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What’s on this week: 24-30 September

12:16 23/09/2021
Our top picks of events and activities in Brussels and beyond

The Brussels-based Italian photographer Massao Mascaro spent four years following the mythical route of Odysseus in the Mediterranean sea to compare today’s reality with yesterday’s fantasies. The result is the series Sub Sole (Latin for ‘under the sun’), which reveals the ambiguity of a sea that both connects and separates people. 25 September to 19 December, Fondation A Stichting, Avenue van Volxem 304 (Forest)

Two of our favourite things are coming together at the Rivoli during Art&Food@The Bascule. Espace Rivoli is home to 16 galleries, making it the biggest provider of contemporary art in the capital. The unique building is also in a neighbourhood full of fantastic eateries, so the two sectors are getting together to offer fine food and fine art all at once. There will also be workshops for kids, live music and a bookshop. 24-25 September, Chaussée de Waterloo 690 (Uccle)

Stop motion animation is loved the world over. Americans have fond feelings for Gumby, Belgians fall for Cowboy et Indien and the Brits swoon for Wallace and Gromit. Cinematek, in partnership with Anima Festival is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the publication of the book Stop Motion with a 16-screening retrospective of stop motion classics from across the globe. It kicks off this Tuesday with a lecture and discussion (in French) with the authors of the book followed by a screening of stop motion gems from Eastern Europe (many without dialogue or with subtitles in English). 28 September, Cinematek, lecture 19.00, screening 21.00

The exhibition Pars Pro Toto at Boondael Chapel

Attics are at once intriguing and spooky because of the secrets of the past they contain. The exhibition Pars Pro Toto (Latin for ‘a part for the whole’) is a bit like wandering through your grandparents attic thanks to German artist Silvia Hatzl, who lives and works in Brussels. Her textiles sculptures are sometimes ghostlike and perfectly at home in the Boondael Chapel. The exhibition is accompanied by in situ theatre, readings and guest painters. Until 31 October, Square du Vieux Tilleul 10 (Ixelles)

Édouard Louis is French, and Douglas Stuart is Scottish but they both found fame writing with incredible honesty about their working-class upbringing with alcoholic parents. See the authors of En finir avec Eddy Bellegueule and Shuggie Bain in a conversation about the mechanisms of power and the working poor. (In French and English) 24 September 20.15-22.00, Flagey, Place Sainte-Croix (Ixelles)

A work from the exhibition Nuages at Maison des Arts

They can be a thing of happiness (fluffy, white!) or foreboding (dark, thundery!), but they are either way forever in our collective conscious as part of sayings, in lines of poetry or taking on shapes conjured by our imaginations. Now clouds are the subject of a free exhibition of the same name at Maison des Arts. Until 21 November, Chaussée de Haecht 147 (Schaerbeek)

Contemporary poetry in Belgium is rich and varied and full of life – but little known to the general public. Enter Poetik Bazar, a bilingual ‘poetry market’. The programme of this first edition includes a book fair of publishers from the French- and Dutch-speaking community, lectures, workshops for all ages, performances and debates. It all takes place in the very cool building belonging to the Be-Here sustainable village. 24-26 September, Rue Dieudonné-Levèvre 4

A view of Brussels Design Market

If you haven’t taken part in Design September yet, you have a very good chance this week, as the Brussels Design Market hits Tour & Taxis. More than 100 international dealers put their best vintage on show, from furniture to lighting to decorative objects. 25-26 September, Rue Picard 11

Tervuren Park is not only exquisite, it’s got a fantastic history, as it was originally hunting grounds for the Dukes of Brabant. Find out all about it during the next Guided Tours for Internationals, a series of tours in English in the green belt around Brussels. 26 September 10.00-12.00, Tervuren

Kids using an interactive installation

Your kids will come away a little smarter from WiseNight at the Planetarium and the Museum of Natural History. Part of European Researchers Night, it is hosted by BeWiSe (Belgian Women in Science), so girls are especially encouraged to attend. There are loads of activities for 5- to 14-year-olds, including building a windmill, discovering electricity in our bodies and seeing a show on the Northern Lights. (In English, French and Dutch) 24-25 September

If an evening of short films featuring breath-taking landscapes and eyepopping adventures on and under water sounds fun, check out the Offshore Film Festival. It takes places in cities across Belgium, including Brussels. In Brussels, the films are in French. Until 30 September, across Belgium

A still from the movie Les intranquilles

OUTSIDE BRUSSELS

After a minimalist version in 2020, Namur’s Festival International du Film Francophone (Fiff) returns to almost full festivities for its 36th edition. There are more than 100 films, workshops, fringe activities and evening entertainment under the traditional big tent on Place d’Armes. Belgian director Joachim Lafosse’s Les intranquilles (pictured) kicks off the red carpet glitz and glam, while La Fracture by Catherine Corsini closes proceedings. Other stars descending on the Walloon capital include Guillaume Canet, Virginie Efira and Laetitia Casta. 1-8 October, Cinéma Caméo and Le Delta, Namur

Belgium’s only baroque belfry – the symbol of the city of Mons – is honoured in an exhibition retracing its most recent 30-year restoration. Le Beffroi de Mons. L’ histoire incroyable d’une restauration 1983-2015 gathers testimonies and videos from some of the artisans, engineers and archaeologists who renovated the Unesco heritage site, as well as drawings, photos, paintings and objects. Extend your visit by climbing the 365 steps to the top of the belfry to be rewarded by a panoramic view of the city and surrounding countryside. Until 2 January, Salle Saint-George, Grand Place, Mons

Photos, from top: ©Massao Mascaro, courtesy Cinematek, ©Silvia Hatzl, courtesy Maison des Arts, courtesy Brussels Design Market, courtesy WiseNight, ©Stenola Productions. Sorry! Our prize giveaway has now closed and the winners have been notified.

Written by Lisa Bradshaw, Sarah Crew, Richard Harris