Ludic Modernism in Belgium (1955-1963)

Futuristic & Universal since 1958

PRESS FILE

LUDIC MODERNISM IN BELGIUM E X P O 2 3.12.0 9 > 2 5.0 4.2 0 10

LUDIC MODERNISM IN BELGIUM EXHIBITION AT THE ATOMIUM 23 DECEMBER 2009 TO 25 APRIL 2010 PRESS FILE

The post-war years are remembered as an era of optimism, full of faith in progress and confidence in the future. Architecture and design so imbibed this spirit that they spawned ludic modernism, a new style marked by forms and colours of extraordinary joviality and freshness.

In Belgium, this trend was named the ‘Spirou style’ or ‘58 style’, in reference to the year of its consecration at Expo 58.

The Atomium hosts the Ludic Modernism in Belgium exhibition at its very heart. As the flagship building of this modernist style, it is the most appropriate venue for an exhibition that brings together illuminating examples of period furniture and architectural images in a clear and elegant setting. The exhibition showcases, through sinuous forms and oblique lines, boomerangs and stars, the inventiveness of Belgian designers and illustrates the surprising formal coherence that united architecture and the applied arts at the time.

Bold, inventive, sparkling and colourful designs of the 1950s are a major source of inspiration for artists today. This exhibition sets out to unearth the original forms that had such an impact on our daily lives. It offers a journey of revelation that will delight all, from enthusiastic fans of the genre to visitors simply seeking inspiration for decorating their own homes.

Kiosk made of Glasal sheets, Brussels, 1964 (Eternit archive).

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The post-war years are remembered as an era of optimism, full of faith in progress and confidence in the future. Architecture and design so imbibed this spirit that they spawned ludic modernism, a new style marked by forms and colours of extraordinary joviality and freshness.

After being in fashion during the 1950s and early 1960s, it fell out of favour and was permanently relegated to the realms of bad taste. But, the winds have changed in recent years and we are once again discovering the sheer inventiveness of this audacious and sparkling style.

This exhibition, the first devoted to ludic modernism, presents mostly Belgian creations. The majority date from the period between 1953 and 1963, when this trend enjoyed its greatest popularity. Works from other countries are shown here to complete the story of a style that spread to almost every corner of the globe.

Focusing first on this historical period, the exhibition sets out to uncover the underlying causes that drove this taste for joyful and strident modernity.

Visitors are then invited to familiarise themselves with the vocabulary of ludic modernism.

The exhibition is designed to unfold like a giant book whose contents are revealed with every turn in one of the spheres of the Atomium. On sheets of tensile white lycra, as on large pages in suspension, are placed period pieces on loan from private collections and rarely seen in public.

Lamps, armchairs, coffee tables and other pieces are in constant dialogue with archival footage, illustrating in a simple and elegant setting the vocabulary of ludic modernism. V-shapes, zigzags, boomerangs, atoms and stars recount to visitors the creativity of Belgian designers of the time and the astonishing formal coherence that united the graphic arts, furniture design and architecture.

This event would find no better setting than the Atomium, a building constructed for Expo 1958 and the most ludic testimony of an era when nothing seemed impossible.

Mini-site of the exhibition www.atomium.be/modernisme (opens on 17/12).

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BOOMERANG

The boomerang intrinsically embodies the epitome of the dynamic form. Its curving lines invigorated living-room tables and the profile of seats, as well as the curves of door handles.

• Villa Bayenga, av. des Ormes 1, Liège, arch. Maurice Pâque, 1957 (photo Paul Louis).

• Bosveldweg 31a, Uccle, circa 1958.

• Journal cover, Architecture, 3, 1952.

TAKEOFF

Modern building techniques allowed for a new audacity, as in the perilously poised cantilever. Similarly, designers conceived of graceful objects with light and airy shapes.

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Fauteuil S6L, designer Alfred Hendrickx, 1956 (collection Département d’Architecture et d’Urbanisme, Université de Gand, photo Wim Van Nueten).

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Canopy of the Institut de Sociologie of the ULB, av. Jeanne 44, Bruxelles, arch. Robert Puttemans & ing. André Paduart, 1964 (La Technique des Travaux, 1-2, 1969, p. 12).

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COLOURS

The era of optimism went hand in hand with a colourful architecture. The primary colours of bright blue, red and yellow punctuated architecture and furniture design with joyful notes.

• Brussels National Airport, Zaventem, arch. Maxime Brunfaut, Georges Bontinck & Joseph Moutschen, designed in 1954-1955, built between 1956 and 1958 (Glasal Catalogue).

• Shelving (collection Thierry Belenger, photo David Marlé).

• Av. de la Liberté 90, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, arch. Julien Roggen, 1959.

FUTURISTIC AESTHETIC

The conquest of space fed an imagined world of space and future. Rockets and flying saucers were reflected in design and architecture as much as in the graphic arts.

• Lamp (collection Kurt Rigolle, photo David Marlé).

• Plaster prototype of an Elipson loudspeaker, designer Joseph Léon, circa 1952 (collection Michael Marcy, photo David Marlé).

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CATALOGUE Ludic Modernism in Belgium is also a richly illustrated catalogue that extends the exhibition’s lifespan. The airy and cheerful design is the work of the graphics design firm, Sign (Astrid Verdeyen). It is a small book in a square format with text in three languages : French, Dutch, English.

Similar to the exhibition, the book starts off by outlining a portrait of an era that witnessed the birth of ludic modernism. It then places the style in its artistic context, before elaborating, page by page, the various forms of its repertoire.

Caroline Berckmans, Pierre Bernard & Anne-Sophie Walazyc.

TRANSLATION Erik Tack (Nederlands) & Ashraf Ibrahim (English).

DESIGN [sign*] - www.designbysign.com, Astrid Verdeyen, Franck Sarfati.

AUTHORS

PRICE 15 euros.

Catalogue cover : The S3 armchairs, designed in 1958 by Alfred Hendrickx, in the hall of the Brussels National Airport in Zaventem, built in 1956-1958 by architects Maxime Brunfaut, Georges Bontinck and Joseph Moutschen (Sabena Archives).

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FUTURISTIC & UNIVERSAL Unavoidable icon of Brussels and Belgium, important place for international tourism, unique creation in the history of architecture and emblematic vestige of the World Fair in Brussels (Expo 58), the Atomium is the most popular tourist attraction of Europe’s Capital.

It symbolizes an iron crystal, magnified 165 billion times, referring to the power of nuclear energy in full development at that time and which was intended for peaceful use. The Atomium continues to embody its ideas about the future and universality, half a century later. In its cultural program it carries on the debate of 1958 : What kind of future do we want for tomorrow ?

Our happiness depends on what ?

Five of the nine spheres are open to the public.

One of them is housing a permanent exhibition dedicated to Expo 58. Another sphere is dedicated to temporary exhibitions with scientific themes.

The upper sphere offers spectacular views of the city of Brussels. When the sky is clear, the view reaches till Antwerp.

The restaurant, also situated at the top, is open every day till 11.00 p.m.

At night, the nine spheres are lit up with 2970 lights that offer a very special show.

EXPO 58 : THE EXHIBITION (permanent) Using archive documents, photographs, videos from that period and different models of former pavilions, this permanent exhibition paints a wide-ranging picture of an era and an event. It will take you to the heart of this prestigious and unforgettable event.

For some people, it will be a chance to rediscover this event and for others, unfamiliar with Expo 58 and its quest for progress and happiness, an opportunity to understand the dream that still gives a magical touch to the Atomium.

TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS Ludic modernism in Belgium > 23.12.09 - 25.04.10 Expo 58 in miniature > 01.05.10 - 16.05.10 From here and elsewhere the history of immigration in Belgium > 22.05.10 - 31.08.10 Intersections. Belgian Design > 06.09.10 - 14.11.10

Designed by André Waterkeyn, the Atomium symbolizes an iron crystal, magnified 165 billion times. The nine large spheres, connected by 20 tubes, are supported by three enormous pillars and dominate with a height of 102 metres the entire Heysel plateau. The spheres, with a diameter of 18 meters, were fitted out by the architects André and Jean Polak.

To access all the spheres open to the public, next to escalators and the elevator, there are 80 steps going up and 167 steps coming down (in several stages).

With the exception of the upper sphere, accessible by elevator only, the rest of the Atomium is difficult to access for people with reduced mobility and impossible for people in a wheelchair.

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THE VISIT

TICKETS > ATOMIUM, Square de l’Atomium, B-1020 Brussels > Avoid queuing, tickets are also available in town Atomium Shop > Rue de l’Etuve 47 Stoofstraat (close to the Grand-Place) ATOMIUM / MINI-EUROPE > Combined ticket available as from spring 2010 GROUPS > Reservation (at least 2 weeks prior to the visit) GUIDED VISIT > +32 (0)2 475 47 78 - yvonne.boodts@atomium.be AUDIO GUIDE ¤2

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RESTAURANT / PANORAMA > 365 / 365 10.00 > 17.30 & 19.30 > 23.00 > Reservation requested - +32 (0) 496 10 58 58 SHOP A selection of design objects, fashion items and original gadgets in the colours of the Atomium, nice objects from the fifties or items in function of the temporary exhibitions are available in the shop.

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PRACTICAL INFORMATIONS ATOMIUM Atomium, Square de l’Atomium, B-1020 Brussels, www.atomium.be OPENING HOURS The Atomium is open daily from 10:00 AM till 6:00 PM (the cash desk closes at 5:30 PM). Except : - on December 24 and December 31, 2009, the Atomium will exceptionally close the doors at 4.00 PM (cash desk will be closed at 3.30 PM).

- on December 25, 2009 and January 1st, 2010, the Atomium will exceptionally open the doors at noon instead of 10.00 AM. ENTRANCE FEES VISITING THIS EXHIBITION IS NOT SUBJECT TO AN ADDITIONAL FEE BUT IS INCLUDED IN THE STANDARD ATOMIUM ENTRY FEE SUBJECT TO THE SAME VISITING CONDITIONS: PERMANENT EXHIBITION, TEMPORARY EXHIBITION, CENTRAL SPHERE, PANORAMIC VIEW AND RESTAURANT.

Individual - till January 3rd, 2010 - Children of less than 6 years, coach drivers, disabled persons : free ; - children as from 6 years till 11 years : 2€ ; - children as from 12 till 18 years, students showing their student card and seniors (as from 65 years) : 6€ ; - Teachers showing their teacher card : 7€ ; - Adults : 9€.

Individual - as from January 4th, 2010 - Children of less than 6 years, coach drivers, disabled persons : free ; - children as from 6 years till 11 years : 4€ ; - children as from 12 till 18 years, students showing their student card and seniors (as from 65 years) : 8€ ; - Teachers showing their teacher card : 9€ ; - Adults : 11€.

Groups (as from 20 persons) - till December 31st, 2010 - Children of less than 6 years, coach drivers, disabled persons : free ; - children as from 6 years till 11 years : 2€ ; - children as from 12 till 18 years, students showing their student card and seniors (as from 65 years) : 4€ ; - Teachers showing their teacher card : 5€ ; - Adults : 7€.

GUIDED TOUR - 70€/guide (maximum 25 people).

Reservation (min. 2 weeks in advance).

- Info & booking yvonne.boodts@atomium.be ACCESS - By car : Brussels ring road - exit 8 “ Wemmel” - follow the “Atomium” arrows.

- By train : Direct line at “Gare du Midi - Zuidstation”, metro line 6 “Roi Baudouin - Koning Boudewijn”, get out at station “Heysel - Heizel”.

- By metro from Brussels Centre (station “De Brouckère”) : Take line 1 “Gare de l’Ouest - Weststation” and get out at station “Beekkant”. From there, you can take “line 6 - Roi Baudouin - Koning Boudewijn”, get out at station “Heysel - Heizel”.

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PARTNERS OF THE EXHIBITION

COLOPHON ATOMIUM - PROJECT COORDINATOR

Arnaud Bozzini.

Caroline Berckmans, Pierre Bernard & Anne-Sophie Walazyc.

Michel Bries - Mandragore scenography.

STYLING AND EXHIBITS RESEARCH Thierry Belenger - Archives Design.

CONSTRUCTION Bureau d’études Denis.

CURATORS

DESIGN AND GRAPHICS

PRESS CONTACT PICASO

Caroline Berckmans, berckmansc@hotmail.com - 0479/47.23.70 Ilse De Braekeleer, ilse@atomium.be - 02/475.47.74

ATOMIUM

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