Exhibition opening: Throwaway – The history of a modern crisis

On Saturday 18 February, the House of European History invites you to the public opening of its new temporary exhibition and project “Throwaway – The history of a modern crisis”.

Rubbish. Trash. Garbage. From ancient times until the present humanity has had a complex relationship with, and many names for, what it throws away. ”Throwaway – The history of a modern crisis” will unearth the hidden history of waste in Europe. If indeed we are what we throw away, what does Europe’s trash tell us about its past, present, and its future?

Join us at the museum for a rich programme of activities: guided tours by museum staff with special insights on the exhibition and the project, a concert-demonstration with recycled and atypical musical instruments, special carte blanche tours given by local citizens who participated in the project and work in rubbish-related fields.

Guided tours by museum curators & staff - 13.00-15.00

Starting spot: Museum entrance area

Duration: 45 minutes

Interested to hear stories from the team who made the exhibition and project? Join one of these tours and get unique insights into the way this project came to light, while learning about the hidden history of waste in Europe, from the industrial revolution to the scarcity of war-time, until today’s waste crisis.

• 13.00 (EN, FR, NL, DE)
• 14.00 (EN, FR, NL, DE)

Concert and demonstration by Primus Homemade Instruments - 15.00-15.45

Venue: Fables room, 1st floor

Primus Homemade Instruments is a project by Maxime Doffagne, where he creates atypical musical instruments from waste. Tin cans, biscuit boxes or even tennis rackets... he converts everyday objects from their initial function and gives them a second life in the form of awe-inspiring banjos, guitars and more. Come listen and discover the variety of sounds forgotten objects can offer during this amazing concert!

Special tours: Carte blanche with Rubbish professionals in French - 16.00-17.00

Starting spot: Museum entrance area

We throw our rubbish away... but then what happens? Away is a place, and as we go on living our lives, our trash gets transported to different locations and sometimes gets a second life, unbeknownst to us. Can this be avoided? Who are the people behind all of these processes?

Come meet with local citizens who contributed to the exhibition and work in a variety of rubbish-related fields: keeping the city clean, giving new purposes to all kinds of objects, providing society with tools to reduce its waste. They all have stories to tell and insights to give. Be ready to have your perceptions of waste challenged!