Spaces for Spaces: The Value of Space for Artistic Work (2)

A second public conversation in a series working towards a ‘framework of competing values’ for space for artistic work in the city, at Glasgow Studios, Anderlecht
25/01/2025, 15-19h

During these conversations organised by the Brussels Artist-Run Network, we discuss and imagine the value of artistic workspaces in an urban context. Spaces for artistic development and production are often invisible and undervalued in contrast to exhibition spaces. In cities where property prices are rising and rents are increasing, the value of physical space is often only perceived in financial terms.

This afternoon Glasgow Studios, the approach we choose to think about value is self-organisation and relations with owners. We will have testimonials and share experiences about setting up and running a self-organised collective workspace and its day-to-day operation. How can we collectively manage and preserve workplaces that are mainly used for individual practices? We will explore the key principles that determine these relationships, such as conventional rent vs temporary occupation, own property, legal structures, direct relationship with an owner, etc.
We will test the assumption that there is less occasion for self-organisation if the owner assumes a management role (Entrakt, Pali Pali, Arty Farty, Creative District, etc.).

Initiative: Jesse van Winden, Brussels Artist-Run Network
Facilitator: Katinka De Jonge
Artistic interventions: Elisabeth Woronoff, Tarek Jnib, who share their artistic research on Studio Citygate and Grand Hospice respectively, asking why these communities seem to fail to become communities.

 

Timetable

15:00 Doors open

15:30-16:50 Artistic interventions to nourish our thinking

Elisabeth Woronoff: Londinium: Plan of Evacuation (film, 2022)

Film by Evert De Maeyer & Lucas Denuwelaere, opening up an installation and a performance directed by Elisabeth Woronoff. A reflection on dissolutions of communities and destruction of spaces. Several languages ​​speak of several ruptures and aim to invent a multiplicity of possible reconstructions.

Tarek Jnib: Le temple du projet (film in development, working title)

Wonderful! In the heart of Brussels, the Grand Hospice is starting a new life as a temporary occupation. 250 people from a wide range of social backgrounds gather within its walls to work on social values and solidarity. A private company is naturally responsible for ensuring the cohesion of this large-scale project. Wonderful?

+ Q&A

16:50-17:00 Break

17:00-19:00 Conversation

We share & collect experiences from (shared) studio spaces around various values. We propose the following umbrella themes (but not limited to):

Per theme we collect:

Notes of these experiences and references will be collectively taken in a shared document, which will be projected in the space. Excerpts of the document will be used in function of the research of BARN, and might be published online or offline as part of this. There is a possibility to not publish and/or anonymize (parts of) the information.

19:00 Drinks & soup

 

What’s at stake? 

Artistic workspaces in Brussels are under growing pressure due to the lack of financial support and the increasing reliance on temporary use of real estate. This leads to precarity, desperate searches, and competition. Creative spaces thrive on the networks and relationships that they foster, which are vital for the development and collaboration of artistic work. However, the temporary nature of these spaces often disrupts these networks, affecting the entire ecosystem and leading to a cycle of instability.

The concept of ‘temporary use’, while seemingly a solution, is problematic as it often prioritizes the financial interests of property owners and developers over the needs of people. This model results in significant investments of time, energy, and money from the artists, only for them to face eviction within a few years.

To solve these issues, there is a need for long-term solutions that secure affordable, stable spaces for cultural and socio-cultural initiatives. This requires better government policies, for instance prioritizing long-term non-profit use of empty buildings for artists.

Framework of values 

This event is a follow-up on a first, introductory conversation on the value of artistic workspaces, organized on 13/09/2024 at Komplot in collaboration with Kunstenpunt. Part of a series working towards a ‘framework of competing values’ for space for artistic work in the city. You are invited to continue contributing to this open process: contact us! BARN initiates this series because of the need to defend the value of such spaces on our own terms – rather than merely in terms of money.

We want to look for longer-term solutions together, and formulate visions in consultation with a multitude of actors. We can already imagine government bodies implementing policies that secure real estate for non-profit use, for instance for artists who are currently active.

katinkadejonge@gmail.com
jesse.van.winden@jubilee-art.org

 

Practical

Location:
Glasgow Studios
Rue Glasgowstraat 18
1070 Anderlecht

Participation: for free and no registration is required
Language: English, facilitation in French

Many thanks to the Anderlecht Cultural Service for the support!