7 Walks (Salon Monplaisir)

As part of Kanal Pompidou’s performing arts programme, Vermeir & Heiremans present 7 Walks (Salon Monplaisir). The project consists of an exhibition, public walks, and a symposium
10/03 – 18/04/2027

Salon Monplaisir is an artistic, transdisciplinary research project by Vermeir & Heiremans that weighs the social impact of the Industrial Revolution in the Brussels canal zone against the disruptive effects of artificial intelligence today.

Le Travail, a sculpture by Guillaume De Groot that disappeared from public space opposite Kanal, anchors the project. Designed in 1879 and cast in 1890, this allegory of labour threads through an exhibition of archival material and an experimental chatbot that connects histories of labour to contemporary questions about AI, automation and democracy. From this installation, a series of public walks unfolds across the canal area. Local socio-cultural organisations working on inclusion and the right to work play a central role. Together with all of them and the walking participants Salon Monplaisir considers whether AI-driven acceleration makes the right to exist an even more urgent claim.

Credits:
For Salon Monplaisir, Vermeir & Heiremans are collaborating with various heritage archives and libraries, as well as with sociocultural organizations in the canal zone: Cultureghem, Foyer, Gilbard, Groot Eiland, House of Compassion, Parckfarm, Toestand, Vaartkapoen, and Zinneke.

Chatbot development & production in collaboration with Bert Balcaen
AI literacy workshops in collaboration with Samira Ali Reza Beigi

Executive production: Jubilee, platform for artistic research
Co-production and presentation: Kanal Centre Pompidou
Production: Vermeir & Heiremans
With support from the Flemish Community

Practical:
Kanal Centre Pompidou
Sainctelette Square 21
1000 Brussels

 

Read more at Kanal