The Rough Edges Issue

Volume 03 — Issue 04

Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

Do not throw on the public domain.

Neighbourhood Out of bounds Life Boxed in Style Can you dig it ?

Design The raw cut Culture Murder on the tarmac + The Design Special

The Word & Jack Purcell

Made you smile

A name often resonates further than one can remember. Jack Purcell. What is it about that name that is so attaching, so familiar ? That shoe you wore during your rebel-rousing years.

That shoe you wore before sneaking onto the country club’s golf course in the early hours of the morning. That shoe you wore as an intended misdirection. Refined and casual in its tone, yet rebellious and deceiving in its nature. That shoe that made everyone think of you as that well brought-up, dashing young man, but which really turned you into a freedom-fighting sole survivor. A true original, someone with a voice.

Someone with a smile.

Playing one’s own game is the only path to success

Jack Purcell the man was a self-taught individual of great personal achievement. He won the Ontario Badminton championship five years in a row, was declared Canadian national champion in 1929 and 1930, and went on to be crowned World Badminton champion in 1932. It was that same year that he developed an athletic shoe together with tire-man B.F. Goodrich, one which would forever blur the lines separating sports and fashion. Indeed, it wasn’t long before fashion-forward renegades adopted the sports shoe as everyday wear.

Happy birthday Mr president

Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, Jack Purcell the brand continues in its quest to bring a rich, unpretentious and hand-crafted look and feel to its collection, imbued with an inherent sense of identity. It is unassuming and understated, certainly, but with strong undertones of confidence. Yes, it’ll make you quietly stand out and yes it’ll make you look good. But it’ll also make you – and those eying you up – smile, in a cheeky kind of way. No wonder, then, that Jack himself was known as ‘The Smiler’.

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8

The editor's letter

Publisher and editor-in-chief Nicholas Lewis

Procrastinators. Definitely one of them.

I’ve had ‘draft editor’s letter’ on my to-do list for a good ten days now, and here we are with 24 hours to go before we go to print, and I’m stuck.

Scratching my head for things to write about. Worst thing is, in terms of context, I couldn’t have been in a better mental place. It’s Monday, sky is grey, tea was lukewarm this morning and the weekend was shit.

Editor Randa Wazen Design facetofacedesign + pleaseletmedesign

So yeah, I reckon I could talk rough…

Writers Devrim Bayar Anneke Bokern Eleanor May Cleverly (emc) Alex Deforce Michaël Iannetta Rozan Jongstra Renasha Khan Nicholas Lewis Jack Moyersoen Yves Van Kerkhove Randa Wazen

To many, the word ‘rough’ conjures negative connotations. It is a word which is inherently somber, threatening even. It has a weight to it. If there ever were an award for street cred’ in the literary world, for instance, the word ‘rough’ would nail it. Hands down.

Thing is, you don’t mess with ‘rough’. And we didn’t. We merely updated it a little. Word way.

So you have Sarah’s feature on a dying breed of manual workers (which we refrained from calling ‘Hand jobs’), Ulrike’s series on bruised and battered body parts as well as Toon’s documentary look at graveyard shifters (you know, the ‘Bringing out the dead’ type). There is a fashion story inspired by one of our all-time favourite movies (The Warriors) as well as a design essay on the school of the raw and uncut (think Maarten Baas and Droog Design). Lastly, you’ll find a series on splattered highway animals (one which caused Ulrike immeasurable pain to photograph) as well as diptychs capturing adults’ (yes, adults!) inseparable childhood teddies.

Photography/Illustration Toon Aerts Ulrike Biets Yves Decamps Laurent De Meyer Sarah Eechaut Veerle Frissen Merel’t Hart La Villa Hermosa Melika Ngombe Sarah Michielsen Yassin Serghini Studio Lali Guy Van Laere Virassamy

All in all, ‘rough’ was dealt a fair hand, albeit on slightly more egalitarian terms than you’d expect. It was gory yes, but we balanced it out with the poetic. It was arresting and at times even shocking, admittedly, but always insightful. It was a little cacophonous and chaotic as always, but hey, we always did like it a little rough…

Nicholas Lewis

Intern Renasha Khan (editorial) For subscriptions (5 issues) Transfer ¤ 21 (Belgium), ¤ 30 (Europe) or ¤ 45 (Worldwide) to account n° 363-0257432-34 IBAN BE 68 3630 2574 3234 BIC BBRUBEBB stating your full name, email and postal addresses in the communication box.

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© Sarah Eechaut

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On this cover Farmhand

The Word is published five times a year by JamPublishing, 107 Rue Général Henry Straat 1040 Brussels Belgium. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without prior permission is strictly prohibited. All information correct up to the time of going to press.

The publishers cannot be held liable for any changes in this respect after this date.

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The contents

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The cover The Rough Edges issue A word from our advertisers Delvaux A word from our advertisers The Word & Jack Purcell A word from our advertisers Audi The editor’s letter Volume 3 – n° 04 A word from our advertisers Rado The contents You’re looking at it A word from our advertisers Saab The contributors It’s a Word’s world A word from our advertisers ING * Neighbourhood

* Life

34 The institution

84 The movement

The paper box

* Culture

Rough trade

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The other Word on The colour blue The profile We own the night * Style

The moodboard

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The diary Belgium A word from our advertisers Perrier The diary Belgium + United Kingdom The diary Holland + France A word from our advertisers Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen The diary Gigs to catch & Give aways A word from our advertisers Brussels Philharmonic The papers

The Rough Edges papers

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A word from our advertisers Essentiel The guide Making your own alcohol A word from our advertisers Natan

Immaculate imperfection

36 The Word on

14 The diary

* Design

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The showstoppers Some like it rough A word from our advertisers Flanders Shines The fashion Word

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The shelf Rough, rugged and raw reads The pencil Tainted love The eye

Road rage

100 T he portfolio

Until death do us part

105 A word from our advertisers The Word Magazine

Oooh Wordiors, come out and play… * * The Design Special

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The cover The Design Special The design paper Area codes The conversation with…

The wire wunderkind The pedestal My other car's a dump A word from our advertisers Mais il est où le soleil The directory The design digits A word from our advertisers De Nieuwe Brasserie The special showstoppers The goods

106 T he stockists And others we love 107 A word from our advertisers Brussels Design Forum 108 T he advertisers Round up 110 Before we leave you 111 A word from our advertisers Ristorante Bocconi 112 A word from our advertisers Absolut

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The contributors

It’s a Word’s world

Jack Moyersoen Writer

Between expeditions to Alaska and confinements in basement music studios, Jack finds time to ride his old and faithful Honda Custom 125cc, exploring Brussels’ cultural relics and meeting the city’s natives. The modern day anthropologist tracked down the capital’s last milkman for our first issue’s Institution. He’s back at it, bringing us tales from the only surviving members of Brussels’ newsstand dynasty.

Pages n° 34, 35

Veerle Frissen Photographer

Veerle interned for us back in late 2009, fresh-faced and eager to click. A gentle soul with a self-referential twist to her photographic game, Veerle’s work makes you pause for thought, but also for laughter. It is dual in its nature, part story-telling, part piss-taking.

For this issue, she drove down to the Belgian coast with us to photograph Korean designer Kwangho Lee and his young family.

Devrim Bayar Writer

Following a stint as editor in chief for office favourite CODE magazine, Devrim now runs the international artists-in-residency program at Brussels' Wiels Contemporary Art Centre.

She regularly writes for other magazines, and even though Devrim is not exactly the rough type – she’d rather read books, sip herbal tea and chat with her cat – she delved down and deep into the grim landscapes of Belgian cinema for this issue’s Papers.

Pages n° 30

Merel ‘t Hart Photographer

Page n° 68, 69

An avid bicycle enthusiast in her native Netherlands, a political science student in Paris, a French teacher in the United States, Merel finally settled in Brussels to indulge in her real passion – photography. True to her globetrotting nature, she drove around the country snapping our pick of design shops and day-tripped her way to London for our tribute to Rough Trade’s legendary label and record store. merelhart.com Pages n° 25, 74 — 78

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The moodboard Events Arts Music Getaways

Some of the items on the board this month: an issue of cult punk fanzine Sniffin’ Glue, a selection of notes from The Rough Edges Issue brainstorm we held on Monday 24 th May, Meli’s dad’s studded leather belt, a can of the immensely vile yet revered Cara Pils (Belgium’s ultimate wife-beater beer), Ulrike’s fetish Gremlin doll, some print outs from Juergen Teller’s Exhibition Day book featuring a jubilous Pamela Anderson and Vivienne Westood, penciled inter-bear activity courtesy of illustrator Karolien Vanderstappen, ‘Pleasure’ a sculpture by Vanille Le Noan Vovk and a little reminder for our 18 th September ‘back to school’ party,

Neighbourhood

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Belgium ( 01 10 )

Wim Delvoye  Until 30th October 2010 ☞ Galerie Rodolphe Janssen, Brussels  galerierodolphejanssen.com

03.

Chasing the dream

The ideals of the ‘american dream’ are deeply rooted in society’s collective subconscious whether we like it or not.

That big shiny car and the bombshell sprayed across it are symbols of success, that bottle of JD and the pack of cigarettes are yesterday’s indispensable accessories of coolness.

Drawing heavily on the flashy advertising imagery of the seventies, David Kramer’s bittersweet works remind us of the painful disparity between our everyday reality and the glitzy glamour of the so-called ‘good life’, albeit with a razor sharp wit that never fails to amuse – be it genuinely or uncomfortably.

01.

© Courtesy of the artist

01.

Rated X

Belgian artists are renowned for their quirkiness and peculiar – if not subversive – sense of humour. Somewhat of a poster-boy for the country's artistic DNA, Wim Delvoye ’s infamous Cloaca digestive machine, tattooed pigs or unorthodox stained glass windows carry all the paradoxes and absurdities of modern life. This exhibition, at the Galerie Rodolphe Janssen, features recent works such as the meticulously detailed replica of a Caterpillar D11 truck, the disturbing yet strangely compelling rabbit slippers, as well as framed tattooed pig skins depicting childhood sweetheart Snow White and her dwarfs in the kind of scenes even our dirty little minds wouldn't dare to imagine.

David Kramer  Until 30th October 2010 ☞ Aeroplastics Gallery, Brussels  aeroplastics.net

04.

02.

Laughing matter

Eddie Martinez loves funny stuff. He likes a laugh. He likes comedy. And he likes painting. The Brooklynite artist’s drawings and paintings are a blast to the head – cacophonous, colourful, and psychologically charged. His giant canvases depict whacky scenes such as four figures holding court at a glimmering green table strewn with shapes and colours, makeshift fragments created with Martinez’s signature urgency.

The kind to bring a smile to our faces.

Second Hand Second Life @ Tour & Taxis (Brussels), on 15th October 2010 – The Petits Riens/Spullenhulp charity shop invites 15 stylists and 17 designers to customise used clothes and furniture, that will then be sold off at its annual fashion-fuelled auction. A great way to get one-off designer items for a good cause.

 petitsriens.be

03.

Eddie Martinez  Until 30th October 2010 ☞ Sorry We’re Closed, Brussels  sorrywereclosed.com

The September issue

Design September Brussels  Until 1st October 2010 ☞ Various venues, Brussels  designseptember.be

* The date to remember © David Kramer

A firm fixture on the yearly fair circuit, Design September is back this year with yet more exhibitions, conferences and open doors. Essentially spanning design, interiors, graphic design and some architecture, the loosely-fitted month-long design fest is a jamboree of activity, with everything from debates, private visits, film screenings, colloquiums on packaging design and even a European award for design and innovation.

Topping our list of ‘must-sees’: Fighting the Box at La Centrale Electrique, which celebrates 20 of the country’s most promising designers, and Kwangho Lee’s Lifelike Design show at Hunting and Collecting (pictured).

Brussels Art Days III In and around Brussels, on 11th and 12th September 2010 – Get ready for some serious gallery hopping as 30 contemporary art galleries from around the city gather for an art fuelled weekend. Expect a heavy dose of high and low cultural wanderings.

04.

 brusselsartdays.com

© Eddie Martinez

02.

© Fabian Battistella

* The auction to go to

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05.

The diary

05.

Painting pretty pictures

Photography legend William Klein needs little introduction. The man pretty much rewrote the photographer's rulebook by largely ignoring it, thus turning photographic faults into qualities with his maxim “Anything goes.” The Fifty One Fine Art Gallery pays tribute to the maverick master by showing past oeuvres alongside his more recent works, such as large format images of Rome and New York as well as his Painted Contacts. Klein's giant versions of contact sheets covered with wide brushstrokes are testimony to his initial passion (painting) and have become his most famous trademark.

© Courtesy Sébastien Ricou Gallery

© William Klein

06.

William Klein  Until 9th October 2010 ☞ Fifty One Fine Art, Antwerp  gallery51.com 06.

07.

For enthusiasts of raw and emerging talent, the Sébastien Ricou Gallery usually is a good place to start. The newly opened space showcases conceptual structures and challenging installations by upand-coming artists. Its current show Medium Culture, showcasing the works of Médiatine 2010 award winner Jean-Daniel Bourgeois, Jonas Locht and Gérard Meurant, will not dissapoint. The trio met at Brussels’ Erg art school, graduated three years ago and participated in various exhibitions within and across our borders ever since. Don’t call it a collective just yet though, as they seem keen to let their individual works speak for themselves.

© Stephen Jones Millinery London

* The festival to cycle to Project Re-cycle @ Brussels, from 13th to 26th September 2010 – Created to promote the use of bicycles in the city and the values of recycling, this festival boasts an amazing line-up of exhibitions, workshops, debates and gigs.

 urbanconcept.org

© Gladstone Gallery

Hats off

As he celebrates the 30th anniversary of his millinery house, MoMu takes a closer look at the impact Stephen Jones made on the international fashion scene. The hat maker’s bold and unique creations have topped some of the most well-known runway looks from the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier, Comme des Garçons, John Galliano, Walter Van Beirendonck and Marc Jacobs to name but a few. The exhibition offers an intimate insight into his work on film, music and photography, his early years in the London of the New Romantics, his unique relationship with fashion icon and muse Anna Piaggi and the source of inspiration behind his creations.

Stephen Jones and the accent on fashion  Until 13th February 2011 ☞ MoMu, Antwerp  momu.be

Raw talent

Medium culture  Until 30th October 2010 ☞ Sébastien Ricou Gallery, Brussels  ricougallery.com

08.

07.

* The show you can’t miss Dark decades @ Kurt + Kelly (Brussels), until 19th September 2010 – Fia Cielen’s chilling installations, Damien Rankovic’s night shot video about a man suffering from a weird phobia and The Horrors’ Faris Badwan’s obsessively detailed drawings have our inner gloomsters glad the sunny days are over.

 wirsind.be

08.

Inside joke

An empty room in which the lights go on an off, a crumpled telegram or a tin can containing faeces might not qualify as pleasingly aesthetic, altough they remain some of the strongest artistic expressions of the past decades. One of the leading advocates of Minimalism and Conceptual art, Sol LeWitt summed it up perfectly when stating that the idea should be considered the most important aspect of an artwork. LeWitt rose to fame with his large wall drawings, sketched directly in venues. “I could do it”, would scoff unimpressed visitors. Well sure you could, we all could. Now if only you had thought of it first.

Sol LeWitt  Until 21st October 2010 ☞ Gladstone Gallery, Brussels  gladstonegallery.com

E.R. : J. Nijskens - NWMD - 221, Rue de Birmingham - 1070 Bruxelles Ogilvy

18

The diary

United Kingdom 09.

Escapist dream 11.

Described as ‘the event of the year’ by many in the art world, Tate Modern presents the first major Gauguin exhibition in Britain for 50 years. Displaying the postimpressionist’s escapist depictions of rural Tahitian life as well as the summer idylls of the artist’s Breton home, the show invites us into the world of one of the most recognized and revered artists in Modern Art. Not limited to merely showing paintings, the exhibition is an exposé of the artist’s creative energy in the form of decorative works and carvings, exploring the growing influence of ritual and spiritual depth in his later works.

© Kaspar Hamacher

09.

Catch me if you can

Is it a shop ? A gallery ? A concept store ? A bit of all the above quite frankly.

Self-defined as an “artist platform”, Atelier Solarshop has constantly been morphing its space into art galleries, day shops, showrooms and pop-up stores since its creation in 2008.

The second edition of the POP-UP event offers a fine selection of exclusive products by local and international talent. Most of them are to be ordered and will be custom made for the client. Topping our wish list are American Timothy Lile’s Crayon Rings, German Saskia Diez’s tear proof Papier bags, and our very own Kaspar Hamacher’s eerie wooden furniture (pictured).

10.

Gauguin  From 30th September 2010

POP-UP#2  Until 9th October 2010 ☞ Atelier Solarshop, Antwerp  ateliersolarshop.be

to 16th January 2011 ☞ Tate Modern, London

 tate.org.uk/modern

12.

* The last days ` to see

One of France’s greatest photographers is lauded in this first ever retrospective to mark the centenary of his death.

Camille Silvy pioneered street photography while also pushing the confines of traditional theatre, military and fashion photography. In his pursuit of a great picture, Silvy traveled between Algiers, rural France, Paris and London, photographing everything from the highest echelons of French society to the street people of Victorian London. Like a peephole into the past, this display is of great historical value, exposing the beginnings of the modern age with the mastery of modern photography.

11.

12.

Camille Silvy  Until 24th October 2010 ☞ National Portrait Gallery  npg.org.uk

* The show to catch Hussein Chalayan: I am sad Leyla

© National Portrait Gallery, London

Collection XXVI : The Artefactum years  Until 20th February 2011 ☞ M HKA, Antwerp  muhka.be

© RMN (Musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski

 galerielibrecours.eu

From the attic 10.

Artefactum was a Belgian art magazine published by Flor Bex, the former director of M HKA from 1983 to 1994.

The museum invited him to put together a presentation of works from M HKA’s collection to be featured on the magazine’s pages, taking it as the unifying element. With works

by Rui Sanchez, Wim Delvoye, Barbara Kruger (pictured), Richard Deacon, Anish Kapoor, Cindy Sherman, Ben Vautier and an installation by Denmark using copies of the magazine, the result provides both an overview of the contemporary art that dominated that particular period, as well as a tribute to this defunct and cherished institution.

Life through a lens

© Syb'l.S-Pictures

Content over concept @ Galerie Libre Cours (Brussels), from 3rd to 8th September 2010 – Catch the transient exhibition featuring Matthew Crasner’s haunting portraits, Gabrielle Bill’s fruit and flowers oil paintings and Patricia ClendeningBuzzerio’s expressive landscapes.

( 11  16 )

@ Lisson Gallery (London), until 2nd October 2010 – Art and fashion in harmony with an installation by a pioneer of British fashion.

A conceptual layering of cultures in performances of Turkish folk songs reflect Chalayan’s formidable creative energy and flair.

 lissongallery.com

Neighbourhood

Double whammy

Saatchi’s Young British Artist shows of the 1990s defined modern art around the world for years and brought to the fore some of the most highly regarded artists of our generation. Newspeak : British Art Now is the Saatchi Gallery's largest show since moving to Chelsea and hopes to conjure as much of an effect in the years to come, as it showcases unknown British artists working to explore issues as diverse as class, consumerism and the phenomenon of instant success in modern British society. This is a show to see, if not just to say ‘I was there’!

13.

© David Hammons

14.

Newspeak: British Art Now  Until 16th January 2011 ☞ Saatchi Gallery, London  saatchi-gallery.co.uk

16.

© Fabien Baron

Keeping it real : subversive abstraction  From 17th September to 5th December 2010 ☞ Whitechapel Gallery, London  whitechapelgallery.org

15.

Guitar god

An idol before he died, Jimi Hendrix’s untimely and unexpected death on 18th September 1970 sparked controversy and created an icon. Justified by his genius and wild charisma as a performer, Handel House, where he lived from 1968, opens its doors to celebrate the artist’s work, life and legacy as a musical virtuoso. It features rare images, film-clips, letters and music tracing his early career and his rise to fame in Britain. Most extraordinary of these are the hand-written lyrics and pieces of clothing including his iconic Westerner hat ; a first-hand insight into a life, looking past the legend to the real man.

Yi Zhou : I am your simulacrum @20 Hoxton Square (London), until 11th September 2010 – Yi Zhou is causing a bit of a storm in the art world with her groundbreaking 3D visuals and collaboration with Pharrell Williams in her short films, so why not see what all the hype is about ?

 20hoxtonsquaregallery.com

14.

Grand minimalism

British architect John Pawson’s works have been lauded for their grace and elegant reductionism of form. Come see why at the Design Museum’s dedicated show which hosts the museum’s first ever full-scale installation by Pawson, allowing a candid and unobstructed view of his remarkable work in isolation. Be wowed by the films, photography and architectural titbits also on offer which focus particularly on his masterpieces which include the Calvin Klein store on Madison Avenue (New York), the Cistercian Monastery of Our Lady of Novy Dvur (Czech Republic) and the Sackler Crossing at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew (United Kingdom).

John Pawson : plain space  From 22nd September 2010 to 30 th January 2011 ☞ Design Museum, London

 designmuseum.org

Hendrix in Britain  Until 7th November 2010 ☞ Handel House Museum, London  handelhouse.org

15.

© BarryReigate, 2010

* The show you can’t miss

16.

* The gig to catch Crystal Castles & HEALTH @ The Roundhouse (London), 15th October 2010 – When Word favourites HEALTH are not taking pictures of their nether regions for our Throw Away Project (check thewordmagazine. be for full disclosure), they play insane gigs.

Paired with the chaotic live sets of headliners Crystal Castles, this one promises to be memorable.

 roundhouse.org.uk

© Barrie Wentzell

13.

Unseen abstracts

Whitechapel Gallery has always focused on making art accessible to the masses and this exhibition is no exception to their endeavours. As part of their Keeping it Real: An Exhibition in 4 Acts series, showcasing pieces from one of Europe’s foremost private modern art collections belonging to D. Daskalopoulos, we are treated to Act 2 : Subversive Abstraction. The focus is on painting and art beyond the conventions of canvas-based creations, using works that play and elaborate on abstract discourse. A great chance to see a celebrated private collection, which boasts works from such blue-chip staples as Duchamp, Bourgeois and Hirst.

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20

The diary

Holland ( 17 18 )

France

17.

Bursting the bubble

The Design Dutch Bubble is an umbrella for over 20 design events and showcases between Utrecht and Amsterdam.

Set to position the Netherlands as a hub for design activity and establish a nexus promoting interest in Dutch design, there are shows, talks, exhibitions and installations that inform while also reshaping perceptions of design using new perspectives. While 2010 is international Rietveld Year, the Dutch Design Bubble also pays tribute to Utrecht designer and architect Gerrit Th. Rietveld.

International design with a definite Dutch twist.

* The exhibition to catch

17.

Paris in the Fall 19.

Paris’s annual dose of cultural activity is upon us with the 39th Autumn Festival. Encompassing over 40 performances, events and exhibitions, it is a chance to see new, original and highly experimental work for the first time in France. The festival encourages avant-garde art and expression across diverse media by commissioning much of the work on show, so expect innovation. With a myriad on offer from opera to film and dance, there will surely be something over three months of billings to whet your cultural appetite.

Autumn Festival  From 13th September

Inside Design © Simone de Geus

Dutch Design Bubble  Until 31st October 2010 ☞ Various venues, Amsterdam and Utrecht  dutchdesignbubble.com

( 19  20 )

to 21st December 2010

☞ Various locations, Paris  festival-automne.com * The concert to catch

18.

Hurts

Masquerade

 cobra-museum.nl

©Munch Museum / Munch Ellingsen Group / Pictoright Amsterdam 2010

@ Cobra Museum (Amsterdam), until 10th October 2010 – In Cobra terms, masks represented a facet, a symbol of unrestraint and spontaneity, a defense mechanism against the boredom of common denominators. With parallels drawn to tribal masquerades, the exhibition unearths the cult movement’s fascination with masks.

@ La Boule Noire (Paris), on 29th October 2010 – Newcomers Hurts are the 21st century’s answer to Soft Cell and Depeche Mode: broody and distant yet vaguely familiar.

Strong on the back of considerable indie success (their single Wonderful Life having been remixed by all the hot-shit producers out there), expect to hear more from the Mancunian pair.

 laboule-noire.fr

Edvard Munch  From 18th September 2010 to 20 th February 2011 ☞ Kunsthal, Rotterdam

 kunsthal.nl

20.

© Rm Hervé Lewandowski

Screaming beauty 18.

Edvard Munch is primarily known for his cult painting The Scream, one of the 19 th century’s most iconic artworks and the target of numerous thefts. Not to be forgotten however is the Norwegian painter’s immense body of work, infused with loneliness, dread and anxiety and acting as a major influence on the development of expressionism that would ensue in the late 19 th and early 20th century. The Kunsthal Rotterdam has gathered more than 150 paintings and works on paper, providing a rare and exhaustive overview of the artist’s oeuvre.

Mathilde Monnier © Luc Jennepin

19.

Impressions of a master 20.

A monographic exhibition tauted as the biggest in Paris since 1980 is to be held not only as a retrospective but also as an analysis of the huge impact Monet’s oeuvre had on modern art. With nearly 200 pieces on show detailing famous and unpublished works spanning his landscapes, still life and portraits, this is an indulgent show allowing perusal of the opus at length. Interestingly, the exhibition looks at Monet’s techniques and artistic methods while also visiting upon themes and locations recurrent in his canon of work. A cerebral and evocative dissection of a master on a grand scale.

Monet  From 22nd September 2010 to 24th January 2011 ☞ Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais

 grandpalais.fr

Brussels.

Palais des Beaux-Arts CHOPIN 200!

Monday. 11.10.2010. 20:00 Aaron Jay Kernis.

Musica Celestis Frédéric Chopin.

Concerto for piano n° 2 Robert Schumann.

Symphony n° 4

Conductor.

Andreas Delfs Soloist.

Andreas Haefliger. piano

reservation & tickets www.symfonieorkest.be

Order your programme leaflet for our concerts in Brussels at tickets@symfonieorkest.be Andreas Delfs

22

The diary

Gigs to catch Grinderman

MF Doom

Warpaint

Sage Francis

Of Montreal

We Have Band

17th & 18th October @ L’Ancienne Belgique (Brussels)

21st October @ L’Ancienne Belgique (Brussels)

30 th October @ L’Ancienne Belgique (Brussels)

5th October @Botanique (Brussels)

15th October @Botanique (Brussels)

3rd November @ Vooruit (Ghent)

— Grinderman is everything Nick Cave wouldn’t dream of doing with his Bad Seeds. With this side-project, the enigmatic singersongwriter’s dark side creeps up, his somber vocals and fiery delivery made all the more poignant with the band’s blend of fast-paced and distorted good old rock’ n roll as backup.

— They don’t come any more versatile, smart-lipped and quick-witted than Doom. The metal-faced rapper, who’ll be performing in Belgium for the second time this year, has re-surfaced out of nowhere to claim the crown that, really, was always his to wear.

One not to miss.

— Four young ladies from Los Angeles who’ve just been signed to Rough Trade Records and are billed as the next big thing. Their debut EP, Exquisite Corpse, is as the name suggests eerie, even chilly at times, and has been building up some considerable online buzz of late. If the Virgin Suicide heroines were an experimental art rock group, they’d probably be called Warpaint.

— One of the godfathers of indie rap, Sage Francis has done more than any other rapper out there to inject a little weird and wonderful into the whole ‘rap game’, widening the industry’s outlook and thus increasing its level of tolerance towards difference.

He also happens to be an amazing MC, winner of 2000’s legendary Scribble Jam contest.

— Strong on the back of their latest album False Priest, psychedelic pop ensemble Of Montreal, led by their eccentric front man Kevin Barnes, come back to Belgium for what is sure to be one more in a long line of infamously memorable nights.

More performance than mere gig.

— We Have Band’s music sits somewhere between Animal Collective and The Rapture, the whole thing mixed by 2Many DJs. At times slow and soft, at times aggressive and fast-paced, the band’s Hypem quota has been rising ever since they first were featured on the Kitsuné Maison 6 compilation.

abconcerts.be

Play London (Hammersmith Apollo) on 1st October Play Utrecht (Muziekcentrum Vredenburg) on 20th October

abconcerts.be

Plays London (Brixton Academy) on 14th October Plays Paris (Bataclan) on 19th October Plays Rotterdam (Watt) on 20 th October

Play Paris (Cité de la Musique) on 26th October

abconcerts.be

Play London (Scala) on 28th October Play Paris (Cigale) on 6th November

botanique.be

Plays London (Scala) on 16th September Plays Amsterdam (Sugar Factory) on 8th October

botanique.be

Play London (Koko) on 6th September Play Paris (La Cigalle) on 7th September Play Amsterdam (Sugar Factory) on 9th October

vooruit.be

Play London (Shepherds Bush Empire) on 22nd September Play Paris (Point Ephémère) on 6th October Play Amsterdam (Sugar Factory) on 11th November

Play Amsterdam (Paradiso) on 13th November

Give aways Two pairs of tickets to

Two pairs of tickets to

Mf Doom on 21st October 2010 at L’Ancienne Belgique (Brussels)

Warpaint on 30th October 2010 at L’Ancienne Belgique (Brussels)

What you need to do.

Send an email to wewrite@thewordmagazine.be, specifying the name of the concert you wish to go to in the subject line. The first readers to do so will each win a pair of tickets to the concert of their choice.

Conditions.

Only one pair of tickets permitted per reader. Tickets not for resale. Until tickets last. Applies to Belgium only. Normal conditions apply.

© Felix Baumsteiger

Brussels Philharmonic – het Vlaams Radio Orkest

Michel Tabachnik, chief conductor/music director, orchestra in residency at Flagey

Eroica

michel tabachnik, conductor FAMILY CONCERT! 18/09/2010 – 15:00 – Brussels (FlageY)

Exotic Hungary

Zoltán Kocsis, conductor – with Julia Hajnoczy, soprano

THE WORD READER EVENT! For your chance to get invited to a Word-exclusive night with Brussels Philharmonic – het Vlaams Radio Orkest. info@brusselsphilharmonic.be

9/10/2010 – 20:15 – Brussels (FlageY)

Moments poetiques michel tabachnik, conductor

29/10/2010 – 20:15 – Brussels (FlageY) 30/10/2010 – 20:00 – geNt (De BiJlOKe)

www.BrusselsPhilharmonic.Be Brussels Philharmonic – het Vlaams Radio Orkest is een instelling van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap.

Vlaams Omroeporkest en Kamerkoor vzw | Eugène Flageyplein 18 B-1050 Brussel | T +32 2 627 11 60 | info@brusselsphilharmonic.be

24

The papers Water cooler We love Music Consume Lifestyle

— This issue’s rough-themed papers see us indulging in a fair few passions of ours (independent music and counter cultures), discovering a novel way of couriering stuff across town (novel to Brussels at least), venturing into unknown (but very safe) territories, watching a couple of our favourite Belgian movies and driving down a road to nowhere. Literally.

Writers Devrim Bayar, Alex Deforce, Michaël Iannetta, Rozan Jongstra & Randa Wazen

Neighbourhood

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ˆ “ Of all independent labels, its story – singular, fascinating, at times confusing – is one of the most documented throughout musical history. ”

© Merel 't Hart

ˇ

The Rough Trade East store right off Brick Lane in London’s East End

Label legend “There never has been and there never will be another record company like Rough Trade,” writes Neil Taylor in the synopsis of “Document and Eyewitness” – the latest book to recount the iconic British institution’s twists and turns, as narrated in the first person by its various protagonists. It sure isn’t the first and it certainly won’t be the last. Of all independent labels, its story – singular, fascinating, at times confusing – is one of the most documented throughout musical history. “It’s definitely one with a lot of human drama,” concedes founder Geoff Travis.

“Lots of highs and lows…” Originated in 1978, the record shop cum label cum distributor set itself apart with an uncompromising devotion to putting good music out, crafty DIY skills, and a string of maverick tactics. No hierarchy within the company, equal pay for everyone, a 50/50 split of profits with signed artists. What could be deemed as kamikaze decisions actually paid off.

At the end of the day, it was about music, and Rough Trade Records sure delivered. From the early post-punk days with bands like Cabaret Voltaire, Young Marble Giants, The Fall, Pere Ubu, to the indie explosion led by The Smiths.

With a tradition for underpinning raw talent,

lead by Geoff and associate Jeannette Lee’s killer instincts, the label has managed to score a very eclectic mix of influential artists throughout the years. Credit issues and bad management led to the venture’s demise in 1991, but it rose from its ashes at the turn of the millennium with rock and roll saviours The Strokes, The Libertines or Belle And Sebastian amongst its stronger-thanever roster. “Rough Trade released records that no other label would release. Looking back, even if they weren’t all successful, it’s just amazing to see the vision that Geoff and Jeanette had”, notes Ben Ayres, who handles press for the company. The secret to this success is that there is no formula. “We feel passionate about anyone that excites us really,” explains Geoff. Who is he feeling right now? “Well, signed artists are like children, so you can’t really say who your favourites are,” he jokes. He is, however, very excited about the Rough Trade Record family’s most recent additions, Dylan Le Blanc and Warpaint, whose new material was blasting out in his office as we came in.

The family hint is a crucial one. “It’s an exciting place to work, we’re really tight-knit and everyone is fanatical about music. It’s a home for our bands, not just a label,” enthuses Kelly Kiley, who’s been there for almost 15 years and deals with anything from artist liaison to product

management, assisting Jeanette, promo, budget, “everything really”. The unorganised structure, casual vibe and chaotic premises have been defining characteristics of the imprint since day one and still prevail – whether in the Golbourne Road HQ or at Rough Trade East, the 1500 square meter store that opened three years ago.

Emulating the original shop’s no-fuss atmosphere, it translates as more of a hangout where one can expect real advice and a genuine social experience. The label and the store now operate as two completely separate entities. The fact that they share the same name might be puzzling, but “that says a lot about Geoff and Jeannette,” explains Ben. “When Geoff decided he wanted to put out records more than stay in the shop, he just let them carry on with the name Rough Trade. In a way it was quite an un-commercially minded thing to do, not very business-like…

Unusual… Again!”(RW)

Randa and Merel travelled on the 8.05 am Eurostar train to London on 30th July. eurostar.com

 Visit thewordmagazine.be/dribbles/

labellegend for a guided tour of Rough Trade Records’ headquarters as well as more images of the store itself.

26

The papers

When Genesis P-Orridge and his band Throbbing Gristle founded Industrial records back in ’76, their aim was to create an alternative to mainstream rock by standing against the cultural hegemony of the music industry.

Doing so, they opened a way for the 80s underground, fanzines, and creative independence.

Annoyed by clichéd punk imagery, they forged their own mythology by manipulating the language of pop culture. Launching new marketing strategies and parallel networks, they reinterpreted the crowd-pleasing codes of rock imagery through suggestive performances and epic concerts, whose sole purpose was to disarm the audience. Bands like Einstürzende Neubauten shared the same vision: non-entertainment motivated music, aimed at deconditioning the social restraints weighing on the body and mind. To them, music is not much more than organised sound.

To produce it, anything goes : pneumatic drills, electric saws, broken glasses... Taking all machine-made noise in a context of industrial decline and throwing it back into feedbacks,

© la villa hermosa

Nothing but noise

statics, sonic accidents, not as a means – but as an end. Music to some ears, appalling racket to others. Tempo, rhythm, instrumentations, tonal mass, ascending curves, the primary interest for all those bands was to create metabolic music, transposing William Burroughs’s cut up techniques with tape and sound. What their boundaries were? Where sound became noise, where noise became music, where entertainment became pain, and where pain became entertainment.

A fine line, and one that embodied all the contradictions of modern culture. (MI)

Einstürzende Neubauten play Ancienne Belgique on 18th and 19th November 2010.

 Visit thewordmagazine.be/radar/

nothingbutnoise for videos of our favourite noise mongers.

Assuming bar brawls have been around since alcohol and testosterone first joined forces, we couldn’t help but wonder where and when the country’s worst pub fight could have possibly occurred. Benoit Miaille, curator at the federal police museum, recalls an infamous incident whose brutality has yet to be matched by the petty liquored-fuelled scuffles we’ve all grown accustomed to witnessing. The year was 1893, in the midst of the general strike during the battle for universal suffrage as a backdrop. The climate of social violence blew up like never before in the capital, until its climax on April 13th when it all went terribly, terribly wrong…

The police intervention in the café Le Chat, where protesters sought refuge, was a notable episode. “It wasn’t your typical bar brawl generated by a drunken argument between two guys.

There were a lot of tensions at the time, motivated by genuine political concerns,” clarifies historian Luc Keunings, who studied the subject in depth. “But it was the first time cops stormed a bar on their horses and ransacked everything.”

Detailed accounts of the altercation report a certain officer Mahieu barging in with eight of his men, all armed with swords, ordering the

© la villa hermosa

Fight pub

evacuation. Outraged, consumers refused to obey and laughed at the situation by tossing a matchbox at a policeman. All hell broke loose from there. Officers swung their swords in every direction, breaking chairs, tables, and badly injuring two workers. Victims of the police brutality filed numerous complaints and, for the first time, the city was condemned

to pay damages to the owner of the café, literally devastated. Not your typical bar brawl indeed, but definitely one for the books. (RW)

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Brussels is not short of antique dealers and flea markets. Yet when it comes to getting down and dirty rummaging through vintage items, one particular address is first to pop-up on our radar: Ping Pong in Ixelles/Elsene, located just off Avenue Louise/Louizalaan. Its windows unveil an eclectic and cluttered mix of objects, from big clocks to crooked stools and oldschool Donald Duck figurines, all ranging from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. “Informally untidy” is exactly the feeling Tom Barmstaedter, the owner, is going for. “I like people to feel at home here. They come in, have a look around, but often end up staying for a drink and a chat.”

Commercial nous was not what founded the shop back in 2006 either. After returning to Belgium eleven years ago (the 33-year-old was raised in Mexico), Barmstaedter had become quite the regular on the flea markets circuit.

Faced with the fact that his own collection had become rather overwhelming, he decided to set

© Guy Van Laere

Another man’s treasure

up shop and sell his found treasures. Testament to Barmstaedter’s nonchalance, Ping Pong opens only on Saturdays. “I’m actually a set decorator”, he explains. “The shop is just something I do on the side. Given the necessary time and energy, I’d probably be able to live off it, but it’s the social aspect that attracts me more than the extra pocket money.” He enjoys getting to know his clientele, generally 30 to 40-yearolds, many of whom are expats. Four years on,

his stock – still mainly made up of second-hand markets digs – continues to reflect his personal taste. “I like items that speak to me: original photographs, retro staplers, vintage erotic posters… you name it.” (RJ)

does not have stressful days, only challenging ones. Which is not to say the going doesn’t quite often get tough. “Today it was pouring with rain and I've been out and about since the morning, but I'm still high on adrenaline.

Traffic gets aggressive too. Everyday you deal with frustrated car drivers trying to provoke you. Yesterday my colleague Carlo came in at

five pm after an extremely busy day, but he was glowing with happiness. It’s beautiful.” (AD)

Ping Pong Rue Saint-Georges 74 Sint Jorisstraat 1050 Brussels

No traffic jams, no CO2 emissions. Outshining the biggest cars in looks, speed and attitude, Pedal is dead serious when it claims that “bikers do it better”. The Brussels-based bicycle messenger company just celebrated its first birthday and what sounded like a kamikaze concept then is proving to be a more than efficient enterprise now. “According to studies, in a city like Brussels, within a five kilometer radius, bikes are the fastest. Even outside the city, we're the best option,” asserts Kardama, founder of this eccentric venture that employs four messengers and a fulltime dispatcher.

Working with a zone system, the two full time couriers pedal an average of 120 kilometers a day on their fixed-gear wheels or cargo bikes, yet most of their energy is actually spent convincing clients they’re faster than cars… “Until they see us do Schaarbeek-Saint Gilles/Sint Gillis in eight minutes for less than nine Euros.”

Upon each delivery, the messenger informs the dispatcher of his whereabouts and drifts back to the center when done. They sometimes even meet and hand each other packages in order to avoid both going in the same direction. Not influenced by traffic at all, a bike messenger

© Guy Van Laere

Pedalize it

pedalbxl.com

28

The papers

ˆ "Rumours of these so-called no-go zones in Brussels have been heard throughout the city for years. Reality however shows a different side to the story."

© la villa hermosa

ˇ

Locals only?

“Safety is failing in some neighbourhoods of Brussels. In recent weeks the police were repeatedly lured in a trap. There is a sense of impunity." This January 2010 news report targets a dark side of the capital – supposedly lawless areas where villains and hoodlums rule the streets. A presumed 751 of these euphemistically coined ‘Zones Urbaines Sensibles’, or Sensitive Urban Zones, can be found in France.

Rumours of these so-called no-go zones in Brussels have been heard throughout the city for years. Reality however shows a different side to the story. A noteworthy reminder concerns the urban structure of Brussels, one that is almost unique in Europe. With urban poverty situated right at the heart of the city, places referred to as no-go zones aren't distant suburban neighbourhoods. Drawing comparisons with the Parislike isolated ‘banlieues’, the ‘favelas’ of Rio or assumptions of Brussels being the Bronx of Europe are, maybe, a couple of bridges too far.

The area surrounding the slaughterhouses in Cureghem/Kureghem is often cited as one of the troublesome parts of Brussels. Yet more than

100.000 people flock in every week to stock up on fresh meat from the numerous butchers and the Cellars of Cureghem/Kureghem who are renowned for their quality exhibitions and fancy events. This Anderlecht neighbourhood recently acquired its first luxury hotel and the Brasserie La Paix was awarded a Michelin star earlier this year, the only brasserie in the country to have received this honour thus far.

It could seem odd that these high-end culinary delights are made available in a zone where no man is meant to venture. Furthermore, police sources assure us that the concept of no-go zones is non existent in Brussels and that there is no area where they do not send patrols. It is true however that certain places require two units rather than one, because otherwise the first might get into trouble as soon as police officers get out of the car.

Molenbeek is another infamous commune of the city, yet locals are keen on getting rid of its bad rep. Numerous windows in the streets feature bright yellow signs stating “Molen sans/ zonder bagarre” (Molenbeek without fights).

These strangely omnipresent symbols are the work of neighbourhood association D'Broej – which stands for 'Brussels Organisation for the

Emancipation of Youths'. “Young people need to group together and take a political stance to avoid having these social issues disappearing from the political agenda only weeks or months after they got in the news, because of riots or other happenings,” says Dirk De Block, the local project coordinator. “We try to form leadership, so the youth can become capable of launching projects and ideas on its own.”

Towards February and March, the situation was turning sour and slowly boiling up in Cureghem/Kureghem, due to the strict zerotolerance policies. But in December the association had already planned a police conference that was to take place in April and whose aim was to confront young locals with the police officials. “After a long hesitation, we decided not to cancel, and go forth with it. It turned out to be the most enlightening experience for both parties. Moments like these need to be created more often and be followed up, for the situation to improve. How can you expect things to change when everybody is suspicious of each other?” (AD)

Neighbourhood

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ˆ "Besides enjoying the prestige that comes with developing big projects, engineers receive bonuses in parallel with the amount of cement used... Sometimes it just comes down to bad planning."

© la villa hermosa

ˇ

Wonder construction Take a mental cruise across Belgium’s modest territory; go for a quick imaginary spin along its motorways, through the bigger cities and down the country lanes. Notice any recurring features?

While ‘medieval wonders’, ‘peaceful countryside’ and ‘millions of road signs’ are all valid answers, you couldn’t have possibly missed the ubiquitous construction sites, ongoing renovations and perpetual road works.

In fact, thanks to a certain journalist by the name of Jean Claude Defossé, Belgium has become pretty well known for them. He launched a TV-show in 1986 called “Les Grands Travaux Inutiles”(GTIs), where he would track down and inform the population of new examples of defective, unfinished or pointless public works around the country that were sucking up ridiculous amounts of their tax money. Exhibits aplenty. There’s a solitary railway bridge in the midst of a field in Varsenare which was built especially for the never-constructed motorway

Calais-Zeebruges. Price tag: 2.62 million Euro.

Charleroi’s metro network is another good one: out of the eight lines planned, only three have been built so far, with only one and a half actually in use – pretty remarkable considering its construction started back in the 70’s.

Before the third state reform in 1988, when the regions became responsible for their own budget, many of these GTIs were a consequence of Belgium’s “waffle iron” politic, meaning that when Flanders was granted subsidies for a certain project, Wallonia would receive an equal sum for a similar project and vice versa. Whether or not such a project was deemed a necessity remained irrelevant. “Giving the regions financial authority luckily did lead to a certain decrease in GTIs,” Defossé explains. “But we can’t only blame them on budget division. A lot also comes down to megalomaniac engineers and politicians.” Besides enjoying the prestige that comes with developing big projects, engineers receive bonuses in parallel with the amount of cement used and will justify the need for these works. Sometimes it just comes down to bad planning, like the bridge near Ypres that simply ends mid air, as the government later decided not to extend that part of the A19 highway after all. “I’m all for public works,”

Defossé stresses, “but they need to be useful.”

It’s true that these projects cost an arm and a leg. Yet often, even ministers don’t know what they’re signing up for. All it takes is a Machiavellian or incompetent engineer, who, when presenting a project, doesn’t quite get the budget right. “Take the Strépy-Thieu boat lift,” Defossé reminds us. “It was supposed to cost 5.5 billion BEF. Fast-forward 20 years and they’d – surprise, surprise – gone a little over budget.

Though official numbers spoke of 24 billion BEF, a professor at the university of Mons had calculated 114 billion BEF would be a more accurate sum. There are less GTIs nowadays, as we’ve become more responsible,” he concludes, “The next step is to be able to hold people accountable for them.” (RJ) Le petit guide des Grands Travaux Inutiles (1990)

by Jean-Claude Defossé RTBF edition

 Visit thewordmagazine/dribbles/

wonderconstruction for a visual archive of some of Belgium’s most notorious uncompleted constructions.

30

The papers

ˆ "Monstrosity and banality appear again and again as two sides of the same reality which Belgian cinema strives to show. "

© la villa hermosa

ˇ

C’est arrivé près de chez vous A cult movie of the 90s, C'est arrivé près de chez vous (Rémy Belvaux, 1992) is probably the most striking example of the black humor and brutality that pervades Belgian cinema. The fake documentary about a serial killer draws inspiration from a Belgian TV show of a new genre that appeared on the national broadcast channel RTBF in the mid 1980s. The innovative show, Strip-Tease, "the show that undresses you", depicted the everyday intimacy of its subjects without any commentary, leaving viewers to draw their own conclusions. During its 17 years of existence, the multiple award-winning documentary series regularly stirred debate by revealing a society in turn pathetic, cruel, and deranged. Strip-Tease is not an isolated phenomenon in the Belgian cinematic landscape, the show is rooted in the documentary tradition of Henri Storck.

From the 1930s on, the filmmaker's predilection for social issues had a lasting impact on

the history of Belgian cinema. The Dardenne brothers are obviously Henri Storck's most illustrious heirs - they even paid him a public tribute in Cannes when awarded the Palme d’Or for their film Rosetta (1999). In just seven films, including two Palmes d’Or, the brothers from the Liège/Luik region have become the masters of social and realistic cinema, exploring themes such as illegal immigration, unemployment, and exploitation. Henri Storck is also present, this time as an actor, in Chantal Ackerman's masterpiece, Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975).

The film depicts the meticulous and alienating schedule of a young widowed mother who prostitutes herself to supplement her income.

The more than three-hour long movie focuses on actions deemed insignificant, such as peeling potatoes, and is recorded in real time. These scenes function in fact like a time bomb: Jeanne, disturbed by a simple shift in her schedule, kills one of her customers with a pair of scissors.

Monstrosity and banality appear again and again as two sides of the same reality which Belgian cinema strives to show. As for human perversity, Strass (Vincent Lannoo, 2002) is probably the most shocking example after C'est arrivé près de chez vous. The only

Belgian movie made in compliance with Lars von Trier's Dogme95 manifesto portrays a despicable theater teacher, imbued with vulgarity and violence. In the burlesque vein, the characters of Camping Cosmos (Jan Bucquoy, 1996), from porn actress Lolo Ferrari to singer Arno, are just as politically incorrect. More recently, Ex-Drummer (Koen Mortier, 2007) tells the raw story of three losers united by their respective handicap to form a heavy metal band. If more poetic universes exist (remember the dancing flowers in the social housing of Toto le Héros, Jaco Van Dormael, 1991) attachment to marginal subjects remains a constant.

Through this apparent harshness, signs of hope also arise, such as in Les Convoyeurs Attendent (Benoît Mariage, 1999) which ends with the dancing celebration of the new year 2000. In the end, the lesson of Belgian cinema might be : despite the “Helaasheid der dingen” (to borrow the title of young filmmaker Felix van Groeningen's latest masterpiece), chances of success still exist. (DB)  Visit thewordmagazine/dribbles/

cestarrivepresdechezvous for a video edit of our favourite Belgian cinematic masterpieces.

www.essentiel.be

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The guide Arts Play Talent Drawing

PHOTOGRAPHED BY SERGE LEBLON WWW.NATAN.BE

34

The institution

© Jack Moyersoen

We love Lifestyle Classic Dying breeds

The paper box — Before Press Shops and the ubiquitous free paper stand, downtown dwellers used to go to cubed newsagent booths for their daily news needs.

Scruffy and shabby, these kiosks often enjoyed primed retail spots and a close contact with their clients. With only a handful of them left on the city’s sidewalks, we thought to catch up with the scions of the industry’s main players.

Words and photography Jack Moyersoen

Before seeing its supremacy challenged successively by the radio, television and the Internet, printed press held the undisputed monopoly on providing news and entertainment. Following the Second World War, dozens of newsstands, also elegantly known as “aubettes” or booth, flourished all over Brussels. Posted on the sidewalks of the city's busiest streets, these small aluminium and glass boxes provided the passers-by with a large selection of newspapers and magazines. In 1980, their total number peaked at 52. Today, with the development of independent newsagents, the Press Shop franchise and the shifting pattern towards an increasingly digital consumption of information, Brussels’ 11 remaining newspaper kiosks owe

their survival to a handful of faithful customers and the inherent nostalgia and sympathy that these iconic and minuscule fortresses inspire.

However many Belgians still enjoy purchasing their news bites from these cube-shaped print providers, working in one doesn't seem to be an option anymore. The booths are now having a hard time finding a local owner. The prospect of working 12 hours a day, six days a week to earn the same amount you’d get on the dole understandably sounds like a bad deal. As a result, newsstands are now mostly occupied by courageous Vietnamese natives who more often than not barely speak a word of French or Flemish.

To make matters worse, the crisis seems to have also hit one of the capital’s most cherished

symbols of the press' past golden era : Maurice's newspaper kiosk on Place de la Monnaie/ Muntplaats, silenced and barricaded like a mummy in purgatory. Pierre Heymbeeck, better known as Maurice, was a true figure in downtown Brussels. His death a few weeks ago at age 78 has left many of his newspapers and customers orphans of their favourite newsagent. A true hardworking Brusseleer with a vintage sense of what customer service should be, his regulars were systematically greeted by their surname and eventually, a joke. Such was his popularity that he had clients still buying their gazettes from him even though they hadn’t lived or worked in the neighbourhood for years. “He loved his job dearly,” sighs his surviving 73-year-old

Life

35

sister, Philomène. Retired nine years ago from working at a print shop, this still vigorous single lady should know. She's dedicated most of her life's spare time to helping out her family's kiosk business. “We are a dynasty of newsagents,” she asserts proudly. “My grandmother was already selling newspapers in the streets of Brussels over 100 years ago. She used to call it ‘den tournai doon’ as she was not allowed to stay at the same place because the permit given by the city of Brussels stipulated 'mobile street vendor'. I also remember my mum carrying around a Metropole Hotel bag made with old bed sheets, stuffed with the current issues of the French newspaper L'Intransigeant. She made a living by selling them to tourists. It was hard work and she often stayed out in the streets until midnight.”

ˆ The prospect of working 12 hours a day, six days a week to earn the same amount you’d get on the dole understandably sounds like a bad deal. ˇ During the occupation in 1941, the Germans built two newsstands made of glass and aluminium on Place de la Monnaie/ Muntplaats. In these politically uncertain times, virtually everyone was hungry for news and the Germans were also looking for ways to spread their propaganda. From then on, the booths started to spread all over Brussels.

Philomène's mother saw an opportunity to sell more kinds of newspapers and magazines in a somehow less hostile environment. In 1944, she settled in the one right on the corner of Rue de l'Evèque/Bisschopstraat and turned it into a family affair. Nelly, Philomène's sister, remembers: "Everyday at five am, our dad would walk to Rue du Persil/Peterseliestraat with a handcart to pick up the daily papers from the distributor and wheel them back to the kiosk.

He would then open it from six am to 10am, at which time our brother Maurice would take over until 10pm. This routine would go on everyday of the week including public holidays. On Sundays, the kiosk was closed but it didn’t stop Maurice from working. He would go out on the streets around the Bourse/Beurs area to sell Les Paris Turfistes (a sport results newspaper) and Les Sports (which would go on to become La Dernière Heure) on the Parvis Saint-Gilles/Sint-Gillis Voorplein. By the 50s, newspapers and magazines were starting to become a big thing. Newspapers had up to five editions per day, and it wasn't uncommon to sell 1000 copies of Le Soir."

If all their hard work and dedication never really paid the Heymbeeck family big dividends, their booths did win a contest rewarding the highest sales of the Pourquoi-Pas newspaper on several occasions. “That’s how Maurice won

Philomène Heymbeeck, Maurice's surviving sister, posing in front of the booth their mother kept from 1944 to 1985.

his first television set,” remembers Philomène.

An eloquent speaker, intelligent and with a knack for jokes, Maurice turned newspaper sales into an art but, most notably, a genuinely human experience. His social skills, coupled with the hands-on experience he gained, led him to take on his own kiosk in 1972, right next to his mother's. He went on to guard his prized square meter spot for the rest of his life. Hot in the summer, cold in the winter, these exposed urban workplaces are not for the faint-hearted.

Inside you can barely turn around, and your vision is limited to the tiny unobfuscated open window through which the clients pop their head in to communicate. Thankfully, Maurice had nothing but friends in the neighbourhood.

He could always count on the nearby café to let him use their bathroom and offer him a coffee.

At night, while he was away, the bouncers of the 'La Gaité' nightclub kept an eye on his kiosk to prevent vandalism. Maurice was born in an era when Brussels was still a village with values of courage and dedication, and that vibe beamed around him through the Monnaie/ Munt square. Small businesses throughout the capital shut down everyday, but with the demise of Maurice’s booth, it is the entire downtown Brussels which has lost a part of its soul.  Visit thewordmagazine.be/dribbles/

thepaperbox to catch the last remaining press boxes.

The Word on

36

We love Exclusive Photography Dying breeds

Rough trade — Big, coarse, callused hands have forever been the attribute of the virile and robust. Rachmaninov had them, and so do these four men.

A gift of nature for some, but in this case, a testimony forged by years of hard and strenuous manual labour.

Photography Sarah Eechaut

Clinton

Writer Yves Van Kerkhove

Born in New Zealand. 23 years old. Professional road-racing cyclist. Rides for the WS-Eijssen Team. His fondness for uneven cobblestones drove him to Flanders.

Life

Martinez Born in Lithuania. 24 years old. Moved to Belgium to become a professional cyclist.

He broke his racing bike so switched to highland games.

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The Word on

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Jantje

Born in Zele. 51 years old. Active in the meat trade and used to carrying cow carcasses on his back.

Life

Achiel

Born in Sleidinge. 75 years old. Former driver who spends his retirement days on his farm.

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The other Word on

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Photography Water cooler Life Disruptive

The colour blue — We entertain somewhat of a disturbingly unhealthy obsession with the colour blue, but talk about it against a backdrop of distraught flesh and, well, we might just adopt you.

Photography Ulrike Biets

A stranger after a street fight

Life

Seppe tried to uncork a bottle of wine against a tree in the park

The same stranger after a street fight

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The other Word on

Laurence’s pinky toe was squashed between his bike and a wall

Uschi bumped into a pole as she was walking on the street

Ben tripped over a dog in the midst of a drunken night

Valeria fell down the stairs

Sophie fell over while she was weeding her garden

Life

Marieke was badly bruised by a serum injection after going to the hospital for a gastrointestinal bleeding

Sebastian cut himself accidentally

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The profile Underground Lifestyle Photography

We own the night — “All the animals come out at night. Whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies. Sick, venal.” Such is how a jaded Travis Bickle, played by De Niro, describes the streets of New York after sunset in Scorsese’s cult movie Taxi Driver. Forever associated with danger and evil, just what is it about the night that brings out the most sinister side of a city?

Photography Toon Aerts

Criminals and potential dangers are concealed by darkness. The fear of the unknown is magnified by the restriction of our sense of sight, leaving the bravest among us far more vulnerable. The streets are deserted, the world is creepily silent, and we are left alone to face our own mortality. No one will hear you, no matter how loud you scream.

The concept of rough life-choices, and therefore rough jobs, has haunted us since first brainstorming this issue. Quickly, the idea of night-workers crept in as we couldn't help but wonder how these people’s experience of society and the city they live in might be altered by their nocturnal shift hours. After hunting down the capital’s night owls and spending time with them – struggling to keep our eyelids open in the process – we were surprised, to say the least. Not that we were expecting pill-popping and booze downing head-cases or gun-wielding homicidal maniacs, but all five of the individuals we tagged along with seemed genuinely grounded, passionate about their jobs and far less drained than we ever could have imagined.

Pretty much all right, really. They all concede that the nightfall in the city attracts a different fauna, but also paint a different picture than what popular culture might want you to believe.

Whether it involves driving others around, warranting general safety, providing your after-hours essentials, saving lives, or baking that fresh loaf of bread just waiting for you as the new dawn arrives, our night timers get on with their middle-of-the-night routines with the same ease as your regular nine-to-fiver.

That is not to say that the graveyard shift, as it is sombrely referred to, comes with no compromise or jeopardy to ones physical and mental health. Centuries of evolution have conditioned mankind to nurture a biological clock

Writer Randa Wazen

expecting activity during the day and sleep at night. Technological and scientific progress might fool us into thinking we've surpassed the laws of nature, but it sometimes wouldn't hurt to reassess that fantasy. Sunlight is still the primary energy source for life on this planet and its disappearance has dramatic impacts on the physiology, morphology and behaviour of almost every living organism.

ˆ Whether it involves driving others around, warranting general safety, providing your after-hours essentials, saving lives, or baking that fresh loaf of bread just waiting for you as the new dawn arrives, our night timers somehow manage to get on with their middle-ofthe-night routines with the same ease as your regular nine-to-fiver. ˇ The health hazard linked to irregular schedules is now a proven fact. Off-kilter hours affect the circadian rhythm and cause hormone levels to go haywire. Working several nights back to

back is as harmful, especially during winters, as it can lead to total daylight depravation. After conducting research in the Saint-Pierre/SintPieter University Hospital’s sleep lab, hormonal anomalies in the blood samples of those working three nights in a row could still be detected up to three weeks later. The medical staff proceeded to adopt a system whereby night-shifters would have a day off following each shift, as the night off of “normal” sleep helped eliminate detrimental effects. Yet this system is still marginal and most workers adopt a steady routine of night labour. Much as they may adjust to their nocturnal lifestyle, the irreplaceable soothing virtues of a good night’s sleep remain to be matched.

Daytime workers head home and benefit of several hours to unwind and distance themselves from their professional environment.

Most graveyarders have no choice but to hop right into bed with their curtains drawn, carrying that stress and tension.

On the bright side, most of them point out that even though their social lives suffer, they get to spend more time with their children, and those who work long shifts understandably benefit of more days off than an average nine-tofiver. The workplace enjoys a noticeably more laid-back atmosphere, since the higher tiers of hierarchy would never subject themselves to this reversed schedule. As for the human aspect, it is drastically different too. The lack of people around reinforces the bonds created between colleagues and third parties. The night-shifters we met almost unanimously claim they are pleased with their lifestyle and wouldn’t have it any differently. Some have been courted with daytime positions but they declined those offers without any regrets. You might not ever see these men but, trust us, they own the night.

Life

The law enforcer

Geert Beck is a police superintendant at the Amigo precinct, located right in the heart of central Brussels. He’s been working odd shifts for the past 27 years but it’s a case of being upside down for as long as it feels right. “You never know what the night will bring. You start with a blank canvas and watch it unfold, minute by minute.” He’s downing his 20th cup of coffee since the morning. “The hardest hour is without a doubt four am. Fatigue kicks in, inspectors get tired and nervous, they’re not robots you know.

People who come in are edgier too. During the day they report a theft or a crime that took place

while they were sleeping, whereas at night, they have often been direct victims and are therefore in much more of a state.” The golden rule he has learnt over the years is to remain calm. Relativity is important. A plastic bag containing a rope lies on his desk. It’s the noose from a suicide that happened earlier in the day. Next door, an old lady in an impoverished state is being interrogated. It’s the third time she had been arrested for shoplifting that week and has defecated herself. When constantly subjected to such sights, humour and a certain sense of detachment become a necessity.

“I used to patrol at night years ago. It was a singular experience. The streets are empty, making it easier to drive, but they attract different crowds.”

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Yet Geert admits one of his biggest challenges is finding solutions to certain situations. “What do you do when a family of refugees presents itself at the front desk at 11pm? Or if a victim doesn’t speak any of the national languages? Translators are on call, but they’re not always eager to jump out of bed to come to the precinct. The truth is though, life does not end at eight pm”.

Works as a “three-shifter”: the first day from 7am to 7pm, the second from 12pm to 10pm and the third from 7pm to 7am, followed by two days off. Receives a night premium, though less significant than the weekend and public holiday bonus.

The profile

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The city’s chauffeur

Alain is a 63-year-old taxi driver who’s been cruising through the capital’s streets for the past 16 years. “I initially saw it as a short-term fix after losing my job but then realised working at night was not that bad. I attempted working days because, let’s face it, man is a diurnal animal. We need and crave natural light. But it was far more stressful between traffic jams, strikes, protests, or simply finding myself stuck behind a garbage truck.” Clocking up about 250 km per night and 100.000 km per year (versus your average Joe’s 15.000 km) naturally makes safety a sizeable issue and getting car insurance

absolute hell. “You see foolish moves drivers wouldn’t ever dare attempting in broad daylight: driving through red lights, engaging in one-way streets, having a go at dangerous manoeuvres…

Obviously alcohol doesn’t help. I avoid accidents everyday.” And that’s without counting assaults and aggressions that, sadly, occur more often than you'd think. “Still, I love the freedom and human contact that comes with the job. The cab is a sealed bubble in which strangers open up, assuming they won’t ever see me again. It can get heavy at some points, and I have no other choice but tersely remind clients I am neither their father nor their shrink.” Awkward confessions aside, he also picks up his fair share of fabulists. “A guy

once introduced himself as a secret agent. He was on a mission in a bar I suppose. His advice was priceless. Now I know that if a KGB vehicle ever follows me and overtakes my car, I have to duck down to avoid their Kalashnikov’s bullets!”

Works from 7pm to 7am, five days a week.

The salary is on par with dayshift as there are less taxis at night, but also fewer clients.

Life

The all-night grocer

If you’re the type to run errands around five am, chances are you already know Hameed. He’s posted in one of the very few night shops of the capital that stays open around the clock, on Rue du Midistraat, just off the Bourse/Beurs.

Hameed is 40, moved to Belgium from Pakistan five years ago, and has been working in night shops ever since. The job doesn’t involve much, apart from stocking up the aisles and serving customers, but fatigue usually sets in around five am. That’s when he’ll share a Red Bull with whomever he is working with. Tonight it’s 31 year-old Jatinder, who’s also from Pakistan.

Their English is fairly basic and their French and Flemish even more limited, making it hard for them to understand what’s going on, tough they clearly seem very amused and completely un-phased by the loud or staggering oddballs they face on a daily basis. “I go back home once a year for a full month, but I prefer life here,” he admits, even though working the graveyard shift was far from being a choice. “I enrolled in unemployment offices, waited, but nothing ever came up.” Despite being well aware his health is at risk and actually feeling it, he’s a happy man.

“I love Brussels, it’s really safe here,” – a surprising statement given his line of work. Never robbed? Never attacked? “No, the police

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station is right down the road, it’s not dangerous.” Compared to his previous life, in the politically unstable province of Punjab, where he used to work on construction sites during the day, this compares to a walk in the park.

Works from 10pm to 6am six nights a week. Does not receive a salary increase for working nights.

The profile

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The lifesaver

Luc began working in the Saint-Pierre/SintPieter University Hospital’s night division more than 30 years ago. “I discovered a whole new world. One that can be brutal, at times despised and of which very little is known,” he recalls. For the past 24 years, he’s been in charge of coordinating all the institution’s night divisions. The brutality that comes with the central location of the hospital and the eclectic population surrounding it is obviously noteworthy. “Receptionists might sit behind bulletproof windows, the verbal abuse they are subjected to demands nerves

of steel. There was a time when I was afraid to walk in certain hallways,” remembers Luc of the old days, when no security was in place.

“People rolled in and out of the facility just like that.” The situation got really bad about 15 years ago, leaving the nurses no choice but to rally and demand the implementation of an external security firm. Millions of Euros were invested and the hospital now employs a total of 46 guards. “General safety might have improved but there is a very busy nightlife around the hospital, one that encapsulates all the troubles of the city – unemployment, violence, drugs, crime, rape, and homelessness.

On certain weekends, the cleaning team must

still remain constantly posted at the reception to wipe the blood seeping from gunshot or stabbing victims.” Yet as hard as the job sometimes appears to be, it’s a choice Luc swears he never regrets. “The night always feels too short and I rarely get tired because I’m always busy. I don’t know if one can say you ever really get used to it, but I love what I do.”

Works from 8pm to 7 am, on a one-night on/one night off basis. Receives a nightpremium.

Life

The baker

One of the city’s most surprising gems is the Au Vatel bakery’s atelier, which fully operates all night long in order to supply the neighbouring European quarters, hotels and the capital’s public transport network, but most notably has the particularity of being completely open to the public. People in the know creep in through its dodgy crack-tiled entrance on Rue Général Lemanstraat for some fresh bread and pastries, made available at the oddest of hours.

A true night owl, 40-year-old Abdel has been working there for the past seven years. He used to be a nine-to-fiver at Sibelgaz but that didn’t

suit his sleeping pattern. “When I worked at the office, I went out a lot and would only sleep two or three hours.” Now he’s upgraded himself to five. Fatigue is there, but he’s learnt how to deal with it. The colourful and laid back atmosphere in the factory helps. All six workers constantly crack jokes at each other.

As for the contact with the customers, it is drastically different, too. “They’re way more funny at night and especially on weekends. Most of them start rolling in as of three am. Some even linger for half an hour. I love it. We have a blast. This would never happen during normal hours. People are much more inhibited and contrived.” Au Vatel used to be an easy target

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for hold-ups (even though the cash till never contained more that a hundred Euros at best), but those days are long gone. “I’ve never witnessed anything of the kind since I’ve been here.” For someone who is clearly very fond of the city at night, he obviously misses it. “When I’m not working, I just sit around in cafés. I get a kick from watching the rest of the world get on with their jobs.”

Works from 8pm to 4am, six days a week.

His night bonus adds up to about an extra 300-450 Euros per month.

The showstoppers

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Consume We love Classic Fashion Technology Design Culture

Some like it rough — Unpolished, stiff, battered and worn-out, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this month’s showstopper selection was handpicked by a bunch of brutes. A far cry from the smooth and flashy must-haves spread all over the glossies’ gargantuan September issues, we lay our latest cravings bare and rough.

Photography Benoît Banisse Art direction and styling facetofacedesign

01.

Table bullies

Think of the final scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and you’ll know exactly what drew us to Jochem De Wit’s tableware range. Indeed, sometimes the most striking objects are also the most inconspicuous ones.

And although the jury is still out on whether the young Dutch designer’s crude ceramic jugs, cups, murky shot glasses and chunky concrete bowls will stand the test of time and follow us to immortality, they sure have already earned themselves a prime spot in our kitchen cupboards.

Jochem De Wit Raw tableware series Jug (¤150), mug (¤75), shot glass (¤70) jochemdewit.nl

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Style 02.

Birth of a movement

They don’t come any harder than New York’s hardcore set. An offshoot of Boston’s precursor scene (Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains and the likes), the Big Apple’s one was rawer, angrier, with bands such as Madball, Agnostic Front and Cro Mags updating the genre’s sound to fit their particular blend of urban angst. Immortalised through the classic 1995 documentary N.Y.H.C (New York Hardcore), this special edition two-disc set features updated interviews with a lot of the scenes’ key players filmed 10 years later.

The passion is still there, although the resolve might have somewhat been damped. A powerful and insightful watch, one likely to get all the nostalgic kids of the 90s sitting on the edge of the couch, ready to hit the mosh pit.

N.Y.H.C (from ¤12) Available online at amazon.co.uk

03.

Brass band

Long time the essential companion of gangsters and street thugs, brass knuckles are now illegal all over the world except for some American states and, bizarrely, France. Fortunately for the ill-intended ‘punch-now-think-later’ type, triple-knuckle busters ain’t. Though these custom made bad boys might not be chunky enough to fracture your opponent’s cheekbones, they sure as hell will leave you with a mean scratch or two.

We dare you to mess with us now.

Available in pawnshops across the United States (or on eBay)

04.

So you think you’re tough?

When news spread that Olympus came up with a virtually indestructible waterproof, crushproof and shockproof digital camera, it just seemed too suspiciously good to be true.

Well set on using and abusing the pocketsized point-and-shoot, we dropped it, froze it, thawed it, drowned it, sat on it, stampeded it, and even improvised a football game in the backyard with it. This raging session left us exhausted and short-breathed, but – believe it or not – the little bugger still clicks.

Olympus µ Tough 8010 (¤399) Available at Fnac, Mediamarkt and Saturn olympus.be

The showstoppers

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Case control

The problem with the iPad (if there ever was one) is that we find it difficult to picture ourselves tapping away at it whilst waiting for the tram on Place Flagey/Flageyplein in the middle of rush hour. What with the gods of envy (don’t look now, but I think everyone is looking at us) and our conscience playing tricks on us (do we deserve to be seen with such a sleek and sexy device?), it’s safe to say our new plaything hasn’t really ventured out of the office much. In steps the Dodocase, a magnificent example of old media habits serving new media’s frailty. Handmade in San Francisco, the deceiving case’s cover is made of faux leather using traditional book binding techniques whilst its interior is minutely carved out of bamboo to exact proportions.

Just like walking around town clenching your favourite book, although this time it’s your entire library you’re carrying with you.

Dodocase (¤46) Available online at dodocase.com

06.

Threadbare and fabulous

When it comes to tattered chic, no craftsmanship or superior stylistic skills ever equal the accidental authenticity of actual wear and tear.

Those perfectly symmetrical holes in your jeans are not fooling anyone, unless perhaps you’ve spent the past six months walking on your knees? Exceptions, however, do exist – like this inside out knitted wool dress that, frankly, could not have looked better than if that bored cat of yours actually had a go at it.

Maison Martin Margiela 01 wool dress (¤390) Rue de Flandre 114 Flanders Straat 1000 Brussels

FL ANDERS SHINES IN

EUROPE SHINES IN FL ANDERS TAKE THE UIZ! EU R O P E Q FlandersS

hines.eu The European Union shines in many ways: it invests, opens doors and creates opportunities. The Belgian EU Presidency offers an exquisite opportunity for Flanders to shine as well! We have much to be proud of. The Flanders in Action initiative will take us right to the top in Europe. Join the whole of Flanders in celebrating Europe!

Discover our many festivities at FlandersShines.eu

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The fashion Word Fashion Consume Photography We love Classic

— In the wee hours of the morning, gangs of questionable motive descend upon the city’s streets, raising havoc and getting up to no good, battling it out for style supremacy. A contemporary take on the cult movie The Warriors, we revisit and update these infamous bands of four.

Photography, fashion & art direction KKGB

Style

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Left to right, top to bottom: Byram Model’s Own — Jérémie wears Tank top Le Fabuleux Marcel de Bruxelles, Sheep skin vest Costumart, Jeans and boots Model’s Own — Selwyn wears Jeans Diesel, Zipped boots Sacha — Raphael wears Jeans Denham from RSRV — Ezekiel wears Jeans Diesel, Lace up boots Boss Orange — Enzo wears Jeans Denham from RSRV, Tee shirt and trainers Model’s Own — Idrissa wears Jeans Closed, Lace up boots Sacha — Jurgen wears Jeans Diesel, Chains Model’s Own, Boots Sacha Leather vests and batons Costumart

Left to right: Marjolijn wears Vest Mais il est où le soleil?, Dress Patrizia Pepe, Belt (worn as a necklace) Ikks, Necklace Nico Taeymans, Clutch and cuff Delvaux, Bracelet Necklace (worn as a bracelet) and ring Swarovski, Booties Robert Clergerie Sandrine wears Sweater dress Natascha Stoll from Hunting & Collecting, Belt Model’s Own, Feather headband Costumart, Necklace Marion Vidal, Bracelet and ring Thomas Sabo, Necklace (worn as a bracelet) and Bracelet Longchamp, Clutch Model’s Own, Boots Roger Willer.

Sabrina wears Dress h&m, Necklace Marion Vidal, Belt Patrizia Pepe, Feather headband Costumart, Ring Melody Eshani @ Kakkoiiiro Bag Gucci − Khloe wears Tee shirt H&M, Leggings Filles à Papa, Necklace and bracelet Marion Vidal, Shoes Model’s Own − Louise wears Tank Ikks, Leggings and clutch Filles à Papa, Necklace Marion Vidal, Wedges Robert Clergerie − Julie wears Cardigan Hoss, Top Jean-Pol Knott, Leggings Patrizia Pepe, Feather bracelets Mais il est où le soleil?, Clutch Model’s Own, Shoes Robert Clergerie.

Left to right: Leon wears Cardigan Tommy Hilfiger, Shirt Essentiel Homme , Shorts épisode , Hat Costumart, Trainers Jojo.

Xavier wears Vest éric Bompard, Tee shirt Vandenvos, Shorts épisode , Socks and shoes Model’s Own. Yoann wears Shirt Tommy Hilfiger, Trousers Lacoste , Trainers Model’s Own.

Romain wears Cardigan Lacoste , Trousers Céline Collard, Shirt and shoes Model’s Own. Hannibal wears Cardigan Le Fabuleux Marcel de Bruxelles, Shirt Tommy Hilfiger, Trousers Hugo by Hugo Boss, Beanie Model’s Own, Trainers Jojo.

Left page, from left: Pedro wears Jacket Onitsuka Tiger, Tee shirt Superdry, Jeans Levi’s, Trainers Nike .

Nicolas wears Jacket Levi’s, Cardigan Boss Green, Jeans h&m, Tee shirt and Sneakers Onitsuka Tiger.

Joe wears Jacket l.o.g.g., Polo Onitsuka Tiger, Shorts Model’s Own, Trainers Converse .

Karim wears Jacket épisode , Tee shirt Nike , Jeans Filippa K, Trainers Nike .

Rokko wears Jacket Nike , Hoodie Superdry, Tee shirt Nike , Trousers Bellerose , Sneakers Diesel .

This page: Ezekiel wears Jeans Diesel, Lace up boots Boss Orange Jurgen wears Jeans Diesel , Chains Model’s Own, Boots Sacha

From left: Hyun wears Blazer Costumart, Tee shirt Filippa K, Trousers Essentiel Woman, Necklace Uto Pia, Brooch La mouche à deux culs from Lez-arts-cachés, Trainers Model's Own. Ilyas wears Woman blazer and Tee shir t h&m, Trousers épisode , Necklace Uto Pia, Shoes Sacha.

Jean-Baptiste wears Jacket Closed, Woman’s top h&m, Trousers épisode , Necklace Uto Pia, Brooch La mouche à deux culs, Bracelet Model’s Own, Stick Costumart, Shoes H&M

− Deborah wears Lamé vest Costumart, Trousers épisode, Necklace Uto Pia, Shirt Model’s Own, Socks Rue Blanche, Boots Sacha.

Yves wears Vest Diesel , Tee shirt Filles à Papa, Trousers Rue Blanche , Necklace Uto Pia, Shoes Model’s Own Minh wears Perfecto Agnès b. Femme , Tank top Le Fabuleux Marcel de Bruxelles, Trousers épisode , Necklace Uto Pia, Suspenders Costumart, Trainers Fago.

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The fashion Word

Leather vests and batons Costumart

Ezekiel wears Jeans Diesel, Lace up boots Boss Orange

Style

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KKGB is

Photographer Gabriele Trapani Photographer's assistant Basile Cuvelier Art director Nam Simonis Fashion Amarande Angely, Brunel Mintona Hair & make up Orla McKeating & Miaou and Eileen Caytan @cestchic.be with Redken Video Federico Zanghì Editing Matthieu Becker Casting & Executive Production Soumaya DanceMachine With thanks to Tamarind Foods La Fabrique 22A Belinda Cordier from C’est Chic Fred@CutMe Nico & Yoann from Reservoir Shop Marie-Pierre Duquenois Christina And all the gangs The warriors: Jurgen, Idrissa, Ezekiel, Selwyn, Enzo, Jeremie, Byriam, Raphael The Lizzies: Sabrina, Marjolijn, Julie, Sandrine, Louise, Khloe The Fixies: Xavier, Romain, Leon, Hannibal, Yoann The Hockey Jocks: Joe, Karim, Rokko, Nicolas, Pedro The Circus: Jean-Baptiste, Hyun, Minh, Ilyas, Deborah, Yves Go to page 106 for full stockists details

 Visit thewordmagazine.be/dribbles/

ooohwordiors for exclusive behind the scenes footage.

Nicolas wears Jacket Levi’s, Cardigan Boss Green, Jeans h&m, Tee shirt and sneakers Onitsuka Tiger.

Jurgen wears Jeans Diesel , Chains Model’s Own, Boots Sacha

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The

Art is like masturbation.

It is selfish and introverted and done for you and you alone.

DEsiGN Design is like sex.

There is someone else involved, their needs are just as important as your own, and if everything goes right, both parties are happy in the end.

Colin Wright

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© Areaware

the DEsiGN

Area codes There's the gleaming, golden, taxidermic piglet. A piglet that is, its taxidermy absent.

Or a heirloom, a sterling silver drill bit necklace, sans its heirloom status. Or, look now : a wooden, patinated bottle opener, still awaiting its patina. All these products are by the legacydriven, art-house manufacturer Areaware, still anticipating its legacy.

Based in New York, the spry firm is entering its fifth year of offering designs that have, since its genesis, taken to turning heads. "Our hope is that the objects we create will be cherished for years," muses the company's Director Laura Hwang, while sitting in her Manhattan office.

Decorated distinctly Areaware, the room boasts large winking suspensions and neon lights that challenge a standard notion of kitsch. "We try to be selective about the types of objects we make, one of our goals being to create things that inspire an emotional response, whether it’s laughter, wonder, or joy." If the company's products were part of a comedy club, they'd likely look more like David Sedaris, less like Russell

Brand. "It's not to say that we’re only looking to make things that are flashy," says Hwang, defending the company’s trademark humour.

"Sometimes it's subtle consideration and a quiet beauty that has the most lasting effect. The idea is that whether you buy something out of necessity or on a whim, if the object is well made, or you develop an emotional connection to it, you’re less likely to toss it."

Still, some may ponder how sizable this clever and thoughtful consumer base is by browsing their catalogue. While designer Harry Allen's ‘Bank in the Form of a Pig’, which reimagines the traditional piggy-bank, has graced design pages all over the world, it steps, albeit gracefully, over the line into Pop Art, a genre heavily critiqued by many of today's commentators. Yet, Areaware's wisdom is in diversity.

Sharing space with the likes of Allen is ‘Bottle Opener’, a simple wooden handle and nail.

Newby designer Brendan Ravenhill's piece challenges many of the same contemporary concepts as Allen, while taking a more pensive approach. "It's the idea that objects can tell a story, and over time, by celebrating the marks, use and wear, can have increased value to the

user," remarked Ravenhill from his home in Los Angeles. What began as a thesis prototype was picked up by Jonas Damon, another Areaware designer, and included in the company’s collection. "It was an experimental piece. I was giving them out to friends so that they could use them, and then I would take them back after a few months. That was the intention, to catalogue their use and wear over time, and to be able to analyse that."

The young designer fits in well with a company that is exploring ideas of what it means to build a reputation off of a select body of work. As Areaware moves forward, its team is beginning to consider what it means to move out of adolescence and into maturity. "Our goal has always been to promote a culture that embraces and inspires creativity, unified in [a] humanist drive to enrich our lives,” says Hwang. "That part isn't changing. But we'd like to be understood more as a gallery for thought and discussion, versus just a company that makes stuff."

If critics and consumers have a say, we’ll be thankful if they accomplish both. (EMC) areaware.com

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The conversation with…

Talent Radar Disruptive

The wire wunderkind — Korean designer Kwangho Lee’s awe inspiring work – a bold statement of intent, steeped in tradition – has been building considerable momentum over the last few years, culminating in a solo show opening this month at Brussels’ Hunting and Collecting boutique during the city’s Design September festival. We sat down with the unassuming craftsman and his agent Victor Hunt on a blistering Sunday morning in the Belgian coastal town of De Haan to meet the man behind the twists, turns and twines.

Photography Veerle Frissen

the DEsiGN

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Flower picking: Kwangho together with is design dealer Victor Hunt

“I think Kwangho Lee is one of the best examples of what design art is: at the same time you still have a product that is usable, but also reaches out to your emotions through the concept, approach and use of material.” In his closing sentence to our hour-long sit down with Kwangho, Victor pinpoints with exacting eloquence what it is about the 20-something designer’s creations that elicits so much praise and interest. When functionality and emotional appeal meet in such a discreet manner, it creates something along the lines of design art, yes, but more importantly, design with a heart : at times imperfect, at times rough around the edges but always, always human.

Victor, clearly a fan of Kwangho’s whole game, continues : “With Kwangho you feel him through his work. In one work he is able to touch three or four issues at the same time. When he’s weaving or carving into Styrofoam, he’s not measuring it to the centimeter to get it right. The form will emanate from his working of the material, not through calculation and machineries.”

It is true that Kwangho’s work – he is most famous for a series of knotted lamps and chairs made entirely of astutely intertwined Scooby doo-like wirings of all sorts – elicits amazement

and wonderment, both at the ‘how’ and ‘what’ levels. It is deceivingly simple in its end result, though intricate in the making. It is quiet in its purpose (functionality, pure and simple) yet firm in its resolve. It is future-looking though embraces the past, working today’s materials with yesterday’s techniques. “(Inevitably), I cannot help but to be influenced by the experiences or things I saw during my childhood, it’s something that just happens,” says the soft-spoken designer, whose early years spent living on a farm with his grandparents provided the breeding ground for his approach as a designer. “Like my grandfather, I want my approach to be to take materials and be able to experiment with them in this or that way. I want to take those materials and make them into something functional”.

There’s a matter-of-factness about Lee’s responses which reveals a deep understanding of where he comes from and, by extension, where his work comes from. Asked about his apparent near-obsession with wires, he says : “During an illumination class I took, I noticed that although there were many materials that I was introduced to as elementary lighting components, the most basic would be the electrical cord and the light

bulb. With that in mind, I started off by experimenting with the electrical cords to see what shapes I could make. What I work on now is how great a magnitude I can accomplish with the cords. I want the cords to almost be alive and make a stronger statement”.

There is no doubt that, at its core, Lee is simply doing what he loves most: working with his hands and striving to make functional and beautiful things – be they pendant lights, furnishings or jewelry. Imbued of his past yet informed by his now, this poetry of forms which is very much his – natural and flawless – is the closest you’ll get to design perfection.

Kwangho Lee. Life like design From 10 th until 30 th September 2010 Hunting and Collecting Rue des Chartreux 17 Kartuizersstraat 1000 Brussels huntingandcollecting.com

 Visit thewordmagazine.be/dribbles/

thewirewunderkind for a complete interview transcript and a video of Lee at work.

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The pedestal Cuture We love Classic Play

My other car's a dump — There are certain cars you give names to. Certain cars you speak to. Certain cars you’d be capable of building streets for. Certain cars you do not take to the carwash but, rather, lovingly pamper by hand. These are some of those cars.

Photography Sarah Michielsen

Manufacturer Model Year Purchased in Price

BMW M635 CSI E24 January 1985 2005 ¤ 25,000

A word from the owner

“What is there to say about BMW ? Until recently, the brand had a soul, a unique style – one that got lost during the Christopher Bangle (BMW’s former design chief) period, but which is slowly coming back. Up to 30 years ago, BMW drivers used to salute each other at red lights.”

the DEsiGN

Manufacturer Model Year Purchased in Price

Saab 900i 16v 1991 August 1991 610,000 Belgian francs (approx.¤ 15,000)

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A word from the owner

“The only extra option is the rooftop which needs to be opened by hand. Other than that, the car is already very complete : heated driver and passenger seats, windshield wipers on the head lights, an air cabin filter, back window heating system, etc…”

With thanks to the Saabclub Belgium (saabclub.be)

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The pedestal

Manufacturer Model Year Purchased in Price

Citroën DS 21 electronic injection May 1971 2001 35,000 French francs (approx.¤ 5,300)

What won the owner over

“The car’s design, the cultural context it enjoyed during its 20 years of service, the drive and the many movies it was featured in, such as ‘The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob’ (Gérard Oury, 1973) or ‘Going Places’ (Bertrand Blier, 1974).”

With thanks to the DS-SM club Belgium (dssmclub.be)

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The directory Consume Radar We love

The design digits — Over the years, we’ve built up quite an exhaustive selection of design addresses to suit our every little obsession. We have our vintage design addresses, our contemporary design addresses, our design restoration addresses as well as our limited edition design addresses. Here, we visit some of them.

Photography Merel t’ Hart

01. Espace Bizarre

1989 Jens Rodieck Some of the brands we carry

include Moroso, Foscarini,

Driade, Moooi, Muuto, Swedese,

Georg Jensen and Marimekko.

Specialty As well as retail, we also do

custom-made furniture.

Sources Direct from manufacturers

and designers Just in The NEMO chair-sculpture by

Italian designer/architect

Fabio Novembre Since Owner Brands

Rue des Chartreux 19 Kartuizersstraat

1000 Brussels

espacebizarre.com

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02. Ten gallery Since Owners Specialty Sources

Just in

April 2010 Hiroe Higashi, Mathieu Warin 20th century design Flea markets, private collections, designers, artists etc…

Hans Wegner seat, Arne Jacobsen lamp, Willy Rizzo table, Robin Day table, Shiro Kuramata wall clock

Rue du Prince Royal 62

1050 Brussels

10galleryten.com

03. Diito Since Owners

November 2007 Atte Behm, Philippe Clavier

and Cédric Van Cauwenberghe Brands Some of the designers and brands

we have in store include

David Trubridge, Established & Sons,

Magis, Muuto, Oficina Kreativa,

Tom Dixon, When Objects Work

and Zanotta.

Specialty We hand-pick contemporary

furniture and accessories,

vintage design and prototypes of

young Belgian designers. We also

organise up to four exhibitions a year.

Sources Flea markets, eBay,

private collections, designers, etc…

Just in The new Eugene armchair by e15 Tips There is a nice restaurant just

next door where customers and

designers often meet.

Rue de l'Aurore 62 Dageraadstraat

1000 Brussels

diito.be

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The directory

04. Kaai design

1997 Kristel Van Kerckhoven

& Carl Van Driessche Brands Moroso, Porro, Flexform,

Poliform, Indera, MDF Italia,

Pastoe, Moooi, Arco, Flos,

Cappelini, Extremis and

Fritz Hansen amongst many others Specialty We specialise in up to date and

timeless interiors for private homes

and small collective places.

Sources Global interior fairs Just in New colection from Moroso,

Porro and B&B as well as new

furniture from Vincent Van

Duysen for Pastoe.

Since Owner

Vlaamse Kaai 45

2000 Antwerp

kaaidesign.be

the DEsiGN

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05. Espoo

November 2009 Dries Brys We stock HAY, Swedese, Muuto,

Normann Copenhagen, Asplund,

ferm Living, Design House,

Stockholm, Maze Int. and Hetta.

Specialty Nordic design Sources Scandinavian furniture and

design fairs Just in Kilt Light Cabinet by Claesson

Koivisto Rune for Swedish

brand Asplund as well as

the Hang On Coat Rack

by Jade Barnes-Richardson for

Danish brand Normann

Copenhagen. Come September,

we’ll also carry the Cruiser Easy

Chair by Belgian designer

Marina Bautier for Swedish

brand Swedese (see our

special showstoppers on

page 80), the About A Chair

by Hee Welling for Danish

brand HAY, the RU Chair by

Shane Schneck for Danish

brand HAY and the Shangay

Chair by KiBiSi for

Danish brand HAY Since Owner Brands

Vlaamse Kaai 57

2000 Antwerpen

espoo.be

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The directory

06. Arrangerie 13

07. Donum

1983 Johan der Brün, Chris Baillieux,

and Guido Grüaert Brands We do not do brands. We stock

quality pieces from private

collections.

Specialty Restoration and conservation of

antique and design pieces

(furniture, lamps etc, etc…)

Sources Private collections Tips Get a feel for items and make sure

you view all aspects of what you

look at.

Since Owner Brands

Since Owner

2006 Jas Peeters Some of the brands we have in

store include B&B Italia,

Alex Webers Flos, Flexiform

and Cappellini.

Specialty Furniture

Donum Antwerp

Hopland 47

2000 Antwerp

Donum Hasselt

Havermarkt 31/33

Arrangerie 13

3500 Hasselt

Muntstraat 13

donum.be

2000 Antwerpen

arrangerie.be

DRINKS, FOOD AND MUCH MORE! 12a, Place du Samedi - 1000 Brussels Open every day from 10.00 - 23.00 Don't miss our lazy Sunday Brunch www.denieuwebrasserie.be

B DE NIEUWE BRASSERIE

DE NIEU

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The special showstoppers Consume We love Lifestyle Travel

The goods — We touch upon all aspects of design – from creation through to completion and reparation – in this month’s selection of special show stealers.

We’ve got the software to prototype it, the lounge chair to ponder it, the stool to rock it out, the plasticine to fix it, the mirror to have a final look at it and the bag collection to, well, carry it.

Sorted.

Photography Melika Ngombe

the DEsiGN

01.

Sir lounge-a-lot

Very rarely does a lounge chair manage to balance both the lounging and the sitting in equal measure. Either you end up on the floor, the chair’s lounging attributes obviously more at work than its seating ones. Or you end up assuming the posture of an uptight librarian, the seating attribute evidently pushed to the extreme. In steps Marina Bautier. Her impeccable Cruise chair offers just the balance we long for in lounge chairs: the right amount of stoop coupled with the right amount of support. With a width of 72cm, its seating space is plentiful, although the chair remains discreet thanks to its light oak frame, and its one-click foldaway system.

Cruiser chair in leather (¤1,316), in canvas (¤1,084) Available from Espoo, Antwerp espoo.be

02.

Rock’n rolla

At first sight, a rocking stool could strike you as one of those ideas that sounded good on paper but somehow just didn’t translate well in actual form. Call us traditionalists, but whatever is going to be rocking our world needs to have a sizeable backrest and a pair of perfectly (height) proportioned armrests. So it came as a little bit of a surprise to find that Feld’s Monarchy stool, designed by Yiannis Ghikas, managed to sustain our slouching figures just about right. A sturdy knee-height stool with a rhythmic rock to it, the Monarchy does induce you into meditation although its unsupportive nature – it is a stool after all means you’ll always be kept on your feet.

Monarchy stool in lacquer (¤295) Monarchy stool in oil varnish (¤375) feld.be

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The special showstoppers

03.

Power to the people

A slap in the face of the throw-away generation, Sugru is what butterfingers the world over have been longing for. An innovative, versatile and flexible material, Sugru is a plasticine-like texture which will basically extend the lease of life of pretty much anything you own – and improve it along the way. Invented

by RCA graduate and product designer Jane Ni Dhulchaointigh in conjunction with two material scientists, the chameleon-like solution comes in a range of four colours (blue, orange, black and green), is beautifully packaged and is pretty much one of the most ingenious little inventions we’ve come across in a while.

Sugru’s smart hacks 5gr pack (¤ 7) Sugru’s smart hacks super pack (¤ 13) sugru.com

04.

For business or leisure

One often underestimates just how much your travel gear says about you. Conscious of its internationalite clientele’s needs, Delvaux has re-edited its classic range of stylish yet discreet travel goods. Featuring essentials such as the trolley case, the duffle bag, the business case, or the laptop pouch (pictured), each bag of the 10-item Airess collection also comes with a kit of moisturising goodies by Shu Uemura. Treat yourself to an upgrade in the leather world and you might just get one in the leisure world.

Airess laptop pouch 13’ (¤150) delvaux.be

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05.

Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the loveliest of them all ?

Three elements make a mirror: its shape, its treatment of material and its fixing system, the latter often receiving less attention than its two former acolytes. This realisation forms the basis of Benoit Deneufbourg’s Crossed Out mirror, an inside out reflection on mirrors as we know them. This is how it works. Two slanted pieces of wood slit to perfection, allow for a round-edged mirror sheet to be slotted in and attached straight onto your wall. Bringing the forgotten to the fore, this is simple genius that just needed to be thought of.

Crossed Out mirror (¤220) benoitdnb.com

06.

So solid

Every talent has its tools of the trade.

Photographers use Photoshop, graphic designers dabble in Indesign whilst product designers muck about in Solidworks. The package of choice for studios from Brussels to Barcelona, the 3D CAD software contains a complete suite of built-in simulation, routing and presentation tools which allow you to draw and design your prototype, test it through simulation, calculate its productivity efficiency as well as create model animations and photorealistic renderings. A pre-requisite to any meaningful design career, this is the software that’ll turn your napkin doodle into a multimillion-euro business.

Solidworks Premium Available online from solidworks.com

 Visit thewordmagazine.be/dribbles/thegoods for full purchase links.

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The movement Disruptive Talent

Immaculate imperfection — By purposely producing crude, rough, seemingly unfinished or downright ugly things, designers are officially protesting against the slickness of mass-produced objects and equally opposing stylish high-end design.

© Shira Klasmer

Writer Anneke Bokern

01.

Design

ˆ Now we all have everything, and it's all from Ikea. You can hardly tell whose apartment you're in anymore, because they all look the same. ˇ Although anti-design isn't a new phenomenon – it has been around since the 60s – the current trend can be traced back to Holland, where a small group of designers gathered in Amsterdam’s legendary club Paradiso in 1993 under the motto “An afternoon of being normal” (“Een middag gewoon doen”). What connected them was a shared aversion against the slick yuppie-design of the late 80s. In a tiny exhibition, they presented their alternative

02.

© Robaard/Theuwkens

The table is crooked. It has shapeless legs, one of which is fatter than the others. Wrapped in white papier-mâché and covered in black scrawls, its original material remains a mystery.

It looks like a reject from the workshop of Niki de Saint Phalle. But this isn't the product of a clumsy do-it-yourselfer. Instead, it’s a creation of Spanish design duo El Ultimo Grito, whose works sell for thousands of Euros in design galleries. “Don't you like my table ? ” Rosario Hurtado – one half of El Ultimo Grito – asks with a slightly mischievous smile. Of course she knows that this object, standing in her living room in Berlin, isn’t what most people would consider “good design”. When I stammer something about its anti-commercial appeal, she replies : “Why shouldn't this be commercial ?

If you like it, it's commercial. And what's commercial anyway ? Ever since the industrial revolution, there's this idea that everybody should have everything. Now we all have everything, and it's all from Ikea. You can hardly tell whose apartment you’re in anymore, because they all look the same. We have forgotten that we’re allowed to be individuals.” Clearly, this isn't just a misshapen table, but a pamphlet for individualism, character, uniqueness and authenticity in a streamlined world. In recent years, this subversive attitude can be found in the work of more and more designers. After all, there must be more to the profession than churning out yet another elegant chair for yet another prestigious furniture label. In a world full of stuff, how does one create meaning ?

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03.

idea of design, which consisted of a total negation of expensive materials and glossy styling.

Instead, they came up with things like a dresser made of old drawers, held together by a belt, and a seat consisting of nothing but a bundle of used clothes. This was the birth of Droog Design, which literally means ‘dry design’.

Seventeen years on, Droog has become a household name in the design world, and what once sent electric shocks down the spines of critics has become part of the establishment.

But quite a few young designers have picked up on the Droog approach and are taking the use of non-designy materials and rough finishes much further than its inventors ever did.

Among those pushing the boundaries is young British designer Max Lamb (b. 1980). While the designer is usually seen as someone who gives shape to an object, Lamb lets his creations find their own form. “Sometimes the object is ‘made’ rather than ‘designed’, meaning the design is a consequence of the process, which in turn is a consequence of the material,” he recently said

in an interview. Starting out from fractious and often archaic materials like pewter, bronze or stone, Lamb creates rugged objects, which are closer to sculpture than to design. He also likes bringing out the disregarded qualities in cheap materials, as shown by his range of polystyrene furniture. “It was whilst using a block of polystyrene to model another chair that I decided the rough model was both beautiful and entirely functional in its own right,” he explains. “I then began experimenting with ways of modelling, carving and manipulating expanded polystyrene to form furniture.

The softness, light-weight and warmth of polystyrene suggested a chair would be a perfect application for it.” Paradoxically, by letting the material determine the finishing of the object, Lamb stands for a hands-off design approach, in which randomness and spontaneity play a big role – but depending on the material, it can also be a laborious creation process, in which the designer chisels and carves away on his product for hours by the sweat of his brow.

The movement

© Annemarijne Bax

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04.

Either way, the results are crude, atavistic objects, which couldn't be further removed from the uniform, faultless, but also cold beauty of machine production. “My furniture is very personal; people only buy it if they respond emotionally, so they're unlikely to throw it away,” Lamb says. In this sense, his works seem to embody what legendary Italian designer Gaetano Pesce, 70-year-old godfather of design recalcitrance, once said: “We want something human. And the only way is to introduce the 'badly done' into things. The bad realisation, the version with mistakes, it gives the object a soul.” Soul is the all-important keyword here: imperfect objects bearing their maker's marks tell a story and have character and vitality. Taken to the extreme, imperfection can turn into formlessness, which of course is the exact opposite of what most people would consider the essence and aim of design. Dutch designer Pepe Heykoop (b. 1984), in contrast, speaks of "shapes starting to grow".

ˆ We want something human. And the only way is to introduce the 'badly done' into things.

The bad realisation, the version with mistakes, it gives the object a soul. ˇ For his Stitch series, he collected chairs and lamps from the rubbish dump and created hand-stitched stuffed covers for them, resulting in strangely lumpy and – more importantly – very huggable furniture. Not two pieces look alike, but thanks to their white textile covers

they become a family. “We found the discarded items on the street or in second hand shops and took care of them,” Heykoop says, emphasising the “awww”-factor of his creations. Remember that ragged old teddy which you literally loved to bits, although or rather because it was the ugliest toy in your collection?

As with all design of the crude kind, Heykoop's work doesn't leave room for a lukewarm reaction: it's a question of loving or hating it. Compared to the works of Spaniard Nacho Carbonell, however, Heykoop's creations look rather tame. Carbonell (b. 1980) entered the international design stage three years ago with his graduation project at Design Academy Eindhoven: a sponge-filled chair made of stinky, off-coloured latex, connected to five strange little bags of the same material via a tube. Sit down on the chair and air is forced down this umbilical cord, inflating the previously limp bags – which suddenly turn into five chubby little creatures. Amusing? Very.

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Beautiful? Not really. By transcending beautiful styling, Carbonell's designs apparently hit a nerve. How else can one explain that within just a few years, he went from graduate to gallerists’ darling, being featured as "designer of the future" at high-end trade fair Design Miami Basel in 2009? And as if that wasn't enough, Carbonell's entire Evolution-collection – a series of unshapely papier-mâché seats on gawky legs with protuberances remotely resembling wasps' nests – was sold within days at the same fair – to Brad Pitt of all people.

ˆ

ˇ Anti-stylish design obviously is a sign of the times. It reflects the design buyers' longing for meaningful objects just as much as the designers' wish to emancipate themselves from the role of superficial stylists. In early modernist times, designers found meaning in social ambitions, by trying to create functional, beautiful and affordable objects for everybody – think of Bauhaus in Germany or De Stijl in the Netherlands. This field now occupied by Ikea, creating highly individual pieces is one of the alternative routes to take. Dutch designer Marije Vogelzang once summed this lifestyle fatigue up nicely when she told me: "Design has undergone the same development as plastic surgery. It used to be about healing sick people.

Now it's about making big tits."

Probably the most successful designer who refuses to produce pumped-up silicone glossiness without giving up his claim to fame is Dutchman Maarten Baas. Born in 1978, he graduated from Eindhoven Design Academy in 2002 with a series of charred furniture known as the Smoke Series, which immediately catapulted him into the international design press and got him a solo exhibition at renowned New York design gallery Moss. Among his latest works is the Clay collection, a series of chairs and sideboards made of synthetic clay in gaudy colours, looking as if an 8-year-old had made them from Play-Doh, as well as the Treasure chairs, two types of chairs created from cutting scrap from a furniture factory and looking dangerously ramshackle. As botch

© Maarten van Houten

As botch and slapdash as these things may look, they're usually far more expensive than your average slick design product.

05.

and slapdash as these things may look, they're usually far more expensive than your average slick design product. Being one-offs, they are sold in galleries at soaring prices and are often referred to as ‘design art’ – for want of a better term. “We create a lot of experimental projects and present the results in galleries instead of only reacting to what the market wants,” Rosario Hurtado of El Ultimo Grito says.

“Experiments are important, because they help us formulate our ideas. If an experiment results in a commission, we have to translate it into a mass product. It's always exciting to find out how to do that. But it's also interesting how we can influence the producers' ideas through our experiments.”

The entire concept of uniqueness and oneoffs, of course, runs against the traditional idea of product design and seems to have more in common with decorative arts. But maybe El Ultimo Grito's installations, Max Lamb's archaic chairs, Pepe Heykoop's cuddly

furniture, Nacho Carbonell's latex critters and Maarten Baas' scrap seats mean that it's time for a new definition of design. In a globalised world, there's an obvious need to combine individuality and mass production. And what the hell if one sometimes has to throw the ideal of classical beauty overboard to attain this combination? After all, there are moments when 'Anarchy in the UK' is far more fun, more meaningful and maybe in a strange way even more beautiful than the Moonlight Sonata.

01.

Peckham table by El Ultimo Grito

02.

Chest of drawers for Droog by Tejo Remy

03.

Rag chair for Droog by Tejo Remy

04.

Stitch family by Pepe Heykoop

05.

Clay dining table and chairs by Maarten Baas

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The shelf Arts Consume We love Music Photography

Rough, rugged and raw reads — These are some of the novels and photo-books we had lying about the pool house over the summer. Some were good reads, some were immersing reads, whilst others just made us reach for the ever growing pile of trash-mags, the result of 10 days of poolside dilly-dallying.

Photography Yassin Serghini

Slaughter on a snowy morn (2010)

by Colin Evans

Shoot the artist (2010)

by Bjorn Tagemose

Icon Books

Ludion

Charlie Stielow is one unlucky man. The Berlin-born farmhand and his young family, following years of hardship (no job, no prospect, no money), finally catch a break when landowner Charles Phelps employs Stielow for one year on particularly generous terms. A couple of days after moving into the property’s tenants’ house, Phelps is brutally murdered, setting off a chain of events which would forever revolutionise the proceedings within a courtroom. Evans’ novel, which hops from fiction to forensic disaster tales, gives us a glimpse of the prejudiced and hurried manner in which a man is sent to his death, on a string of flimsy and constructed evidence. Set in the United States during the 1910s, the book can at times be heavy on detail, although the way in which Evans vividly depicts Stielow’s descent to hell gives the narrative considerable impetus.

“I am not Bjorn Tagemose the photographer, or Bjorn Tagemose the solo artist. I am a director, a translator of other people’s desires… a multimedia manipulator.” Such is the way ‘Shoot the Artist’, Tagemose’s book recounting many of the shoots he’s produced, begins, in classic self-deprecating form. Spawning the fashion, commercial, music and art worlds, ‘Shoot the Artist’ (which also happens to be the name of Tagemose’s collective of animators, technicians, light people, holograph experts and the likes) is a copious, behind-the-scenes look at the photographer’s prolific career as a masterful jack-ofall trades – which began with a first photograph for Walter Van Beirendonck (the now-cult ‘Finally Chest Hair’ image). A somewhat difficult book to navigate (it is actually made up of smaller albums each devoted to one of his jobs), but an enriching page-turner nonetheless.

Mapping the invisible: EU roma gypsies (2010)

by Lucy Orta

Michaël Borremans: paintings (2009)

Black Dog Publishing

Gypsies have always been captured in fairytales and literature fabling them in the European consciousness as the mysterious pariahs of society.

Eschewing the accepted normalcy of traditional concepts of property their appeal has laid mainly in our ignorance and misunderstanding of the Roma way of life. This book looks to realign these misconceptions and throw light on this diaspora’s plight through breathtaking and sometimes disturbing visuals of displacement. Here’s an uplifting and eye opening read exposing the lives of an all-to-often marginalised people.

Hatje Cantz

The first of its kind to include all of Michaël Borremans’ work, this volume provides a complete overview of the Belgian artist’s universe.

Hailed as one of the finest contemporary painters in Europe, his compositions explore complicated psychological states while vexing logic.

Displaced objects are depicted as though they were breathing subjects and the human body is replicated as a figure of unconsciousness. The most striking are his ghostly portraits, based on random photographs picked from magazines.

Deprived of identity, they express only silence.

Unsettling yet captivating.

Viewbook: photostory (2009) Blurb publishing

Annually held, the Viewbook PhotoStory competition is a platform for photographers from all around the world to submit their work and gain exposure on an international level.

A brilliantly vibrant and varied anthology of the winning portfolios, These span from the emotive documentary of stoneworkers in Jaflong, Bangladesh to the whimsical portraits of the very dapper members of Congo’s Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes.

PhotoStory 2009 isn’t your average coffee table book but a series of incredibly powerful and thought provoking works.

No wave (2007)

by Marc Masters Black Dog Publishing

Ask anyone who was there; it didn’t get any rougher than the New York of the late seventies. It’s therefore no surprise that the wastelands of the Lower East-Side spawned a sound described by critics as musical sadomasochism, ferociously avant-garde, militantly anti-melodic, inaccessible and anti-humanist, also known as No Wave.

Complete with live photos, artwork of the era and first person accounts by its protagonists and witnesses, Marc Masters traces the whole history of this anti-movement and spells the key to understanding its essence in two simple letters: N.O.

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 From left to right

Slaughter on a snowy morn (Icon Books), Shoot the artist (Ludion), Viewbook: photostory (Blurb Publishing), No wave (Black Dog Publishing), Mapping the invisible: EU roma gypsies (Black Dog Publishing), Michaël Borremans: paintings (Hatje Cantz).

 Visit thewordmagazine.be/dribbles/theshelf for more photographs of the books as well as Amazon purchase links.

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The pencil Arts Drawing Exclusive Talent

Tainted love — Sticks and stones may break my bones but your games will really kill me.

Illustration Studio Lali

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The pencil

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The eye Photography Life Reality The road

— A woman once told me she accelerates every time she sees a cat crossing the road, going for the kill. It's hard to believe that this goes on in people's heads, but it does. Amongst the countless carcasses lying on the side of our roads, not all of them are inevitable accidents. Not all of them are coldblooded cases of murder either. In most cases, these animals lie there because people don't care. They slowly fade into dark spots on the road. Sometimes you can still see the pain in the creature’s eyes, the fear, the look of death right before they passed away.

Sometimes you see no more than a smeared clump of organs. I wanted to capture these beings up close and personal, because they deserve to be noticed. To be spared. To be worth hitting your brakes for.

Photography Ulrike Biets

Culture

Pigeon, 2nd August 2010, 1.30pm, A3, Brussels

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The eye

Cat, 17th July 2010, 4pm, E42

Culture

Unidentified, 1st August 2010, 8pm, E40

Cat, 25th July 2010, 5pm, E314

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The eye

Hedgehog, 25th July 2010, 2pm, E314 exit 23

Hedgehog, 6th July 2010, 7pm, R4

Culture

Hedgehog, 3rd July 2010, 1am, Leopoldsburg

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The portfolio Photography Nostalgia Classic We love

Until death do us part — Hard as we may try, we all suffer from the general inability to remember our earliest childhood memories. Not having a great recollection himself, Laurent De Meyer explores the links between past and future, the mechanisms of our memory and its influence on the adults we have grown to become. With his Mimicry series, he seeks to find out what binds a grown child to his favourite teddy bear. Just like us, these teddies bear the scars and wearing effect of time passing. What used to be that adorable stuffed animal now stares at you tragically with one remaining haggard eye, ragged skin or a missing limb. Yet, as scary as they have become, we desperately cling to these symbols who ultimately remind us that once we too were innocent and carefree toddlers.

Photography Laurent De Meyer

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The portfolio

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3

volume 02 — issue 01 Volume 03 — Issue 01

Neighbourhood Life + Global Style Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

Belgium Living at Mum’s Lifestyle Asleep on the Job Fashion Wasted Days Design Sleep Keepers Culture Motel Coma + The Car Special

1 — issue 02 0 volume 01

Neighbourhood Legal drugs Life It’s apocalypse ! Style Fashion revolutionary Design After disaster Culture Unseen Terence Donovan + The Car Special

volume 02 — issue 02

Ç ;G::

Volume 03 — Issue 02

Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

belgium You say potato

lifestyle Walking-the-walk

Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

design Materialize it

fashion Paper or plastic

Belgium Behind the Curtains Lifestyle Feeding Power Fashion Manicured Mysteries Design Moving Horizons Culture Cinematic Mystery + The Fashion Special

culture Plane Simple

Neighbourhood Ska steady Life We love dirt Style New skin generation Design Rise of the robots Culture Burnt and fragile + The Fashion Special

01 — issue 03 volume 01 volume 02 — issue 03

Ç ;G::

Volume 03 — Issue 03

Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

belgium Pitch Perfect

lifestyle First Encounters

design Fair Trade

fashion In or Out

Belgium Thick Skinned Lifestyle Scar Studded Fashion Vast Airs Design The Land of the New Culture Godly Structures + The Travel Special

culture Banking on Art

Neighbourhood Patent pending Life Formula for fame Style Insanely talented Design What inspires? Culture Sci fi comix + The Music Special

volume 01 — issue 05 volume 02 — issue 04

“THE CINEMATIC ISSUE ” Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

An Original Screenplay by The Word Magazine Belgium Me, Myself & I Lifestyle Lonesome Cowboys Fashion Mole Men Design When Right Met Left Culture Micro Mad + The Design Special

Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

— the green revolution issue — belgium Snack Life

lifestyle Midnight Burning

design Dirty Dishes

fashion Gastro Weaponry

culture Mood Food

THE BIG ISSUE

volume 01 — issue 04

volume 02 — issue 05

Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

— the secret society — belgium Gate Crashing

lifestyle Baggage Check

fashion Macadam Boulevard

design Handle with Care

culture Bubble Superstar

Belgium Pocket Moves Lifestyle Tokyo Entourage Fashion Yamamoto & Daughter Design My Robot Fridge Culture Rope Burns + The Beauty Special

volume 01 — issue 06

Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

I S S U E

N I P P O N

T H E volume 02 — issue 06

Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

— the delectable foodie issue — belgium In-House

lifestyle Sole Brothers

fashion Tainted Love

design War Games

culture Made-to-Order

Belgium Big Consoles Lifestyle Techno Techno Techno Fashion Mason’s Apprentice Design Studio Job Are Older Than Jesus Culture Boy Guards + The Bling Special

— the ultimate getaway —

— the essential luxuries issue —

thewordmagazine.be

106

The stockists Consume We love

Agnès b.

Filippa K Brussels

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Maison Martin Margiela

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Bellerose Brussels

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Black Dog Publishing

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Filippa K Antwerp

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Fnac Brussels City2 (for Olympus)

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Blurb

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Closed

Nationalestraat 29 2000 Antwerp +32 (0) 3 213 27 20

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Fresh Kicks (for Onitsuka Tiger)

Rue du Lombard 23 Lombardstraat 1000 Brussels +32 (0) 2 502 03 23

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Converse

Glorybox (for Filles à Papa)

Costumart

converse.com

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Gucci Brussels

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Mapp (for Celine Collard)

IKKS

Nike

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Rue A. Dansaertstraat 20 1000 Brussels +32 (0) 2 502 66 48

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Patrizia Pepe

Rue Lebeau 19 Lebeaustraat 1000 Brussels +32 (0) 2 513 02 06

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Le Fabuleux Marcel de Bruxelles

Rue du Marché aux Porcs 8 Varkensmarkt 1000 Brussels +32 (0) 474 80 88 09

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Komedieplaats 17 2000 Antwerp + 32 (0) 3 232 02 47

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Diesel

Rue A. Dansaertstraat 38 1000 Brussels +32 (0) 2 503 34 27

diesel.com

hm.com/be

Boulevard de Waterloolaan 57 1000 Brussels +32 (0) 2 513 56 23

eric-bompard.com

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Hugo Boss Brussels

Avenue Louise 43-45 Louizalaan 1050 Brussels + 32 (0) 2 538 03 63

Essentiel Brussels

Hunting and Collecting (for Natasha Stoll)

Avenue Louise 66 Louizalaan 1050 Brussels +32 (0) 2 513 18 91

Essentiel Antwerp

Schuttershofstraat 26 2000 Antwerp +32 (0) 3 201 13 80

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Reservoir Shop (for Denham)

levi.com

Galerie Porte Louise 228 Louizapoortgalerij 1050 Brussels +32 (0) 2 512 20 30

lacoste.com

Longchamp

Avenue Louise 5 Louizalaan 1050 Brussels +32 (0) 2 543 02 60

longchamp.com

Ludion

ludion.be

Rue Lesbroussart 43a Lesbroussartstraat 1050 Brussels

rsrv.be

Rue A. Dansaertstraat 39-41 1000 Brussels +32 (0) 2 512 03 14

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Street Teaser (for Jojo)

Rue du Page 24 Edelknaapstraat 1050 Brussels + 32 (0) 2 534 42 62

Tommy Hilfiger

Avenue de la Toison d'Or 18-19 Guldenvlieslaan 1050 Brussels + 32 (0) 2 513 67 87

be.tommy.com

Hatje Cantz

Eric Bompard Brussels

patriziapepe.com

Rue Blanche

Rue Neuve 92 Nieuwstraat 1000 Brussels +32 (0) 2 217 70 41

H&M Brussels

Rue Neuve 80 Nieuwstraat

1000 Brussels

+ 32 (0) 2 219 03 40 H&M Antwerp

Meir 87-89

+ 32 (0) 3 224 10 00

Rue du Grand Cerf 22 Grote Hertstraat 1000 Brussels +32 (0) 2 217 35 22

nike.com

Levi’s

Lacoste

Delvaux Antwerp

Meir 78 Stadsfeestzaal 2000 Antwerp +32 (0) 3 232 67 25

gucci.be

thisismapp.com

Jean Paul Knott

Gucci Antwerp

Rue Léon Lepagestraat 5 1000 Brussels +32 (0) 2 551 17 67

Huidevettersstraat 51 2000 Antwerp +32 (0) 3 475 19 60

maisonmartinmargiela.com

Icon books

Delvaux Brussels Boulevard de Waterloo 27 Waterloolaan 1000 Brussels +32 (0) 2 513 05 02

Rue de Flandre 114 Vlaamse Steenweg 1000 Brussels +32 (0) 2 223 75 20

hugoboss.com

Rue des Chartreux 17 Kartuizersstraat 1000 Brussels

huntingandcollecting.com

Mais il est où le soleil?

Brussels

Rue Simonis 55 Simonisstraat 1050 Brussels +32 (0) 2 538 82 77

Mais il est où le soleil?

Antwerp

Vlaamsekaai 74 2000 Antwerp +32 (0) 3 238 33 60

ousoleil.com

Vandenvos

Genéral Belliardstraat 21-23 2000 Antwerp +32 (0) 3 231 89 93

maisonvandenvos.com

108

The advertisers Consume We love

pages 4-5

pages 2-3

The Word & Jack Purcell

Made you smile

A name often resonates further than one can remember. Jack Purcell. What is it about that name that is so attaching, so familiar ? That shoe you wore during your rebel-rousing years.

That shoe you wore before sneaking onto the country club’s golf course in the early hours of the morning. That shoe you wore as an intended misdirection. Refined and casual in its tone, yet rebellious and deceiving in its nature. That shoe that made everyone think of you as that well brought-up, dashing young man, but which really turned you into a freedom-fighting sole survivor. A true original, someone with a voice.

Someone with a smile.

Playing one’s own game is the only path to success

Jack Purcell the man was a self-taught individual of great personal achievement. He won the Ontario Badminton championship five years in a row, was declared Canadian national champion in 1929 and 1930, and went on to be crowned World Badminton champion in 1932. It was that same year that he developed an athletic shoe together with tire-man B.F. Goodrich, one which would forever blur the lines separating sports and fashion. Indeed, it wasn’t long before fashion-forward renegades adopted the sports shoe as everyday wear.

Happy birthday Mr president

Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, Jack Purcell the brand continues in its quest to bring a rich, unpretentious and hand-crafted look and feel to its collection, imbued with an inherent sense of identity. It is unassuming and understated, certainly, but with strong undertones of confidence. Yes, it’ll make you quietly stand out and yes it’ll make you look good. But it’ll also make you – and those eying you up – smile, in a cheeky kind of way. No wonder, then, that Jack himself was known as ‘The Smiler’.

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Zoltán Kocsis, conductor – with Julia Hajnoczy, soprano

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Round-up

page 31

109

page 33

page 53

FL ANDERS SHINES IN

EUROPE SHINES IN FL ANDERS TAKE THE Z! EUROPE QUI FlandersSh

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PHOTOGRAPHED BY SERGE LEBLON

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Subscriptions & back issues

DRINKS, FOOD AND MUCH MORE! 12a, Place du Samedi - 1000 Brussels Open every day from 10.00 - 23.00 Don't miss our lazy Sunday Brunch www.denieuwebrasserie.be

B DE NIEUWE BRASSERIE

THE BIG ISSUE

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De Nieuwe Brasserie denieuwebrasserie.be

The Word Magazine thewordmagazine.be

page 107

page 111

page 112

A4_1.ai

2/27/2009

6:40:56 PM

Dining in style

Ristorante italiano , part of The Rocco Forte Collection “Hotel Amigo” Rue de l'Amigo 1, 1000 BRUXELLES | Tel. : 02.547.47.15 | Fax : 02.547.47.67 www.ristorantebocconi.com | bocconirestaurant@roccofortecollection.com

Brussels Design Forum brusselsdesignforum.be

16-07-2010 14:22:26

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B DE NIEUWE BRASSERIE

110

Before we leave you…

© Yves Decamps

Play The team

Шhat’s next? The Яussian Issue, togeћeг шiћ a special chapteг on food. Communist-eгa tчpogгaphies, ѵast open plains, fieгce facial featuгes, loгd of шaг legends and ego-inteгioгs. Cold шaг leftoѵeгs, gulag гock, ћe Ьusiness of Ьodчguaгds and face contгol. Шe might do someћing шiћ fuгs. Шe might tгч tгacking doшn ћe inѵentoг of Chatгoulette. I’m seeing stгong, meatч featuгes of haгdship. Daгk and somЬeг tales of excess. I’m feeling moгe of a ѵisual гefeгence to a cultuгallч-гich nation ћan a liteгal studч of its шaчs. I’m seeing geneгous smiles and podgч men. Someћing on ћe Яussian moЬ mчћ. MaчЬe шe could inteгѵieш Boгis ћe Bullet Dodgeг. Дnd Lukoil. Theч’ѵe Ьeen oѵeгtaking eѵeгч gas station fгom Жoгtгijk to Жnokke latelч.

Ouг food special шill Ьe a slightlч moгe local affaiг, шiћ listings of ouг faѵouгite lunchtime digs, half-an-houг cooking classes and ‘Ьehind-Ьaгs’ гoast chicken гecipes. Шe’ll ѵisit ћe local faгmeгs’ maгket шiћ some special guests of ouгs and leaгn ћe tгicks of laчing ћe peгfect taЬle.

The Яussian Issue. Шhen ћe east is in ћe house.

Out 5ћ NoѵemЬeг 2010.

Dining in style

Ristorante italiano , part of The Rocco Forte Collection “Hotel Amigo�

Rue de l'Amigo 1, 1000 BRUXELLES | Tel. : 02.547.47.15 | Fax : 02.547.47.67 www.ristorantebocconi.com | bocconirestaurant@roccofortecollection.com