type
Culture
Context
From January to June 2024, Belgium will hold the EU presidency. The themes of Environment and Urban Policy fall within the remit of the Brussels-Capital Region. In this context, urban.brussels has decided to organise an exhibition for the general public under the title "Vivre autrement" or "New ways of Living".
Mission
The team assembled for the assignment includes CityTools and Dogma. The aim of the exhibition is to reflect on the current state of alternative lifestyles and make recommendations for future housing regulations. The exhibition runs at Les Halles Saint-Géry from May 15 to September 29.
Approach
We have chosen to adopt an unconventional approach in the organization of the exhibition. The idea is to move from individual experiences to general policies. To us, the household is the fundamental unit for dwellings and, consequently, the building measure of the city. This perspective leads us to propose that the challenges, solutions, and problems encountered by households should become the focal point around which to structure the exhibition. Four themes have been selected to reflect on: gender emancipation, living & working, alternative forms of ownership, reuse & retrofitting. A scientific committee of experts, composed of both academics and on-field workers, will help us to further investigate the themes, and to identify a series of households which will serve as case studies. They will be subject of an in-depth ethnographic study, to document lifestyle, challenges, and solutions: a series of “ethnographic portraits”, supported by interviews, photos, videos, drawings. A parallel series of “historical portraits” of relevant housing examples will be exhibited in comparison to the present-day case studies, to understand the roots of our current housing habits. Finally, this comparison will serve as a starting point to reflect on current regulations, the limits they impose – and the possibilities they offer – and to potentially propose recommendation for new rules.