workscommissioned for the museum.

diana goodwinmore articles by Diana \ flanderstoday.org

A statue has been unveiled infron of Antwerp Cathedral depict-ing a young boy and his dog, intribute to the stars of a beloved19th-century novel that foundfame in Japan before it becameknown in Flanders, where thestory is set.A Dog of Flanders was written byBritish author and animal rightsactivistMarie Louise de la Ramée,under the pen nameOuida. It tellsthe story of young orphan Nello,who grows up with his grandfa-ther in a village near Antwerp.One day, Nello and his grand-father rescue a dog who’s beenbeaten nearly to death, and Nelloand the dog, Patrasche, becomeinseparable. Though the book isset in Flanders, it’s only relativelyrecently that it’s found fame in theregion.After reading about the book in

the author’s obituary in 1908, aJapanese diplomat in New Yorksent a few copies of it home. Thetranslation is now one of the best-known children’s stories in Japan,having become required readingfor schoolchildren, and the animeadaptation in the 1970s was anationwide hit.The hardship of the boy’s life, thewind and rain of Flanders andthe tragic ending (in which thecathedral plays a major role) allfit perfectly with the Japanesenational psyche. But strangelyenough, nobody in Flanders knewabout the story until the firsttranslation appeared in the 1980s.As more and more Japanese tour-ists to Flanders asked where theycould find the sites mentioned inthe book, the Antwerp district ofHoboken swiftly erected a smallstatue – only to be told by the

Japanese that the figures didn’tlook right to them at all.Antwerp city guide TanguyOttomer felt the two charactersdeserved a better tribute. “It’s not

nearly the honour such a storydeserved,” he says.He discovered A Dog of Flanders10 years ago and was amazedthat it was so little known, so he

initiated a project to build a newmonument. “It was high time thatwe embraced the most-read storyabout Flanders in the world.”Ottomer travelled to Japan forresearch, and he and a friendstarted a campaign to fund a newstatue, this time in the centre ofAntwerp. They found a Chinesediamond trader who was happyto provide the funds.“With the plan and themoney, wewent to the city administration:All they had to do was say ‘yes’.Which they did.”The white marble monumentof Nello and Patrasche huddledtogether under a blanket ofcobblestones was unveiled inDecember, in front of the city’scathedral. “It’s a location wehadn’t dared dream of,” Ottomersays, “but it’s most fitting for thestory.” \ Daan Bauwens

A boy and his dog: new sculpture honours literary heroes

© Batist Vermeulen

hortamUsEUm.BE

© Didier lebrun/PhOTO news

The horta museum in Brussels has extended into the house next door, offering more space for visitors and creating an are for temporary exhibitions

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classIcal

FIlM concert

vIsual arts

French artist Yves Klein helpeddefine post-war modernism visu-ally with his monochrome exper-iments and philosophically withhis real-time performance inter-ventions, which anticipatedcontemporary art’s penchantfor the ephemeral. Theatre of theVoid surveys his short but semi-nal career, from famous works tounseen masterpieces. The brain-

child of British curator DarrenPih, the retrospective was orig-inally conceived for Tate Liver-pool. The Brussels sequel featuresa programme of “happenings” byBelgian and international artists.Opening night sees young Flemishartist Miet Warlop stage a shortperformance titled HORSE: A Man,a Woman, a Desire for Adventure.\ GV

Antwerp-based arts collectiveGrandelavoix, led by anthropol-ogist Björn Schmelzer, has beenexploring early music througharchival research and historicallyaccurate performance for overa decade. The ensemble’s latestmission is to resurrect long-forgot-ten works published by pioneer-ing Antwerp printer Christophe

Plantin around 1600. The pieceswere composed by Italy’s OrazioVecchi, Portugal’s Duarte Loboand Antwerp’s own George de laHèle, among others, butmay neverhave been performed in their time.Schmelzer and co are also releas-ing a CD of the project to coin-cide with this weekend mini-tour.\ Georgio Valentino

Sitting in a dark grey sofa against a redcurtain, staring at the viewer with asorrowful look, his left eye hidden behind

a patch. This striking but woeful self-portraitcloses the retrospective of Flemish modernistpainter Rik Wouters at the Royal Museums ofFine Arts in Brussels.The painter finished it in 1915, some eightmonths before he succumbed to cancer, at theage of 33. The decade preceding his untimelydemise, he created one of themost impressiveoeuvres by a Flemish artist, influenced by therevolutionary insights of Paul Cézanne andthe explosions of colour that characterisedthe fauvists.He used this approach to paintmostly domes-tic scenes, often with his wife Nel as the maincharacter: ironing, reading a book or justsitting at a window. Homely as they might

look, that use of colour renders them witha rambunctious character. This oppositionbetween form and content is the main forceof Wouters’ work.The artist was born in Mechelen but createdthe majority of his work in Brussels. With anexhibition in Antwerp and several in his birth-place, Wouters has been the subject of muchattention over the last few years.But this one is the first exhibition of his workin Brussels since 2002. With 72 paintings,33 sculptures and 94 works on paper, this isthe most complete show ever devoted to theartist.Surprises might be rare for aficionados of thepainter, but even so: It remains an oeuvre thatkeeps revealing new insights every time youview it. \ Christophe Verbiest

Once a year, the LuxembourgPhilharmonic Orchestra makes apoint to step outside the world ofclassicalmusicwith ahigh-profilepop collaboration. The prestig-ious ensemble has invited Amer-ican jazz diva Dianne Reeves andher backing band. Guest conduc-tor Wayne Marshall, a master ofthe classical-pop crossover in hisown right, is on board for thisspecial collaboration. Togetherthey will perform songbookstandards and select numbersfrom Reeves’ Grammy Award-winning 2015 album BeautifulLife. After premiering the set inthe Grand Duchy, the show hitsthe road for this Brussels date.\ GV

At home in colour

Rik Wouters: A RetrospectiveconcertBrusselsJohn Mayall: Livin’ & Lovin’the Blues: Performance bythe well-seasoned Britishblues rock pioneer whosemusical career spans morethan 50 years and includeshits like “Looking Back”,“CongoSquare” and “RoomtoMove”. 2 April 20.00, AncienneBelgique, Anspachlaan 110

\ abconcerts.be

MANdolinMAN,Green Moon: Two localbands present their newalbums, both with a focuson the universal and time-less mandolin. 31 March20.00, Muziekpublique,Bolwerksquare 3

\ muziekpublique.be

eXhIbItIonantwerpThe Human Body: Trav-elling exhibition about theanatomical science behindmore than 200 objects,including preserved humanbodies, skeletons, limbs,organs, simulated bodilyfunctions, prototypes and 3Dprintouts, providing food forthought about organ dona-tion, cancer, AIDS, alcoholand nicotine abuse and pooreating habits. 31 March to 16April, Parking Pidpa, Desguin-lei 248

vIsual artsOstendOpgepast werken (Caution:Work in Progress): Free,open-air exhibition featur-ing the broad spectrumof works by Flemish artistand cartoonist Kamagurka,featuring hundreds of quirkycartoons, drawings andpaintings. Until 14 May, Vene-tiaanse Gaanderijen, Zeedijk

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FestIvalBrusselsListen!: Second edition ofthe Brussels Future MusicFestival with a focus on elec-tronic music and innova-tion, featuring live acts, DJsets, inspirational talks anda record fair. 30 March to 1April, across Brussels

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MarketlierFiesta Europa: Travellinginternational market withstands selling gourmet prod-ucts from every corner ofEurope and featuring a livelyterrace and festive atmos-phere. 31 March to 2 April,Markt, Gasthuisvest

\ fiestaeuropa.eu

German director Reiner Holze-mer unveils his intimate portraitof celebrated Flemish fashiondesigner Dries Van Noten. VanNoten rose to prominence 30years ago as part of the AntwerpSix collective and would becomeone of the world’s top design-ers. Dries marks the first timethe notoriously private figurehas allowed a filmmaker into hispersonal and professional space.Holzemer documents a year in thelife of the designer, during whichVan Noten launched no less thanfour new lines. Both Van Notenand Holzemer are set to attendthe premiere. (Film in Englishwith Dutch and French surtitles)\ GV

orazio vecchi’s requiem

Premiere of dries

yves klein: theatre of the void

dianne reeves and the luxembourg Philharmonic

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royal museum of Fine arts, BrusselsfinE-arts-mUsEUm.BE

Until 2 July

amuz, antwerp & ccha, hasseltgraindElavoix.org

6-7 aprilBozar, Brussels

Bozar.BE29 march to 20 august

Bozar, BrusselsBozar.BE

31 march, 20.00Bozar, Brussels

Bozar.BE23 april, 20.30

get tickets now

march 29, 2017

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The writing’s on the wall. Or at least it is now, butit will soon disappear under the wallpaper.The story began 150 years ago, in d’Ursel Castle, a

country house in Hingene, part of Bornem in Antwerpprovince. In 1877 verstopten twee gravinnetjes een briefachter het behang van het kasteel – In 1877 two youngcountesses hid a letter under the wallpaper in thecastle, explains d’Ursel’s website.Ook ambachtslieden zetten hun naam – Workmen alsoleft their name, een tekst of een tekening op de muur –a text or a drawing on the wall. Eeuwenlang zaten zeverborgen –They remained hidden for a century achtertientallen katoenen wandbespanningen – behind dozensof layers of cottonwall coverings,maar tijdens de restau-ratie kwamen ze tevoorschijn – but they came to lightduring recent restoration work.Thework is nowfinished, and the castle is ready to hangup its brand new wall coverings. But first they made acall to the public. Zet een boodschap voor de toekomst– Leave a message for the future op de muur van hetkasteel – on the castle wall.It could be anything: je favoriete citaat – your favour-ite quote, een zelfgeschreven gedicht – a poem you’vewritten yourself, een herinnering of een voorspelling –a memory or a prediction, een filosofische gedachte –a philosophical thought of een liefdesverklaring – or adeclaration of love.Afterpeople submitted their texts,BrodyNeuenschwan-der, an American calligrapher who lives in Bruges, wasrecruited to transfer the writing to the walls, coveringeight rooms with more than 100,000 elegant letters.The shortest message was “JDB (heart) VVP”. The long-est was een preek van Patrick Maervoet – a sermon by

Patrick Maervoet, voormalig pastoor van Hingene –former pastor of Hingene, die gedurende enkele jarenvlakbij het kasteel woonde – who lived near the castlefor several years.Then therewasde oudste schrijver– the oldestwriter:de87-jarige Alberta Huygelen – 87-year-old Alberta Huyge-len, afstammelinge van tapissier Josephus Huygelen – adescendant of the decorator Josephus Huygelen, die in1877 boodschappen op onze muren heeft geschreven –who left messages on our walls in 1877.Their words will soon disappear beneath the wallpa-per, along with a message from Australia, a recipe for apudding, a poem inWest Flanders dialect and aChineseproverb.But it’s not too late to leave your own message. In denajaar zal Neuenschwander drie extra kamers vullen –Neuenschwander will be decorating three more roomsin the autumn. Je kan je boodschap voor de toekomst nual insturen – You can already send in your message tothe future.Who knows who will read it in 100 years’ time?

Talking Dutchthe writing’s on the wall

\ BackPaGe

the last Word

where the heart is“The availability of affordablehomes in the cities is growing,especially in upgraded neigh-bourhoods.”Real estate expert Philippe Janssenson why more and more youngfamilies are putting down roots inFlanders’ cities

radio silence“If you really want to enjoy yourSunday, just turn off your mobilephone.”Flemish TV presenter Tom Waesblames the internet for informationoverload, causing stress even duringdown times

Behind bars“I can understand that second-ary school students get the ideathey’re in prison.”Principal Ann Daelemans spent 17years working in Mechelen prisonbefore making the switch

many hands“Onemillion seabirds and 100,000turtles die every year as a resultof plastic in the oceans. Actionslike today’s are necessary to drawattention to the problem.”Sven Fransen was the organiser ofthe Eneco Clean Beach Cup in DePanne at the weekend, in whichmore than 2,500 volunteers pickedup 5.3 tonnes of rubbish

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Nicola @i_cook_theworldBruges Food Market, wish I was back there!

Scott Thwaites @Scott_Thwaites1Crazy day riding through the fields of Flanders. Pretty cool toride where the Christmas truce football game was in the war#GentWevelgem

In response to: Tree-planting entrepreneurs put the eco in econ-omyRosemary Morgan: Brilliant idea !!!!

In response to: A boy and his dog: new public sculpture honoursliterary heroesSteve Smith: Many of my Flemish friends were completelyunaware of this book when I brought it up a few years back

In response to: Japanese Garden marks 25 years of taking rootin HasseltAnnemarie Bos-de Roos: Did you get the chance to go thereMasaki Osugi? Otherwise we should plan a trip!😉

voIces oFFlanders today

In response to: One in 10 households experience stalking byneighboursJohn Snow: I wish I had seen this a year ago.

Photo of thE wEEk

reeFer Madness Greenpeace activists unfurled a banner at the Total oil refinery in antwerpon monday, in protest at the company’s plans to drill near a recently discovered coral reef off thecoast of Brazil. The protest is part of the Break Free movement, a global platform of citizens andorganisations calling for an end to the use of fossil fuels.

derek Blythmore articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu

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© kasteel d’Ursel/Facebook

© Greenpeace/BelGa hanDOUT