The Grey Album

Volume 05 — Issue 02

Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

Neighbourhood Smart move Life The writing on the wall Style The third man Music A shaded view Culture Stone cold + The photography special

The grey album

The editor’s letter 3

Publisher and editor-in-chief I never thought I’d say this, but doing this magazine has become rather boring. Nicholas Lewis The thing is, I’m not the guy who goes out and does the interviews or who takes the photographs. I’m not the one who designs each and every page nor am I even the Editorial assistant one who proof reads them. No, I’m the (boring) guy who sits behind his desk day-in Sarah Schug day-out, planning, story-boarding and commissioning each story, shoot and feature for others to carry-out. Fact is, I can’t remember the last time I left this office and Design interviewed someone face-to-face. facetofacedesign + pleaseletmedesign So you can image my joy when time came for our yearly photography special. Finally, I’d be able to get into the thick of it again. Interviews, studio visits, round Writers tables, portfolio views – the lot. Photography, you see, is my thing here at Word Felicia Atkinson HQ, and I got more than my money’s worth over the last few weeks. And what an Sabine Clappaert exciting last few weeks it has been, especially for Belgian photography. Rose Kelleher Nicholas Lewis There was the time we asked the heavy weights of Belgian photography to select Philippe Pourhashemi their pick of future home-grown talents. We had Dirk Braeckman selecting Max Sarah Schug Pinckers, Stephan Vanfleteren picking Thomas Sweertvaegher and Gilbert Sam Steverlynck Fastenaekens choosing Clément Montagne. And those are just some of the big Robbert van Jaarsveld names whose opinion we enlisted. Then there was the round-table we hosted at Contretype in Brussels, asking certain players of the local publishing game to Photographers/Illustrators discuss the evolution of the coffee table book, and the possibility of it becoming Ulrike Biets the new exhibition. We also paid tribute to the artisans without whom photography Sarah Eechaut wouldn’t be possible, photographed the cameras of three different types of pho- Veerle Frissen tographers, did a round-up of Belgian photo zines, zoomed in on four photography Pauline Miko series that particularly tickle our fancy at the moment as well as asked a portrait Melika Ngombe photographer to aim the lens at herself for once. And those are just the stand out Grégoire Pleynet features. Turn to page 67 for our statistics page and the entire special itself. Virassamy On top of that, and not to be forgotten, we have the grey album. Before anything, Intern you wouldn’t imagine how relieved and pleased I am for it to finally have gone to Anne Catharina Richard print. As many of you know, we had some problems bringing it out in February, as was planned, so decided to push it back a little. And that turned out to be one of the wisest decisions we’d taken in a while. For subscriptions (4 issues) Transfer ¤ 21 (Belgium), Content-wise, it’s a banger. We tracked down seven of the country’s most notorious ¤30 (Europe) or ¤ 45 (World) graffiti writers, spoke to four specialists catering to the grey economy, interviewed to account n° 363-0257432-34 Dior Homme creative director Kris Van Assche as well as profiled electronic music IBAN BE 68 3630 2574 3234 visionary Daniel Miller, founder of Mute records and The Grey Area. BIC BBRUBEBB stating your full name, email and postal addresses Not that boring after all… in the communication box.

Visit us Nicholas Lewis thewordmagazine.be Like us facebook.com/TheWordMagazine Follow us @TheWordMgz Download us thewordmagazine.be/ipad

The Word is published five times a year by JamPublishing, 107 Rue Général Henry Straat 1040 Brussels Belgium. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without prior permission is strictly prohibited. All information correct up to the time of going to press. The publishers cannot be held liable for any changes in On this cover

this respect after this date. © Clément Montagne Self-portrait 4 The contents

Neighbourhood 22

Reeling in the years

The greyboard 24

Dirty pretty things

Human geography

19 Life

Thank God it’s Friday

20 Graffiti writers

Halfway there

21 Truck drivers

Altered states

Grey expectations Volume 05 — Issue 02 5

Style The photography Special 84

38 68

The hunter becomes the hunted

A taste for paradox A photo-zine a day keeps the… 86

40 70

Is the photography book the new…

The middleman The ones to watch 88

46 74

Photographers… and everyone…

Drive-by shooting Bozar’s summer of photography 92

Music

Snapper’s delight

A stamp of approval

82 Culture

Uphigh Collective 94

Man vs. machine

Grey

Daniel Miller 6 The contributors

It’s a Word’s world

Felicia Atkinson Pauline Miko Sabine Clappaert Alex Salinas Writer Photographer Writer Photographer

About About About About This French-born and Studying photography at Cosmopolitan Sabine Clappaert Alex, though born and raised in Belgium-based multi-talent is Brussels’ La Cambre and having was raised in the hotter climates Antwerp, is now hopping back a contemporary artist, releases come to our attention through of South Africa and Australia. and forth between his Belgian music under the pseudonym her internship at The Word last She currently calls Belgium her hometown and The Big Smoke. “Je Suis Le Petit Chevalier” and year, Pauline quickly became home – for now. His raw and direct style is recently designed a T-shirt for a major pillar of the magazine. evident in his various personal Rue Blanche. But Felicia also She’s especially proud to have Task projects as well as in the work has an encylopaedic knowledge had her grandmother’s snowball For this issue Sabine explored he does for numerous clients on photography – not the only collection featured in our the concept of “consciousness”, from ID Magazine to Dazed & reason why we were delighted white album. diving into a strange world Confused. He’s also portrayed to work with her on our of altered states as coma and hot shots such as Dennis Hopper photography special. Task a condition called “locked-in or Hannelore Knuts. Strolling through Brussels’ syndrome” in which patients are Task streets to capture the strange aware of themselves but unable Task For her first contribution phenomenon of boot scrapers to express anything but brain After having brought his very to The Word, Felicia dived on film, aiming her lense at activity. own twist to the snow white myth deep into the world of Belgian upcoming Belgian bands, for our cinematic issue, we were photo zines, moderated the shooting zines as well as our grey Quote thrilled to get Alex to once again round table about the future inspirations… As manifold as “The question that will truly take care of our fashion pages. of the photography exhibition her assignments are – Pauline’s haunt me after researching this and profiled Antwerp-based personal style, empathic and article is “how conscious are we Quote photographer Jan Kampenaers intriguing, always shines during the process of dying?” “I love spending time in my for us. through. In my research I found an article new car, inhaling its specific showing brain scans of the smell, taking it for a drive Quote Quote brain’s activity during – and – which is why doing a fashion “Working on this issue made me “Taking endless walks around right after death – and the needle shoot on wheels seemed like think of a quote from someone the grey city, it struck me how was screaming up and down the the perfect idea.” else, Contretype’s Jean-Louis interesting a place Brussels really graph. Horrifying. Fascinating.” Godefroid: I see a photographer is: The new meets the old at as a poet: I want to defend his every corner of every street.” special sight over the world.”

8 The greyboard

01 02

05 06

01. Clockwise from top: Elina Brotherus’ book Artist and her Model, published by Brussels imprint Le Caillou Bleu. Brotherus has an exhibition running at Contretype until 10th June and is also taking part in Bozar’s Sense of Place exhibition, which runs from 14th June to 16th September. Black Mirrors, the catalogue for French artist Julien Langendorff’s exhibition at Agnes B New York, published by Brussels-based Shelter Press. Colin Gray’s book In Sickness and in Health, published by Steidl Mack. The book presents the last stage of Gray’s 29 year-long study called The Parents. Here, he documents his mother’s disability following a stroke. Harrowing and haunting, yet so powerful. / 02. Redbull’s newest drink, its Silver Edition. / 03. Left: Patti Smith’s Radio Ethiopia LP, recorded in 1976. Right: Leonard Cohen’s Live Songs LP. / 04. Purple Fashion’s pull-out Purple Books, cartes blanches given to certain creative forces in the field of contemporary art, photography and music. Luminaries have included everyone from Aurel Schmidt and Thurston Moore to Katja Rahlwes and Dash Snow. / 05. Grey Goose Vodka. / 06. Grey Gardens, Albery and David Maysles’ 1975 documentary depicting the lives of a mother and a daughter, both named Edit Beale, who lived in a dilapidated mansion in East Hampton, New York. The film makes for riveting viewing. / 07. Left: Je Suis Le Petit Chevalier is the musical project of Brussels-based artist Félicia Atkinson, who contributed massively to our photography special. This record, An Age of Wonder, was also released by Shelter Press, run by her partner Bartholomé Sanson. Right: The 12’’ for Stones Throw recording artist James Pants’ Ka$h. / 08. A grey HB pencil. / All photography by Pauline Miko. Neighbourhood 9

Belgium

Human geography

“Sense of Place” is a response to our environment and to the distinctive characteristics that give places their souls, making them unique and special to us. The images belonging to the exhibition of the same name at Brussels’ Bozar play with this spirit, with the connection between humanity and our environment while revelling in the aesthetics of landscape in contemporary European photography. This year’s major exhibition the ’Summer of Photography’ assembles some 160 works by 40 photographers, from young promising artists to internationally celebrated stars, including high-profile names like Andreas Gursky, Gina Glover and Elina Brotherus. Paying

tribute to the environment while observing © Arturas Raila the connection between nature and urbanity, the images show how social identities have been shaped by places.

Sense of Place From 14th June to 16th September Bozar, Brussels bozar.be © Elina Brotherus © Arion Kudász

Nighthawks

Not only a married couple but also a team when it comes to art, Franco-Belgian photographers Merel’t Hart and Luk Vander Plaetse join forces for this exhibition at Brussels’ Cultural Center Jaques Franck. The show focuses on their common project called “De Buren,” a series inspired by a nocturnal walk through a little Dutch town and Edward Hopper’s iconic “Nighthawks.” The contemplative and intimate images expose peoples’ homes from the outside at nighttime, as seen through their windows thanks to the very Dutch habit of leaving the curtains wide open. Merel’t Hart and Luk Vander Plaetse’s work allows the viewer to dive into the private lives of others, confronting the notion of intimacy and revealing an interesting aspect of Dutch culture. But whether the act is a sign of independence and freedom or an extreme demonstration of “We have nothing to hide” still remains to be seen.

Merel’t Hart and Luk Vander Plaetse From 30th June to 1st September Centre Culturel Jacques Franck, Brussels lejaquesfranck.be 10 The diary

Dimensional transitions

A sense of form reminiscent of Mirò and Picasso, shapes that recall Noguchi and vibrant colours that evoke elements of pop art – the descriptions applied to the work of American artist Aaron Curry are many. The Texan has managed to carve out a niche for himself with his fantastical, bizarre and colourful sculptures, collages and paintings that all have one thing in common: fluctua- tion between the bi-dimensional and the tri-dimensional, shifting from the background to the foreground and back again. This play with dimensions is the signature attribute of the LA-based artist, and an aspect of his work that is vividly apparent in the current exhibition at Brussels’ Almine Rech Gallery. The show unites Curry’s handmade collages and paintings crafted out of cardboard with large-scale wood and metal sculptures that resemble abstract and, at times, animal- like organisms with biomorphic shapes and forms.

Aaron Curry: White Out Until 22nd July Almine Rech Gallery, Brussels alminerech.com

Playing history

Jeremy Deller, English installation, conceptual and video artist, has been active in contemporary art for just about two decades, stretching its definition and, as some even claim, rewriting its rules. Wiels is now hosting an extensive overview of this very influential artist of our time, with all of Deller’s major works to date. The extensive oeuvre of 2004’s Turner prize winner includes everything from photographs, posters, banners and installations to performance work and sound pieces, that all come back to the prevalent theme of his art: People and their habits, symbols and social rituals. Intelligently but playfully, he explores the social landscapes of Western and especially British society, never without a dose of provocation. His most prominent project to date has been the public re-enactment of a violent confrontation between coalminers and police during the 1984/85 Miner’s Strike, a participatory work that united almost 1,000 people.

Jeremy Deller: Joy in People Until 19th August Wiels, Brussels wiels.org Neighbourhood 11

New topographies

In the context of the “Summer of Photography,” the group show “From Here On” broaches the issue of the future of photography, raising questions about much- debated topics like authorship, copyright and privacy. Naturally, the exhibition also touches upon the question of the “death” of traditional photography, with a number of international artists shedding a new light on this changing art form by working with the plethora of digital images from the internet. While British artist Mishka Henner’s images serve as a social documentary of sorts, derived from photos originally intended for another purpose, American Penelope Umbrico instead uses photo-share websites

like Flickr for inspiration. Fellow American © CUM* Doug Rickard works with a similar concept: He reproduces images from Google Street View in an attempt to portray a marginalised sector of American society.

From Here On From 22nd June to 30th September FoMu, Antwerp fotomuseum.be © Corinne© Vionnet © Pavel Maria Smejkal

Designing culture

What role does design play in the evolution of everyday life? And what is our relation to objects? How do objects influence society and our direct surroundings? Ghent’s Design Museum explores these and other questions with its exhibition “Destrøy/Design”, uniting an eclectic selection of outstanding art and

© Barbara Visser © design objects of the moment with pieces that date back to the 60s. Examining the blurry limits between contemporary art and design, the artists play with perceptions of the intended purpose of utility items, referencing, recreating or destroying prominent design objects – always with

© D.R a sense of humour. The exhibition is curated by the Frac Nord-Pas de Calais in Dunkirk, France, an institution dedicated to contemporary art that has pioneered the investigation into the role of design in our daily lives. Works include those of Donald Judd, Barbara Visser, Gaetano Pesce, Sam Durant and Atelier Van Lieshout.

Destrøy/Design From 7th July to 21st October Design Museum, Ghent designmuseumgent.be © Barbara Visser © © Sam Durant 12 The diary

United Kingdom

Functional beauty

Even if you’re not an art buff, it’s very likely you’ve heard of Bauhaus, the name given to one of the most influential movements in modern design and architecture and the driving force behind the development of modern visual language in general. Its range of influence encompasses everything from art, interior and industrial design to typography and graphic design. With the biggest Bauhaus exhibition in London in 40 years, “Art as Life”, the Barbican Museum traces the history of the school from its founding by Walter Gropius in Weimar in 1919 to its dramatic closure in 1933 owing to pressure from the Nazis. This fascinating show encompasses no fewer than 400 works from prominent Bauhausers, including

pieces from iconic artists and architects like Molnar Farkus © Marcel Breuer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee. The exhibition also allows the viewer a rather rare insight into the everyday life at the Bauhaus, with a display of black and white photographs of its parties and festivals.

Bauhaus: Art as Life Until 12th August Barbican, London

Black gold

London’s Photographers’ Gallery is putting on a exhibition of the internationally renowned “Oil” series shot by one of Canada’s most respected photographers, Edward Burtynsky. In over thirty captivating images, he examines one of today’s most important natural resources with a sharp, critical eye and sense of morality, brilliantly revealing the effects of oil on our lives, landscapes and cities. Burtynsky spent over a decade travelling and documenting the production, distribution and use of a hotly debated and strongly contested natural supply that humankind has become extremely dependent on. The large-scale images give rare insight into the manufacturing process, with international drill sites, refineries, highways and recycling grounds, as well as abandoned oil fields. A vivid and well-researched chronicle of oil’s role in today’s society and a haunting reminder of the oft-forgotten disconnect between the oil industry and our consumer world.

Edward Burtynsky: Oil Until 1st July The Photographers’ Gallery, London photonet.org.uk

14 The diary

France & Holland

Budapest – Berlin – Amsterdam

In what is the first comprehensive retrospective of the work of photographer Eva Besnyö, Paris’ Jeu de Paume is showcasing around 120 vintage prints by the so-called “Grande Dame” of Dutch photography, an artist particularly known for her outstanding landscapes, architectural photographs and portraits. A prominent figure in the Dutch New Photography movement, she was also a true cosmopolitan: Born in Hungary, she emigrated to Berlin at the age of 20 and later fled to Amsterdam in the autumn of 1932 with the rise of the National Socialists. The exhibition “L’image sensible” unites images from the different phases of Besnyö’s life, revealing her strong sense of humanism and her influential neo-realistic approach to photography. In Budapest, Berlin and Amsterdam, the artist photographed the women of the 1930s, the post- war reconstruction effort and numerous writers, artists and actors.

Eva Besnyö: L’image sensible Until 23rd September Jeu de Paume, Paris jeudepaume.org

Memory lanes

The relationship between photography and memory is the main focus of exploration for Japanese-born, London-based artist Chino Otsuka. Her images are suffused with an autobiographical touch, tracing the past and recreating it, using memory as a form of storytelling. In Japan she’s known not only as a photographer but also as the author of a well-known book called “Chino’s Diary”, which she wrote at the age of 15, and that deals with her time at school in London. This phase in her life also inspired the series of images called “Summer”, for which she revisited the site and staged self-portraits (a recurrent practice in her artworks – a quest for identity). With the inclusion of her divorced parents and her grandmother, sometimes combined with archive materials and film stills, her images have a personal and intimate feel and they blur and blend the past and present, the imagined and the real.

Chino Otsuka: A World of Memories From 9th June until 9th September Huis Marseille, Amsterdam huismarseille.nl

16 The diary

The pick of festivals to come

Lovebox Couleur Café Ghent Jazz Les Ardentes Cactus Festival Dour London, England Brussels, Belgium Festival Liège/Luik, Brugge, Belgium Dour, Belgium 15th to 17th June 29th June to 1st July Ghent, Belgium Belgium 6th to 8th July 12th to 15th July 5th to 14th July 5th to 8th July

This June, London’s Erykah Badu, De La Soul, Bringing together pure This seventh edition of Cactus Festival, hosted Franz Ferdinand, The Victoria Park will be luvved Sean Paul, Public Enemy, Jazz musicians as well as Liège/Luik’s Les Ardentes in the picturesque Rapture, Caribou, The up and transformed into Gentleman, The Subs – some more fusion types, is a helluva party that surroundings of Brugge’s Flaming Lips, Casiokids, one big fat monster party, Couleur Café is known for this festival brags Jamaican attracts around 70,000 Minnewater Park, is a Battles, Puppetmastaz, with Lovebox festival co- having a thang for different legends Ernest Ranglin, music lovers every year veritable grey-whiskered James Blake, Kurt Vile, founders Groove Armada cultures, but it’s not just Monty Alexander and Sly and a host of top notch veteran on Belgium’s Bon Iver, Dilated Peoples… returning to the stage to the line-up: this three-day & Robbie alongside the names. This year sees festival scene, launching Dour 2012’s line-up is full of celebrate the festival’s diversity-fest will feature likes of singer/songwriter “The Godmother of Punk” its 30th edition this summer. deliciously tasty morsels of 10th birthday – despite the usual booths with food Damien Rice and crooner – 65 year old Patti Smith Combining rock, reggae, the very best in indie rock, an announcement that from all over the world plus Antony and the Johnsons, – take to the stage. Other world music and dance, electro, pop and hip-hop. they’d never grace our ears an art expo (this year’s who’ll be accompanied by highlights include The this party has a name for No wonder, then, that with a live show again. theme: Nature, je t’aime, the Metropole Orchestra. Smiths-legend Morrissey, eclecticism and the fact since its creation in 1989, Named after the electronic moi non plus) and the Not only that, but soul American hip-hop icons that there’s only one stage Dour Festival has grown to music duo’s residency, Solidarity Village where veteran Bobby Womack is Cypress Hill and French ensures you won’t miss welcome about 140, 000 the Lovebox Weekender NGOs will be doling out making a comeback after dream-popper M83, who’s a thing running between people to its fields, with attracts up to 50,000 party info on humankind’s impact a 10 year hiatus to give just catapulted himself to them. The line-up goes all six stages blasting out the people every year and this on the environment. It all a blast of a new album international stardom with the way from American choons for 17 hours a day time they’ll be rocking out adds up to a colourful, that’s been produced by his latest album “Hurry Up post-rockers Explosions in over four days. A music to headliners like Hot Chip, multicultural city-side none other than Gorillaz’ We’re Dreaming.” Four the Sky and Soundgarden’s marathon with around 200 Crystal Castles, Grace festival that well lives up to Damon Albarn. There’s days and three stages mean Chris Cornell to singer/ bands and DJs, this bash Jones and The Rapture. its name. also a competition for an immense line-up that songwriter Kurt Vile, has even won a prize for Worth a trip to the island, couleurcafe.be young emerging artists and also features Warpaint, Belgium’s Black Box best medium-sized festival we reckon. But be warned: an exhibition showcasing White Lies, and Marilyn Revelation and genre- in Europe – and we think no camping. images from Ghent Jazz Manson – amongst many breaking folk-rock-electro rightly so. lovebox.net Fests-gone-by. delightful others. group Yeasayer. dourfestival.be gentjazz.com lesardentes.be cactusfestival.be

10 Days Off Power Festival Microfestival Brussels Pukkelpop Lowlands Ghent, Belgium La Louvière, Liège/Luik, Summer Festival Kiewit, Belgium Biddinghuizen, 13th to 23rd July Belgium Belgium Brussels, Belgium 16th to 18th August Netherlands 20th to 21st July 3rd to 4th August 10th to 19th August 17th to 19th August

During its 18 years For the eight time, the After organising countless Over 60 years old and The second biggest music With more than 10 stages existence, 10 Days Off has two-day Power Festival will concerts and even growing still no sign of letting up; festival in the country after and 200 acts, Lowlands become a bit of a landmark be hosted in La Louvière’s its own label, Liège music legendary weirdo-rockers Rock Werchter, Pukkelpop is one of the biggest and for electronic music lovers, Tivoli stadium, with a menu collective Jaune Orange Iggy & The Stooges are gives the mic to around best music festivals in the not only in Belgium but of metal, hardrock, punk are finally realising their performing at the Brussels 200 acts annually. This Netherlands, a country also beyond. In contrast to and noise bands. British fantasies with their very Summer Festival this year, party-in-a-field still prides with probably a bit more other summer festivals, this punk rock veterans The own festival. This one sitting pretty at the top itself on its independent and than its fair share of decent one is all indoors making Damned will be returning is small, has only one of the line-up with The alternative programming. summer gigs. Founded by for a more clubby type to the stage, while French stage and is infinitely Stranglers, Pony Pony Run And the line-up speaks for Utrecht-based artist and atmosphere – not such a metalcore band Eths will affordable. They’re focusing Run and David Bartholomé. itself: Björk is set to enchant painter Bunk Bessel in 1967 bad idea considering this be presenting a brand new particularly on fresh new The BSF sees the glorious the fields of Hasselt, under the banner “A Flight country’s bloody weather. album. Belgian hardcore discoveries and newbies. Belgian capital play host to while British rock icons to Lowlands Paradise,” this Whilst making space for gets a spot, too, with But don’t think that this a 10-day music marathon The Stone Roses will be three-day-bash is a worthy electronic music of all Ghent-based power trio mini fest, now in its third on the streets that unites hotting up the stage as part shindig with an eclectic and stripes, 2012’s edition is Drums are for Parades, go, is a gig for Jaune all kinds of genres, from of their much anticipated high-profile line-up that going for a bit of a dubstep amongst others. And check Orange protégés only – au jazz and pop to folk, reggae comeback. And don’t you includes a delightful combo buzz, while lending itself this out: the whole thing contraire. There’s Gablé, and even classical. Plus, dare miss American rock of the cream of the crop of to a bit of disco, too. is free. A day out for the and The Chap as well as festival groovers can get duo The Black Keys, as everyone’s all-time favorites The multifaceted line-up more hardcore music fans Colin Stetson and The into a number of Brussels’ well as Hot Chip, Feist, (Wilco, Eagles of Death includes Richie Hawtin, among us. Monsters. museums for free, and The Hives, Modeselektor Metal, Feist) as well as the DJ Koze, Moonlight Matters, powerfestival.be microfestival.be this year rockabilly festival and Django Django. newest of the newcomers Lapalux, John Talabot and Brockxelles 58 is part of the pukkelpop.be (Django Django, Tune many many many more. bash, too. Yards) ready to charm the 10daysoff.be bsf.be pants off the low countries. lowlands.nl

18 The papers

The grey papers When grey takes a break from refereeing between black and white, this affable diplomat decorates our offices, coats our old movie reels in layers of dust and packs the inside of our skulls with things to think about. May we present grey’s very own papers, chronicling film archives, boring suits, life after prison, the brain, and Belgium’s legion of starving artists, along with a profile of those shoe scraper thingymajiggies that the posh of yore used to stop dragging horse shit through the parlour. Who said grey was boring? We should be bloody grateful.

Writers Sabine Clappaert, Rose Kelleher, Robbert van Jaarsveld, Sarah Schug and Sam Steverlynck Illustrator Virassamy Neighbourhood 19

ˆ “ One of the more sadistic ways bosses dupe us into thinking they’re human is a bizarre cultural meme called casual Friday ”

In California’s dot com days, entrepreneurs Some say casual Friday even encourages sloppi- Thank God thought it would engender creativity if office ness. Indeed, many of the growing army of free- monkeys were permitted to wear whatever they lancers force themselves into something formal liked. In Europe in the 90s, we read about grey when they go to their “office” in the living it’s Friday Silicon Valley office cubicles transformed by a room. We are loathe to change the world in our proliferation of primary coloured “things” like pajamas. But the traditional office is not long Your boss is not your friend. Occasionally, pinball machines and flip-flopped employees, for this world anyway. Even Google’s pioneer- she’ll pass around a bag of sweets, or invite you receptionists in summer dresses and bright red ing alt-space hasn’t aged well. Take their offices to a barbecue and pretend she’s just like you. anti-stress balls. We looked wistfully over the in Place Jourdan/Jourdanplein in Brussels. She might even add you as a friend on Facebook top of the New York Times culture supplement If there’s anything more kitsch than 1995’s next (don’t do it). But one of the more sadistic ways at our boss and he put his hands up and said big thing in industrial office design, we’d like bosses dupe us into thinking they’re human is “OK, wear whatever the fuck you want on Friday, to hear about it. A large square metal block of a bizarre cultural meme called casual Friday. OK?” Offices all over began adopting a Friday- grey cubicles is still a large square metal block Traditional offices are drab places with carpets, only wardrobe-fest. From behind a desk in of grey cubicles, no matter how many fuzzball ceiling tiles and walls of a mysterious non-col- Brussels, globetrotting IT manager Darren machines you order from an office supplies our that gives grey a bad name. Once a week on Ball waxes memorial. Suddenly, he says, casual catalogue. All that upstairs-downstairs office Fridays, they bloom when staff are permitted a Friday started being written into HR policy in stuffiness is so last century. Telecommuting reprieve from formal wear and lope around in Europe as a way to cheaply encourage staff to makes more and more sense, and there are a loosened collars, jeans and coloured T-shirts. perform, while engendering warm and fuzzy growing number of creative office spaces that But where did it come from? You can just imagine feelings towards management. “For one day a don’t look anything like office spaces and crea- silver-haired CEOs watching Powerpoint pres- week, you were allowed to be yourself.” And, tive employees who don’t look anything like entations on the ROI of staff morale, reclining he adds, it saved time on Friday mornings. But employees. So next Thursday evening, tell in leather chairs and going “Jeans, yes, I like it”. it’s like letting your dog up on the couch. You your boss that your work can most effectively But that’s not how casual Friday snuck into our can’t just do it one day and then not the next. be done from your couch, buck naked, in your professional sphere. Some sources trace its roots It’s inconsistent. Who wants to be “me” one wedding dress, or whatever. With or without to Aloha Fridays in Hawaii in the forties, when day, and an indistinguishable office zombie your dog, of course, but make up your mind one staff were permitted zany shirts one day a week. the other four? What, exactly, is the message? way or the other. (RK) 20 The papers

ˆ “ Those with no home to go to after prison would end up on the streets if it were not for independent shelters like this one ”

times I didn’t respect the timetable so they shelters are their only option. The Office for Halfway there brought me back to prison. It was very diffi- Social Re-adaptation, along with NGOs like cult, because you find yourself in prison again, Apres and Petits Riens / Spullenhulp help them “It’s very difficult to come out of prison. You even though you didn’t do anything wrong, to develop a viable plan for a future, to write a think you’re going to find everything as it was you’re just late for an appointment.” He shakes CV, to apply for jobs and to “sell” themselves. but everything has changed. People have dis- his head. He says, funnily, that in his first days But the majority arrive with drug addictions appeared, others have moved on, some have of “freedom,” he spent a lot of his time looking or mental problems (or both) that they picked fallen ill.” We are sitting with Yassine in a at cars. Most of the 120 men here have come up inside, adding to their considerable woes. back room of the Petits Riens / Spullenhulp, from prison, either directly or after an unsuc- A glance at the shiftless men lining the hallway Belgium’s largest welcome centre for the cessful stint at “home”. And yet, this is not a of the shelter is testimony to this. A sincere homeless. He works in the centre’s social halfway house, a supervised state-run centre Yassine says he is rehabilitated, and we like economy and we’ve nabbed him between for ex-detainees. That’s because Belgium him enough to believe him. After all, isn’t hauling boxes in the rain at the back of doesn’t do halfway houses. Those with no that what all that tax money is paying for? He the organisation’s flagship shop on Rue home to go to after prison would end up on the is looking to the future, with a wife and kids Americaine / Amerikaansestraat. He’s happy streets if it were not for independent shelters and normal stuff. “When I see people newly to tell us about the painful grey bit that ex-cons like this one. The woman who answered our arrived at the centre from prison, I feel good experience between prison life and normal call at the Office for Social Re-adaptation in because I have worked hard. But,” he adds, life, a re-adaptive journey from institutional- Boulevard Anspach/Anspachlaan told us, “You always feel like an ex-con. Everywhere ised criminal to regular Joe. He was only 20 “For early release, the detainee must have I go, I am controlled. As far as I’m concerned, when the bars slammed shut behind him. Now a fixed address. But after the end of the sen- I’m finished with all that. But if there is a fight in his thirties, his release has been confronta- tence, if they have no address, we just let them on the street and someone else gets involved, tional – there is a new currency called the euro go. We have nothing more to do with them. I’m nothing happens. But if I get involved, I auto- to contend with, along with something called not saying it’s the best system…” Sadly, most matically get five years in prison.” (RK) the Internet. “I was on parole for a year. No, of Belgium’s 10,968 prisoners (of which only I didn’t feel free. I had to wear an electronic 443 are women, according to official statistics), petitsriens.be bracelet and I had a strict timetable to respect. many will have burned their bridges by the There were lots of conditions. A couple of time they complete their sentence. Homeless Neighbourhood 21

ˆ “ The vegetative state is one of the least understood and most ethically troublesome conditions in modern medicine ”

have been developed to assess consciousness, reenact an experiment that was done to measure Altered states no machine on earth can measure it objectively. the conscious awareness of a 23-year-old woman Consciousness doesn’t have clear boundaries: who was declared to be in a vegetative state after Hello? Can you hear me? Yes, in here, in your where does it begin and where does it end? sustaining severe traumatic brain injury in an head. You can? Good, that means you’re con- Consciousness remains one of life’s greatest mys- accident. As in the experiment, a fully conscious scious. It may sound strange, but you’re the only teries. How to quantify it, and how does it change person (you) will be the control, to help scientists one who knows you’re conscious. Of course, in altered states of sleep, hypnosis, anesthesia, measure activity in the brain of both the patient you can let others know by talking or interact- coma or a vegetative state, a term used to describe and the control. Ready? First, imagine if you will, ing with them. But what if you were conscious, patients that are awake but unaware of them- playing a game of tennis. See it? Now imagine but unable to express it? What if you had been selves or their environment? The vegetative state visiting all the rooms in your house, starting involved in an accident resulting in severe head is one of the least understood and most ethically from the front door. Done? Here’s the startling trauma and were pronounced to be in a vegeta- troublesome conditions in modern medicine, result: scans showing the brain activity of the tive state, even though you could in fact see and notes Professor Owen. To complicate matters, young woman would be indistinguishable from hear us, but you couldn’t tell us or show us? How patients in a vegetative state also look awake: yours. Her brain would show activity in exactly would you let the outside world know you’re their eyes are open, they breathe without assis- the same areas as yours just has. Despite fulfill- in there? These are questions that keep people tance and can move their head, body or limbs ing the clinical criteria for a diagnosis of veg- like Professor Dr Steven Laureys, head of the and even grunt, smile, cry or groan occasionally, etative state, this patient retained the ability to Coma Science group at the Liege Hospital, and albeit always as seemingly purposeless reflexive understand spoken commands and to respond to Dr Adrian Owen of the Cambridge Sciences responses to external stimuli. But how can we be them through brain activity, rather than through Unit awake at night. And rightly so: an estimated sure a reflex is not, in fact, a voluntary action? speech or movement. Moreover, her decision to 41 percent of patients declared to be in a veg- Owen and Laureys caution that “The diagnosis cooperate by imagining particular tasks when etative state are wrongly diagnosed and are, in of vegetative state should be questioned when asked to do so represents a clear act of intention, fact, to a lesser or greater degree, conscious. The there is any degree of sustained visual pursuit, which confirms beyond any doubt that she was problem? Consciousness isn’t all-or-nothing. It consistent and reproducible visual fixation or consciously aware of herself and her surround- consists of two components: arousal (wakeful- response to threatening gestures.” And if one ings, states Owen. Aware, but unable to express it ness) and awareness (of the environment and showed none of these promising signs, would that via any means other than brain activity. Fittingly, the self). And although several scoring systems exclude any possibility of consciousness? Let’s it’s called locked-in syndrome. (SC) 22 The papers

ˆ “ This is the technology of an industry that was almost like steam power back in the day. Now it is still around, but in 10 years, it will really be archaeology ”

ˇ © Grégoire Pleynet©

the original can be found here in Brussels. rooms with low temperature vaults where Reeling in The film archive also boasts a large collec- old bobbins are stored at a temperature of tion of silent movies, including The Cabinet 5°C and 35° humidity, evoking comparisons of Dr. Caligari which was restored here. The with the way Italian cheese makers devotedly the years collection – containing 67, 000 titles besides stock their parmesan. While Mazzanti shows prints, negatives and other items amounting us around, he muses laconically: “This is the Belgians are an insecure bunch, often needing to a total of 160, 000 elements – is stored in technology of an industry that was almost like approval from abroad before recognising their two industrial warehouses in Ixelles/Elsene steam power back in the day. Now it is still own trumps. This is true for many artists – with a surface area of 12,000 m2. While the around, but in 10 years, it will really be archae- Jacques Brel first had to be hailed in Paris general public can check out films at the city’s ology.” The archive recently made the shift to before gaining acceptance in Brussels – but it Cinematek cinema, the archives are meant for digital, though it was not an easy transition: also seems to be the case with the Royal Film specialists like researchers and festival organ- “The buildings, the machines, the know-how Archive of Belgium. Though the archive has isers. Employees working in the deposits are in we have been developing the last 70 years… been around since the 1930s, many Belgians charge of receiving new arrivals, shipping films Now everything has to be invented for digital only seemed to realise its importance when to various festivals all over the world, manag- technology.” So how does Mazzanti see these Martin Scorsese called it “one of the most ing the collection, etc. Restoration – an impor- changes? “That is a tricky question. I grew important film collections in the world.” The tant part of the institution’s activities, making up with 35 mm films and have been a film strength of the collection is that it is – unlike it one of the leading restoration laboratories restorer for more than 20 years, working with the German Bundesarchiv / Filmarchiv or in the world – happens in a laboratory close film, repairing perforations, etc. Emotionally, the British Film Institute – extremely diverse. to Brussels’ Midi station. The long corridors it is difficult for my generation to move away Up to 80 percent of the films are foreign of deposits, shopping carts with bobbins and from film. On the other hand, I also know how and the collection contains material that employees carefully cutting strips all add to imperfect film restoration sometimes was. An can’t be found anywhere else. “Basically, we the bygone atmosphere. Though working con- analogue copy is always worse than the origi- keep on discovering new stuff every week,” ditions might seem archaic, this is no dusty old nal, but with digital technology you can do so curator Nicola Mazzanti says enthusiasti- bureaucratic department, and the staff – in many things that you actually distort the film. cally. Though the original negative of Citizen charge of the 3,000 or so items the institution It is all a matter of respect.”(SS) Kane – often called the best movie of all receives every year – won’t be found asleep time – has been lost, the version closest to at their desks. The deposit’s sanctuary is two Neighbourhood 23

ˆ “ It’s better to be a cog in a well-oiled machine than a loose screw rummaging around the conveyor belt in search of its unique identity ”

in fees for over 40,000 members. Managing members feel about us. Besides, when compared Work Director Julek Jurowicz elaborates: “Our to other countries, Belgian legislation is actu- members are mostly aged between 20 and 40, ally quite friendly to artists because it grants and somehow connected to the artistic world. access to things like social security, which is SMARTer So that includes stagehands and technicians as quite exceptional in a European context.” And well as artists and creative professionals.” This yet the company still feels like a convoluted not harder “somehow” is indicative: though SMartBE was administrative contraption that owes its exist- born to serve Belgium’s artists, it has evolved ence to a gap in policy. Meanwhile, compa- Belgium is home to a lot of creatives who strug- to include many who work in professions that nies are increasingly turning to project-based gle to stay afloat or even on the right side of could only tenuously be described as creative, employment, which means that somebody legality. That’s because labour laws are not pri- like commercial copywriters or translators. needs to step in before creatives end up in the marily designed to suit the artist. The market “We handle administration and give profes- docks for tax evasion. “Our creative and artistic is a system that favours the standard over the sional advice on finances. But we’re not just here population is growing. We want to grow, not to specific and it’s better to be a cog in a well-oiled for paperwork; the structure of our organisa- become a huge international corporation but machine than a loose screw rummaging around tion allows members to do things they couldn’t to have the leverage to lobby for our members the conveyor belt in search of its unique iden- otherwise. For example, our members may not on a European level. We have partners in five tity. If you’re self-employed, you might be sick have the security deposit needed for a 5,000€ other countries, and SMartBE could become of the uncertainty; if you’re a plumber, you lease, but since we do, they do too.” Sounds the main partner for self-employed creatives can be sure there’ll always be a clogged toilet like SMartBE are more than earning their right on the European mainland.” Across Europe, somewhere but there’s no guarantee anybody to exist (and to reserve 6.5 percent of members’ the employment landscape is shifting, with the will need an “artist” come the morning. Some gross income for overhead). Still, it might be profile of the workforce evolving to reflect the artists work through SMartBE, an umbrella better to improve on existing policy instead need for a more flexibility and project-based company that takes care of billing services. of slapping a band aid over it to stop people gigs. This has led to a mishmash of employment It saves on paperwork and provides a kind of a falling through the cracks. Could targeted leg- labels based on either fiscal, social security or legal framework that lifts intermittent workers islation prove a threat to SMartBE’s existence? legal regimes, requiring more than a little art- out of an uncomfortable grey limbo between “I don’t believe that our success depends on the fulness from Europe’s artists and their support- “employed” and “unemployed”. In 2011, complexity of the administration. It relies on ers, like SMartBE, to find out where, exactly, SMartBE handled more than €100 million the atmosphere of our company and how our they belong. (RVJ) 24 The papers © Pauline Miko

some are plain and functional, others are more in London, Paris and Brussels left their horse Dirty pretty like artworks in themselves. They’re remnants carriages and walking became socially accept- from the 18th and 19th centuries when they were able that a market for the iron-made objects used to scrape mud off shoes. Recently, these emerged,” Rosier continues. Although the things hidden treasures have attracted some attention: scrapers can be found in a number of countries from academic research in Brussels’ universi- including Algeria, the ones in Brussels stand It’s odd how something pretty much all over the ties to an exhibition in Halles St Géry, where out for their sheer beauty inspired by art deco place can be so easily overlooked. Have you over 1,000 photographs show boot-scrapers and art nouveau architecture. Today, the move- noticed those little ground-level niches with in all shapes and sizes. “When streets had not able version, banned in the 19th century out of the horizontally attached iron piece next to the been asphalted yet, they were common in all public safety concerns (that’s when the scrapers entrances of Brussels’ buildings? Reminiscent big European cities,” explains Laurence Rosier, started to become attached to house walls), can of oversized mouse holes, these so-called “boot- professor of Linguistics at the Free University of be found on eBay as a decorative item. And even scrapers”, antique versions of today’s doormat, Brussels, who has delved deeper than most into though the streets are tarred nowadays, they can cause confusion for modern-day walkers the rather obscure subject. But the scrapers only can still come in handy as dog poop removers – even though they’ve been an integral part of started appearing when the first footpaths were for example, something that’s much-needed on Brussels’ urban landscape for centuries. While constructed: “It wasn’t until the upper classes Brussels streets, we think you’ll agree. (SS) Neighbourhood 25

1050 Décrottoirs! From 13th June to 7th July ULB, Salle Allende, Campus du Solbosch Avenue Paul Hégerlaan – 1000 Brussels 26 The Word on

Graffiti writers Graffiti writers live for one thing and one thing only: getting their name up. Streets, highways, subways, trucks, trains, abandoned buildings, playgrounds – you name it, and chances are they’ve probably painted it. We hunted down six legends, each with their own speciality, and got them talking about their nighttime obsessions.

Photographer Sarah Eechaut

For streets: Byz

First started painting in 1992. Got into graffiti through skateboarding and trips to New York.

Very early on put all his focus into street Byz was a little like Anderlecht vs. Standard, tagging. Met SozyOne of RAB at art school or Madrid vs. Barcelona.” Once painted and quite quickly got into the crew (“I told what was believed to be the tallest letter in him that if I was accepted into the crew I’d do the world in the inside of a now-demolished the work.”). Had an infamous battle with Roel building in downtown Brussels, a “B” that (CNN) that lasted several months: “Roel Vs measured 80 metres high. Life 27

For everything: Escro

Started painting at age 14. Estimates having painted over 400 trains and 15 subways in addition to innumerable burners, throw-ups and tags. Painted exclusively in Brussels train yards for 10 years, mostly on Sunday mornings.

“I like tagging the most, preferably with fat caps. I like the French way of painting, going for quantity over quality. Guys like Trane from France.”

For walls: Defo

First started painting in 1993. Prefers painting walls – he once spent 16 hours on a wall. Member of some of Brussels’ most infamous crews: DB, BCP and Bad News.

“I’m in several crews, although I like to paint with whomever I want.” 28 The Word on

For highways: AT1

First started painting in 1996-1997. Prefer painting highways as they’re more visible, and also stay up for longer.

“When we’re out on an AT1 mission, no individual names get put up. And when our members are on an individual mission, AT1 doesn’t get put up.”

For trains: Hulk

First started painting in 1989. Estimates having painted over 1,200 trains and subways since then.

“Why trains? They’re simple, they’re beautiful, they’re clean and they run. There’s a certain atmosphere to painting trains, a certain tactical strategy to reach the train yard. You need to think of everything and, above all, you need to paint quickly and run even quicker if the police comes. Painting trains is a mission, so when you see your train pull up at the train station, that’s just the end of it.” Life 29

For subways: Cap

First started painting in 1993. Got into graffiti through a group of friends (the SCT crew) and then through another crew, DRC.

“I was introduced to subways through Pom and Chinez. I prefer painting subways to trains because I get more of a kick out of it. Trains have never really been my thing. Over the years, I must have painted over 150 subways in Brussels alone. The best memory I have is of painting the Delta subway yard with 12 other guys, several times during the same day.”

For art: Bue

First started painting in 1991. Mostly paints colourful walls. Estimates having painted over 600 of them.

“Painting for me is like therapy! And I feel free as a bird.” 30 The other Word on

Truck drivers Despite advancements in technology, at its core, the global economy still relies on a nomadic bunch of freedom-fighting oddballs whose life is spent hauling cargo from point A to point B across the world’s highways. And, with its sprawling and illuminated network of freeways nestled right at the heart of Europe, Belgium remains an obligatory pit stop on most truckers’ itineraries. Here, we hitch a ride with some of the local boys, capturing the loneliness that comes with having chosen life on the road.

Photographer Ulrike Biets

Sipke Wielinga (1959) Friesland, The Netherlands. Driver for Veenstra International

Sipke drives a Volvo FH. His truck is three He used to be a graphic designer until the age years old and has clocked up 475,000 of 40. Why did he quit a desk job for life on kilometres. All in all, Sipke has driven over the road? Freedom. Walls were coming down two million kilometres. His favorite destina- on him, so he decided to flee. His favourite tions are everything south – France, Italy, music on the road is Johnny Cash. Spain – because of the weather and the food. Life 31

Jurgen Vergucht (1972) Aalst, Belgium Driver for the company TGB

Jurgen drives a Scania R420. He’s driven more than 300,000 kilometres with it over the last three years. He mainly drives from port to port, but his favorite destination is the train terminal in Dourges, France. His boss likes the trucks to shine, so he goes to the truck carwash once a week. His favourite music on the road is Disturbed.

Filip Cap (1974) Sint-Gillis Waas, Belgium Driver for Tilleman

Filip drives a DAF YF 430. In his 11 years on the road, he’s driven almost a million kilometres. He mainly drives in and around Belgium, transporting piglets. Unlike most drivers, he returns back home to his family every night. His favorite part of Belgium is “de westhoek”, because of the absence of traffic jams. When driving, he likes listening to greatest hits. 32 The other Word on

Rob Savelkoul (1956) Bocholt, Belgium Driver for Albert Keijzer Transport

Rob has been driving a DAF ND3460 since The small village near Lyon was flooded by 2007, totalling 450,000 kilometres with it. trucks and truck drivers, turning it into one The day he turned 18, he quit school and big parking lot. Over 40 trucks used every started his career as a truck driver. The best free inch of space, with some even parked on memory he has is when a company he used to peoples’ driveways and on the local football drive for, following a logistical mistake, sent field. A massive four-day party ensued. all its trucks to the same destination in a day. Life 33

Roel Hertsens (1988) Kallo, Belgium Driver for Transport NV De Cock

Roel has been driving his Volvo FM for three has been involved in some serious accidents. years now, clocking up some 234,000 kilome- When on the road, he prefers listening to the tres to date. Despite his young age, he already radio. His favorite destination is home.

Visit thewordmagazine.be/life/truckers for a complete gallery of life on the road. 34 The business

Grey expectations By 2020, 40 percent of the Belgian population will be over 50. They will want to have fun, travel, and stay healthy and mobile in their own (renovated) homes. These four professionals understand that seniors will soon rule the world, and though it might not be terribly sexy, it’s the future.

Photographer Sarah Eechaut Interviews Rose Kelleher

Christophe Urvoy General Manager, Senior Agency

Senior Agency is the only senior marketing company in Belgium. They specialise in generational marketing and “baby boomer monitoring.”

Older people have higher accumulated savings per head than recognise themselves in advertising, incredible but true.” And younger people. So where are all the ads targetting them? Urvoy don’t look to your grandparents’ experience of retirement as a explains: “Many advertisers are afraid of doing something for model for your own, he warns. “Before WWII, we didn’t have older people, they think they will lose the younger. But when a lot of seniors. You worked all your life and then you died. you’re 30, you have to pay for your house, your children... The last generation are the first ones to live to be so old. The when you’re 50, everything is paid for. You’ve got time and baby boomers have watched their parents, they know what’s money.” He says there is also confusion as to what “senior” going to happen, that they will live another 20 or 30 years, and actually means. “You ask someone to name a senior celebrity they are wondering what they can do with themselves.” and they say Jacques Chirac. But a senior is Sharon Stone, who still appears naked in Paris Match. 86 percent of seniors don’t senioragency.com Life 35

Dirk Lefeber Head of Department of Mechanical Engineering, ULB/VUB

The Robotics and Multibody Mechanics Research Group researches new actuators with adaptable compliance, dynamically balanced robots, robot assistants, rehabilitation robotics and multibody dynamics.

Aging isn’t only about the frail, but maintaining mobility walk around in the woods but to move around your living is key to maintaining independence. Lefeber develops room or kitchen.” he says. What will it look like? “Thats companion robots for children, as well as exoskeletons a big challenge. The devices are relatively bulky at the for the elderly. “What I am personally interested in moment. What we are developing now will be more for is assistive devices to help people in their daily living. ourselves, within 10 or 15 years these robots will be in Things that can help people walk. You see elderly people our homes. We are not far from a scenario where we use who can walk for only 15 or 20 metres and then they get exoskeletons for mobility.” tired, they risk falling. We are building assistive devices to allow them to walk 200 metres instead.” The choice to stay in your own home is a big issue for seniors. “Not to mech.vub.ac.be 36 The business

Mathieu Lefevre Course Coordinator, Université des Ainés, Brussels

The UDA is a life-long learning service whose activities include more than 200 educational courses and workshops, plus conferences, seminars, and cultural excursions for the elderly in Brussels and Louvain la Neuve.

Living until 100 will soon be normal. That leaves three useful, he says, is the opportunity for intergenerational or four decades between retirement and death. What to exchange. “I remember there was a young history teacher who do? Lefevre organises courses, seminars and conferences was giving a lesson on WWII. He was really happy because of at the Université des Ainés, a day school for seniors, the exchange of knowledge with the students.” The popularity whose curriculum includes everything from maths to of schools like the UDA is growing. Its numbers have swelled meditation.“We have an 81 year old studying information to 3,400 in recent years. “We are not the only one. There are technology. Everyone has their place.” he says, adding that more and more older people in retirement, and the need is there are no qualifications to be gained at the UDA. “There is becoming more real. It’s a reflection of modern society.” a real need for self-enrichment, but also to make connections, friendships, with others. It’s not for a diploma.” Particularly universitedesaines.be Life 37

Marysia Kluppels Marketing and Communications Manager, DELA Funeral insurance

DELA is a a non-profit cooperative that organises funerals, and the only company in Belgium that sells funeral insurance.

“Many people say “I’m going to save money in the bank so if sudden death, people start arguing about who pays for the anything happens to me, the people I leave behind can have funeral. The new partner? Or the legitimate children of the it.” But in a lot of cases, people don’t keep the money for their deceased who will inherit? Only a minority take action to funeral because they want to travel, or buy something that prevent financial calamity. It’s very sensitive because our they always dreamt of. The problem is also that we are living message is always related to death. It’s taboo. But it’s all about much longer, and people need to spend more money on taking care of people at one of the most difficult times in “care” (service flats, nursing…). In the end there is nothing their life. Since I started working here, I live more intensely, left for funerals. And who ends up paying is getting more more aware that every day could be my last.” complicated. Due to the increased amount of divorces, there are more “new composed families”. We see more in case of dela.be 38 The encounter

A taste for paradox Kris Van Assche is a bit of a mysterious figure in the fashion world. The Paris-based Belgian – who designs Dior menswear as well as his own line – is clearly not the flamboyant type. In this exclusive interview, he opens up to talk about his own style, avoiding sartorial clichés and why having fun with clothes is important.

Writer Philippe Pourhashemi Photographer Gaetan Bernard

One thing Kris Van Assche cannot stand is and doesn’t look for shock value. Despite shows, I tend to stay away from prepubescent stereotypes. The 35-year-old Belgian designer studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in boys or gym bunnies. I hate clichés. I’m much – who launched his own brand seven years ago the mid 90s and being surrounded with fans more interested in ambivalence and ambiguity. and has been at the helm of Dior menswear of trailer trash and heroine chic, Van Assche I guess there are complex elements in my work, since 2007 – has a quiet passion for subtlety, was always low-key in his perspective and which people might not notice straight away. which seems to be an integral part of his per- never into anything flashy or overt. In fact, Such an approach has its advantages – as you sonality. His design stance is more essential his restrained aesthetics and vision have not don’t get categorised somehow – but the incon- than extreme. A firm believer in discretion always been read properly, only slowly gaining venience is that people don’t associate you with and refinement, he pays close attention to prominence in an industry where flamboyance one specific word or item. Other designers can detail and doesn’t try to stand out. His clothes and inflated egos are commonplace, “I’ve been be identified much more easily.” Van Assche demand a second take, as there’s nothing in this business for a while now and realised seems highly aware of the image he projects obvious about them. Whether he designs for that no one could put me in a box. It amuses and there’s a genuine critical distance in his Dior or his own brand, Van Assche applies me sometimes, because I’m not even aware I’m behaviour. You can feel that he’s probably his the same consistency to his approach. There’s doing it myself, but I am attracted by things own worst critic at times and a sense of humil- something linear and precise about his style. that cannot be defined. I subconsciously avoid ity permeates his words. Don’t expect him to It’s gimmick-free and functional. He’s been classifications and feel uncomfortable with gloat about his success or many achievements. reworking the same items since the beginning them. For instance, when I pick models for my He’s far too understated for that. Style 39

Quick definitions don’t satisfy Van Assche. Throughout his career as a designer, he’s been looking for a sense of balance, trying to address the demands of contemporary life without renouncing his creativity. He defines his ideal man as an “acrobat”, an individual who would be able to balance opposite and contrasting worlds. Van Assche’s collections have illus- trated this point well, pleasing fashion folks and industry experts alike. When he started designing for Dior, journalists were tough, but he kept doing what he was good at. Replacing Hedi Slimane who had left the house was no easy feat, but Van Assche stuck to his guns until the fashion world finally caught up with him. He has a healthy dose of pragmatism, making him undeniably Belgian, even though he’s been based in Paris for years. Van Assche makes clothes men actually want to wear and there’s no denying that he knows how to sell. His pieces may come across as simple and minimal, but they’re not plain either. Finesse seems a natural calling for him. You won’t see Van Assche’s moodboard for his Spring-Summer 2012 collection Van Assche indulge in sequinned pink trousers or brightly printed shirts, even though he probably loves to see them on other people “I don’t His clothes are fluid and don’t go against the loosening up and letting go with age. “I prob- go out a lot, but like to watch how teenagers body. The idea is that you could wear his ably designed things that were crazier when dress. Lately, I’ve seen some very cool types clothes in any context and not feel inadequate. I started. I was very young when I launched wear extreme things and get away with them. In many ways, his designs incorporate the tech- my own brand and learnt something new each I love that kind of energy. I look at eccentrics niques and ease of sportswear, while keeping season. I’d say I’m comfortable with my own like Anna Dello Russo or Bryan Boy and find a distinctive touch. In his choice of colours, style now and pleased with what I do. That it great that they are in fashion. When I studied Van Assche favours subdued tones, such as may leave room for bolder things to come. at the Academy in Antwerp, clothes were taken white, black and grey. They may all be reas- The one thing that has changed within my own too seriously and there was a feeling that you suringly masculine, but he knows how to give line is that I don’t feel the need to personally had to suffer for fashion in order to make it them a fresh spin. “I wear a lot of grey myself relate to the clothes. I can work with something happen. It was all about conceptual style and and love pinstripes, probably because they’re I wouldn’t wear myself. It’s not a problem for intellectualism then. Such an approach no traditional and remain one of menswear’s key me. That’s something I found impossible to do longer fits our world. It’s nice when people have staples. I don’t really have a desire to go against at the beginning of my career.” Van Assche’s fun with clothes. These kids don’t care whether the grain in my work. I’ve always liked classical own balancing act is to grow his label – which you think they’re smart or not. They’re just here patterns and neutral tones are a no-brainer for has a fairly selective and niche market – to have a good time.” me. It’s not like I need to over-analyse them.” while keeping the executives at Dior happy Van Assche’s clothes are masculine, but “I couldn’t be freer with my own brand and they’re not butch either. He respects tradition, Dior does have its tricky aspects. What can but also wants to move it forward. In his focus ˆ be frustrating with my own collection is that on suits and shirts, he’s tweaking elegance for I have all this freedom, but also material limi- a new generation that grew up in jeans and His clothes demand tations that I cannot ignore. Things can be tight trainers. “The starting point for my last col- and challenging as far as budget is concerned. lection was seeing these tattooed, skater guys a second take, At Dior, I have my own atelier and a bigger in LA and wonder what suit they would buy as there’s nothing team. They can spend a very long time on once they got a regular job. Formality does research and work on great projects. It’s a com- not have to exclude style or comfort. I don’t obvious about them pletely different set-up. When you have more actually think elegance can be defined as such. possibilities – like I do at Dior – you always There’s something very personal about it. The have to watch that your focus does not get lost. same suit can look fantastic on one guy and ˇ Freedom is a relative notion, I suppose.” grotesque on another one. Caricatures are not Although Van Assche is clearly not an elegant. When I meet someone new, I look at extrovert, his cool demeanour does not exclude krisvanassche.com their clothes and the way they carry them- a sense of humour. After all, he’s used to the selves. Elegance is about an attitude in the end. level of scrutiny and responsibility that comes It’s the whole package, not just garments.” Van with being your own boss and designing for Assche has been playing with proportions to a major luxury brand. He manages two sepa- modernise the suit. He has taken the sartorial rate teams at the same time and is very good stiffness away, keeping structure as a backbone. at it. There’s also a feeling that he’s gradually 40 The insider

The middleman

Behind every successful designer, lies a great producer. Marc Gysemans, who collaborated with industry darling Raf Simons for more than a decade, doesn’t find defining his role an easy task, “I don’t think the words “producer” or “manufacturer” encapsulate what I do. I see myself as the person turning someone’s talent into a commercial reality,” explains Gysemans who – despite his affable manner and slender frame – doesn’t mince his words. “You cannot do anything without a vision. My company – Gysemans Clothing Group – handles production, shipping and distribution for fashion brands. I’ve been in this business long enough to know what designers are like. They will manipulate anyone to get what they want. They will use you as a stepping stone and forget about you the next day. It’s fashion amnesia.” In an industry full of pretence and illusion, Gysemans’ frankness stands out. Passionate about his job, he has seen a tangible change since 2008, when the recession kicked in and affected the fashion business, “You don’t see as much creativity now as you did five of six years ago, but you also have to be able to afford being creative as a designer. Fashion has become increasingly commercialised and industrial. We are going through a transitional phase and the world is still going to change. Shops don’t take risks any more, because they don’t sell conceptual collections.” Gysemans’ relationship with Simons is the stuff of legends. Whenever he talks about the Belgian designer – who recently was appointed artistic director for Haute Couture, womenswear and accessories at Dior – one senses Gysemans’ respect and admi- ration for the man “I’m sure Raf will do a great job at Dior. He will bring a welcome edge to the label and deliver inspiring shows. That’s always been one of his key strengths.” The majority of brands Gysemans works with are not Belgian. His factories are located in Europe, but he © Cici Olsson stopped producing locally. Last season, he collaborated with Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello – who got plenty of press with his thing about designers is that they’re emotion- fashion as a teenager, even though he didn’t like skin-tight dresses and sexy cuts – but the fit was ally attached to what they create. I appreciate anyone dictating his sartorial choices “Fashion not right. Recently, he took on Brussels-based this, but one should never forget it’s a busi- was not my thing, to be honest. I liked clothes Jean-Paul Knott, handling his manufacturing ness after all. Clothes need to sell.” Sitting though and was quite specific about what I and distribution, as well as international sales. in Gysemans’ office in Rotselaar it becomes wore. I was the hippie type then and my mother “Working with designers is complicated and clear what pleasurable company he can be. tried to tell me what to wear. Needless to say, it there’s always an element of risk with someone He’s witty, humble and has strong opinions. never worked. I was obsessed with jeans when I new. You have to find some kind of ideal com- Gysemans is engaging, too, which means you was 15, wearing denim head-to-toe. And I did promise between the artistic part and the com- are easily drawn to him. Despite having been my own shopping, too. There’s no way I would mercial side. Designers come to me to make me in this business for years, his enthusiasm seems have let her do that for me.” (PP) a partner. I offer different packages and they intact and there’s nothing remotely jaded about can choose what suits them. The important him. Strangely enough, Gysemans was not into gysemansclothinggroup.com The Word is also available on the iPad

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Music Music interviews, album reviews Download it for free from Apple’s AppStore (search term The Word) or go to thewordmagazine.be/ipad and exclusive downloads for more information 42 The showstoppers

Seven things you should buy before you leave We’re keeping both him and her happy with this month’s showstoppers selection. We have the iconic bag, shoes and polo shirt, the future-friendly dresses, the obligatory pair of high tops, the jacket to go with them as well as the scent of the moment.

01. The bag

If Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel are as insepara- ble as Mulder and Scully, the German designer occasionally likes to inject some of his own Teutonic cool into the ubiquitous brand. Le Boy is a slightly androgynous handbag, with rectangular lines and a minimal aesthetic. Even though it clearly is a luxury item – coming with the hefty price tag it deserves – there’s nothing remotely bourgeois about it. The signature chain strap is thicker and heavier, giving it a tougher edge. In fact, Le Boy was inspired by Coco Chanel’s torrid relationship with Boy Capel, the English businessman she once described as “the great love of my life.” (PP)

Chanel Le Boy classic bag (from ¤1,800). Available from Chanel (Brussels). chanel.com Style 43

02. The dress

French fashion label Lacoste has come a long way since its creation in 1933. Still mostly known for its timeless tennis polo shirts embroidered with the iconic crocodile logo, the brand has since opened up its style and delved further into fashion territory. This pure and simple yet stylish crewneck sweater dress with modern contrasting details is the ideal example of this. With its comfortable fit and contemporary look, it perfectly embodies the other, younger side of Lacoste. A cosy off-duty piece that can be worn as a dress, but also as a top. (SS)

Lacoste sweatshirt dress (¤145) Available from Lacoste (Brussels). lacoste.com/be

03. The heels

There’s nothing like a pair of Manolo Blahniks’ pumps to raise a woman’s entire game. Infamous for its colourful extremes (think pink, zebra and neon) and famously still hand-drawn by its eponymous founder, the brand has held a special place in women’s hearts (and wardrobes) ever since they first appeared in that TV show we won’t mention. The first man ever to be featured on British Vogue’s cover back in 1974, there’s something about his designs that simply seems to instinctively understand women. And, with these grey suede high heels contrasted with a little black detail adding to its elegance, this pair is no different. (SS)

Manolo Blahnik grey suede pumps (¤600). Available from Smets (Brussels). manoloblahnik.com 44 The showstoppers

04. The perfume

The idea of vetiver cologne seems to conjure up images of old British men smoking fat cigars and wearing nasty tweed suits. Fact is, whilst Vetiver may be iconic in the perfume world, it often has a stuffy image attached to it. Leave it to Tom Ford then to revamp tradition, adding a sleek and sexy sheen to a deluxe scent. His Grey Vetiver is anything but classic, and includes playful notes of orange flower, aromatic sage and grapefruit. Ford is a Texan citizen after all, so don’t expect him to do anything too understated. Grey Vetiver is a seduc- tive fragrance, smelling reassuringly expensive. It is masculine and sensual at the same time, melting into the body’s natural heat. (PP)

Tom Ford Grey Vetiver (¤77,28 for 50 ml, ¤97,61 for 100 ml). tomford.com

05. The sneakers

Every man needs a pair of sneakers or two in his wardrobe. Thing is, as you edge closer to your thirties and forties, chances are your Nike’s, Adidas’ and Puma’s will need to be replaced by slightly higher-browed models. You know, a pair that won’t make your Dior suit seem completely out of touch with reality. In steps Pierre Hardy’s grey leather sneakers and, with them, a whole new world of sneaker fetishism. With almost an architectural purity about them, the ankle-high shoes’ simplicity and undertones of utmost sartorial confidence really is what placed them at the top of our list. If Pierre Hardy knows one thing, it is what men and women want to wear as shoes. Probably the reason why Dior as well as Hermès have entrusted him with their shoe collections, although that’s an entirely different story. (SS)

Pierre Hardy grey leather sneakers (¤370). Available from mrporter.com pierrehardy.com Style 45

06. The jacket

German fashion house Hugo Boss has established itself throughout the years as one of the leading brands around the globe, promoting a style that is clear-cut, progressive whilst also remaining timeless. This grey, lightweight and waist-fitted sports blazer is part of Hugo Boss’ Green line predominantly featuring casual, sporty and relaxed pieces, an approach that this jacket perfectly embodies with its simple, contemporary look and its soft fabric. Elegant, luxury but also fresh sportswear that’s not only meant for the golf course (SS)

Hugo Boss jacket (¤349). Available from Hugo Boss (Brussels). hugoboss.com

07. The dress

If the thought of going through your wardrobe trying to find colours that match gives you an instant headache, we’ve found the perfect piece that is guaranteed to make summer dressing a tad easier. Monsieur Bul’s sleeveless dress is a stylish and trendy choice, without being too girly. Lightweight and structured at the same time, the dress has a nicely fitted waist, an open back detail and is printed with cute little blocks of colour. We like the fact that it’s mostly grey, meaning you won’t end up looking like Ronnie McDonald by the end of summer. (PP)

Monsieur Bul sleeveless printed dress (¤355). Available from Glory Box (Brussels). monsieurbul.be

See page 96 for full stockist information. Visit thewordmagazine.be/style/seventhings for full purchase links. 46 The fashion Word

Drive-by shooting

We know what you’re thinking. This girl looks like trouble, working the roadside shift and teasing passers-by with her innocence. You couldn’t be further from the truth for this little sight of beauty knows exactly what she’s doing and where she’s going. And it ain’t in your car.

Photographer Alex Salinas Fashion Kim Peers Style 47

Sleeveless knit dress with metallic detail Chanel, Biker jacket G-Star, Bracelet Leen Boden Lycra bathing suit Urban Outfitters, Suede caftan Hermès, Sunglasses Urban Outfitters, Necklace Tamawa, Ring Access, Sandals Filippa K, Vintage fleece Make-up Artist’s own Tie-dye bikini top Tommy Hilfiger, Printed skirt Baby Beluga, Necklace Paula Giezman, Ring Ave, Leather handbag Delvaux Stretch bikini top Louis Vuitton, Printed skirt Diesel Black Gold, Ring Tamawa, Necklace Leen Boden, Chain detail mini handbag Gucci, Sunglasses Valentino, Leather shoes Lanvin Vintage Printed kimono La Costa del Algodon, Two-tone bikini Paule Ka, Necklace Access, Wooden bracelet A.P.C. Silk top Sandrina Fasoli, Printed shorts Victoria Beckham, Cotton hat Hermès, Earrings Tamawa, Ring Access, Cotton trainers Converse, Structured leather bag Clio Goldbrenner Denim shirt Lee Cooper, Slogan t-shirt Wild Fox, Drawstring shorts Lacoste, Earrings Access 54 The fashion Word

Nude camisole Urban Outfitters, Leather skirt Gucci, Watch Rado, Patent leather bag Louis Vuitton Style 55

Printed silk dress Vionnet, Necklace A.P.C., Bracelet Filippa K, Belt American Apparel, Trainers Faguo

Photographer Alex Salinas

Assistant photographer Jef Jacobs

Hair and make-up Esther Wauters

Model Sharon @Ullamodels

See page 96 for full stockist information. 56 The columns

Pale grey

Combining subtle melodies with electronic beats, Pale Grey’s electro-pop is characterised by nifty soundscapes imbued with a melancholic touch. Following the motto “quiet is the new loud”, the Belgian four-piece from Liège / Luik just published their first EP “Put Some Colors” in May last year and has done quite some touring through Europe ever since. We spoke to the first-day founders of the band, Gilles Dewalque and Maxime Lhussier, about their first EP, color-driven inspirations and being part of the JauneOrange Collective.

Photographer Pauline Miko Interview Sarah Schug

You recently published your first EP, “Put Why an EP and not an album? When were the songs written? Can you tell some colors”. Happy with the result? It’s just a first start, we wanted to test the us more about your creative process? Yes. It feels great to finally start our discog- waters and not do everything too fast. When We were split between Brussels and Liège raphy. It’s our first production and of course we do an album we want to do it the right way – at the time so we communicated a lot via inter- just the beginning, but because of it we already in a real studio, with more people involved and net. We would send each other ideas, the other met a lot of new people, especially promoters more money. The plan is to release it in about one would comment on it or add something who believed in us and gave us a chance. That a year from now. and send it back again. So all songs are a mix gave us energy to work even more. of both of us in the end. Music 57

Where and how did you record? What are your influences? Your intro So what do the colors of the song titles We recorded the songs in a barn that reminds me of The Album Leaf for example. symbolise? belongs to Gilles’ parents and did almost every- How would you describe your sound? The intro we titled “White” because it’s thing with our computers. We had no real drums Yes, we really like The Album Leaf. like starting out on a white page. “Red” plays for example. It was just the two of us at the time, We listen to a lot of indie bands such as The with themes as blood and death, it’s aggressive. the others joined later. Whitest Boy Alive or Errors. But we are also The song “Green’ is about someone who has quite into post-rock and experimental stuff lived in the city for a while and now wants to So how did two become four? which influences us a lot. That’s what we want move back to the countryside, go back to the It was pretty impossible to play our songs to do: Pop/rock with an experimental edge roots. Interestingly we first wrote the songs and live on stage with only two people. So luckily to it. then chose the titles. Ben and Jan joined us. What’s the story behind your single, The collective you’re part of is also You’ve played a lot of concerts lately, also in “Red” ? Is it about a dying friend? based on a color. Where does the name Germany and the Netherlands. How were It’s about a friend of a friend who killed JauneOrange come from? you received and what was your favourite gig? a friend and weirdly doesn’t feel bad about it. Apparently one of the founders of the col- The crowds are pretty much the same every- Not related to any personal experiences! lective had an apartment with a room brightly where. Hamburg was weird though, people seemed colored in yellow and orange. really bored but afterwards everyone told us how much they liked the show. The best gig was defi- ˆ To continue with the color symbolism: The nitely in Frankfurt, in this place that looked like an music industry also has some grey areas, I’m old squat. It was completely crowded and dirty and We rehearse in the thinking of illegal downloading for instance. people just went crazy. That was cool, especially How do you experience this, are these devel- because we don’t have any press in Germany. countryside, in the High opments counterproductive or helpful? Fens region, an area It probably helps more than it hinders. It’s I saw you made a video teaser to promote good especially for new bands. Everyone in your EP. where there’s fog and the world has the possibility to listen to our Gilles shot it himself at an old house in the mist almost every day stuff. The internet makes it easy to be discov- middle of nowhere. He’s originally a photogra- ered but it also makes it harder to stay and have pher. We like to work with visuals and want to a lasting impact. And you just can’t earn money be in control of everything regarding the band. ˇ with making albums anymore! That’s why we work with an overall theme that can be found in all elements of the project – the How has it helped you to be part of the video, what we wear on stage, the decoration of Let’s talk about colours – something we JauneOrange Collective? the instruments, the EP cover… like very much at The Word. Why the band Just being able to use their name already name? It sounds very Belgian in a way. helps a lot. We get a lot of advice, are included What do you talk about in your lyrics? Is it “Pale Grey” refers to the Belgian sky: We in their newsletters and they also book our gigs. all about personal experiences? I have the rehearse in the countryside, in the High Fens impression that you write a lot about per- region, an area where there’s fog and mist almost How are the relations with the other bands? sonal relationships and love. every day. From the barn where we practised It’s like a big family. Almost everyone is We focus on simple themes, we want that we can only see a little window that looks out from Liège, we rehearse in the same place, play people can recognize themselves without being on the landscape and the greyish fog and mist. shows together, go to each others concerts… too direct. Recurring subjects are feelings, families, Apparently that’s the case for almost 200 days a it’s a small artistic community. And a lot of responsibilities, and regrets. In the end you have to year there. musicians are involved in several different feel it in the music, the text is not the essence. We JauneOrange projects, as Ben who also plays would never write anything political. When we What about “Put some colors”, the title of with Hollywood Porn Stars. write the songs, the music comes first and the lyrics your EP? are added afterwards. We also like the paradox of Our sound was much softer in the begin- What do you guys do when you don’t play combining happy music with sad lyrics. ning. Later we added different elements and with the band? spiced it up a little. It’s a bit like when you paint Gilles organises exhibitions for a cultural Most of your songs go quite in the sugary and have to fill a blank canvas. centre, Max does press work and booking for indie pop direction, others have more of an JauneOrange, Ben works as an engineer and Jan electro sound to them. Why is that and in Everything is color-inspired, even the studies literature. which direction will you go in the future? name of the collective you belong to and We enjoy mixing different styles and all the song titles on your EP. Why is that? And who would you really like to open for showing some variation. It’s a bit like having With the name of the label we have nothing one day? What has been your favourite so far? a bright and a dark side. At the live shows we to do of course. But Gilles is a photographer We really enjoyed playing with Syd Matters. started to realise that the energetic songs work and a very visual person, so that’s one thing. But our favourite would definitely be 13 & God. much better. One of the reasons we didn’t do And we all not only enjoy music but also like more of this kind was our limited equipment. to stimulate other senses. We wanted to do a Pale Grey’s latest EP, “Put Some Colors”, came out on It’s difficult when you only have computers to whole artistic project, not just songs. And using JauneOrange in May 2011. work with. That’s going to be different on our colors as a symbol give a lot of room for inspi- album, we want to make it more powerful. ration and freedom. myspace.com/palegreymusic 58 The columns

Uphigh Collective

Somewhere between future soul and electronica you’ll find the eclectic, sophisticated and thoughtfully constructed sounds of Uphigh Collective. Having made a name for themselves with their 7” Blend that even got airplay across the Atlantic, the loosely knitted collective of Leuven- based musicians and visual artists certainly has a bright future ahead of them. We caught up with William, one of its founding members, to talk about their latest projects, the challenges of performing analogue and hip hop influences.

Photographer Pauline Miko Interview Sarah Schug

What are you guys working on at the moment? how to do that, how to connect everything tech- When we went into the studio together and Right now we’re focusing on our new live nically and blend it together. But we managed locked ourselves up for two weeks, we constant- show which is pretty much finished but still and now we have a new show where we perform ly asked ourselves: How do we want to perform needs some fine-tuning. everything the analogue way. this? The first thing we had to do was to create a setup that enabled us to play live and produce at Can you tell me more about that? Why didn’t you already do that earlier? the same time. So now we can even jam on stage We really enjoy analogue sounds and the Too complicated? if we want to. We finally found our flow. I know, analogue performance: The art of controlling Originally we are all bedroom producers for a regular band this is the most obvious thing, everything on the spot. We wanted to bring that and didn’t make songs with the idea of per- but as an electronic band we really had to search on stage. It was actually quite hard to figure out forming them. That’s completely different now. how to play our sounds and effects in a live show. Music 59

What’s your favourite equipment? Do you night we do soul music and on another night we force behind the idea to bring the analogue also play real instruments? are into up-tempo stuff. We are not focused on sound out of our rehearsal room, and while None of us have a real musical back- one thing in particular, but we do try to find he was trying to find a way to do so, ”Aid Ok” ground. We just taught ourselves how to push our own sound. “Blend” came out very fast and was created. We released it end of August and buttons and turn knobs. That’s one of the I wouldn’t define our sound or genre with it. It’s that was the point when we decided: From now differences with regular bands. But when we something we can do and we like to do, but at on we’ll only release tracks that define our new want to change a sound we cannot just click the moment we are more into electronic-driven sound and that we can perform live. next, we need to change all the knobs on every and bass-driven music. instrument. So it kind of takes us back to the How did you get together with the 70s when the bands had to really master their What musicians do you look up to? On-point label? equipment. Take the Korg MS 20 for example We are really into the sounds of things. We are not signed actually. Alex from that we use for the bass – it’s so easy to make a You can hear if musicians really look for a On-point had an agreement with Title to put mistake. We also use Korg Monopoly to make special sound and experiment with it. I like out Caravan on 7’’ and they told him he could random patterns and the main sound comes when people try to find something of their own. choose whoever he wanted for the D side. from a Guno 106. The drum machine is a 108. We really enjoy Jimmy Edgar, Africa Hitech or Luckily he chose us! Alex really liked our stuff Lazer Sword. and organised a lot of shows for us. He promot- You started as three-piece I-sa and then ed us last year with “Blend,” but we don’t have grew bigger and changed your name – any future plans together. We are very close what’s the story? ˆ with Title though, he gives us a lot of feedback. You can compare it to a family that grows constantly. First it was just Ducap and me. We You can compare it Is one of your goals to find a label? did some beats together and then wanted to Yes, definitely. We are still fine-tuning the take it to a higher level musically. We met up to a family that grows new songs and transforming them into studio with a friend who had a jazz background and he constantly. First it was versions. We only put out two tracks to give a would play our keys. That worked really well glimpse of what’s coming. But yes, if someone for us. For two or three years we just played in just Ducap and me. is interested, we are open for business. the basement, did some demos, had fun and We did some beats got to know the instruments. The guy who was What music would you consider grey? responsible for the keys moved to Barcelona together and then Purple Naked Ladies from The Internet. though and we met a few other guys at a beat wanted to take it to a I know it has purple in the name, but it feels session in town who were really on the same higher level musically very grey. You don’t know where to locate them, wavelength. We started jamming together the soul, electronica, … same night and Uphigh Collective was born. ˇ Where do you really want to play one day? How did you choose the name? Worldwide Festival, definitely. The loca- I used to work in a skate shop in Leuven tion is unbelievable, it’s at the beach, in the called Lowdown. My friends were hanging out Do you see yourselves as part of a certain genre? middle of the summer. I was there last year and there a lot. We just turned the name around I guess we are located in the electronic that’s when I said to myself: We have to play and made it Uphigh. corner but the main thing about us is that we all here one day! have a hip hop background. We can all enjoy You mentioned spending two weeks in the Mobb Deep (laughs). Hip Hop was the music What are your plans for this year? studio, what’s your recording process like? of our teenage years. And we still enjoy that a We’re currently working on a few remixes Now we have a really nice place at the lot, so you can even today still find some serious which will probably be released in September Depot in Leuven. Before our equipment was hip hop beats in our stuff. You can always hear and also a dubplate with two new tracks for djs just in a living room. For ’Blend’ we didn’t really if someone has a hip hop history, even if the to play this summer. If we can finish this year plan the recording, we just made a beat one person is making dance music now. It has a big with some good songs and a good live reputa- night, Delvis came along for the first time, took influence in terms of how you think about music. tion that we can build on, we’d be very proud. the microphone, and sang. I remember I went down to the night shop to buy some drinks and Who do you like in the Belgian scene? uphighcollective.com when I came back upstairs they showed me his We learned a lot and got a lot of oppor- first vocals - it was so impressive. He just came tunities from the guys from Infinite Skills and up with it on the spot, without writing lyrics or Monkey Robot. They really supported us. anything. Things rather just happened without They are older than us and were always one planning them back then. step ahead of us. Addicted Krew Sound is a band that influences us because they play next Your first single was pretty soulful and door in the Depot, even though they do some- your newer tracks go more in the electron- thing completely different. ica direction. How would you describe your sound? I really like ”Aid Ok”, can you tell me Now we are definitely working more on more about that? the electronic aspect, but it’s hard to describe. “Aid Ok” was actually the starting point We are into many different types of music. One of the new live show. Ronaldo was the driving 60 The word with

Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller has always been a relentless force in experimental electronic music, first with his own project The Normal, which had an underground hit with the track “Warm Leatherette” back in 1978, then with his own imprint Mute, which he founded in 1979. He also started the Grey Area as a spin-off to Mute with the aim to release re-issues of some of the bands that shaped his own musical upbringing – Can, Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire amongst them. We spoke to him over the phone to talk about his formative years at Guildford, going back to being independent after 10 years under EMI ownership and the Kraftwerk original vocoder he bought on eBay.

Photographer Pauline Miko Interview Nicholas Lewis Music 61

Can you tell me about your days at Guildford and the kind of vibe around that time? Well, I’d just left home and gone straight from school to college. It was one year after the ’68 demonstrations so it was still a very politi- cally active time, especially in colleges. There was a lot of disruption with student strikes and demonstrations in the summer before we started out. A lot of the staff had been fired because they supported the students. When we arrived it was a very different regime to the one we had signed up for so it was kind of in a feeling of conflict and rebellion.

Listening to the music you were making around that time or a couple of years later, it sounds like it was very tense. There were a lot of things going on with myself: growing up, being away from home for the first time, just normal stuff really. In terms of music, I was just starting to discover things through my own and visiting record shops. I was very passionate about music. That period of the 60s was very fast moving in terms of music. It kind of expanded and moved on, and From left: Bruce Gilbert’s Insiding, Add N To (X)’s Add Insult to Injury and Swell Maps’ A Trip to Marineville became something completely different from 1963 to 1969. I was looking for something new all the time and that’s how I started to hear the Nash, and on the other hand most people were happened and I read Crash by J.G Ballard a early German experimental stuff. into Jimmy Hendrix. I was always very dismiss- few years later in 1973. I got back to London ive about other people’s musical taste and was and wanted to tell him about it so I phoned At some point you moved to Switzerland always trying to turn people on to this or that, him and the first thing he said was “Have you and played over there. Was that when you and trying to find new stuff. One qualification read this book? It’s called Crash”. We were discovered all these krautrock bands? for running a record label is to be a great fan of both unemployed at that time because the film No, it was few years later. God knows, I can’t ideological things. It’s about the music you like. industry was not prospering, so we decided to remember what I heard first: I think it was either You have to have very strong ideas and for me, write a script based on the book, without any Amon Düül or early Can. There was a shop in I have to dislike 99 percent of everything. real vision, just more as an exercise. We spent Guildford in which there was somebody buying quite a lot of time doing it and then nothing the records who was obviously not in sync with really happened with it. I thought that we’d the house policy… So you had all these great free ˆ put so much effort into it that we couldn’t stop jazz records and German imports going for like now. I wanted to use that. I was so familiar with really cheap because no one would buy them. It I was always very the book I wanted to carry it and distil it in a was a good source; that’s where I bought my first three-minute song. Amon Düül record. Once you hear something dismissive about other like that, you think there must be more and you people’s musical taste If I am not mistaken you sold 40,000 units find it out. I remember hearing Can for the first of that song in the first year. time around that time and, you know, that’s how and was always trying to I don’t know. I can’t remember. it evolves. I don’t remember how I specifically turn people on to this or got interested in electronic music per se. There But it was quite a big hit. was a film department that I went to in college. that, and trying to find It went quite well but it wasn’t “a hit”. I don’t There were three tape recorders in the small new stuff know if it was 40,000 but it was a hell of a lot studio and we would do a lot of stuff like tape more than I expected. It became an underground loops and white noise, just basic stuff, exploring. hit, which completely took me by surprise. We were very excited about it; we’d never heard ˇ anything like this before. How did the whole Grace Jones cover Your fascination with Ballard’s writing happen? What kinds of music tribes were there at is quite well documented. Was Warm Chris Blackwell, who was the founder of college at that time? Were you guys considered Leatherette based on the characters from Island Records, was working with her on her as oddballs for playing around with equip- one of the books? new album. Somehow, he heard the single and ment, technology and new kinds of sounds? Well, it’s inspired by the idea of the book. played it in the studio. And then they pressed Not really. On one hand there were guys who I had this kind of artistic partner in college me about publishing because they wanted to were very much into American, country rock and with whom I made music. Then after that we release it so I said “Why not? Sure, go ahead”. singer-songwriter stuff like Crosby, Stills and kind of lost touch. I travelled, lots of things It was pretty naïve, business-wise. 62 The word with

Was it something you were pretty thrilled about or you didn’t really care? I couldn’t quite believe it. It’s not my version, it’s her version but it exposed the song. I guess it was a compliment.

Moving on to Mute, you guys went independent in 2010 after 10 year under EMI’s wing. Was it a purely financial move or were there other creative reasons for you? I decided to sell the company at a certain point because we were having a rough time finan- cially and I was looking for some kind of inves- tor. Because we weren’t doing very well, we didn’t get a lot of response. Just as things got really bad, Moby’s Play album became a worldwide hit and sold 10 million records. It made a huge difference to a company like Mute so we wanted to have a Yazoo’s You and Me Both partner and then all of the sudden everyone wanted to be partners with me. I decided to go with EMI because I had worked with them and like Apparat, SCUM, Big Deal, Beth Jeans Are there any non-Mute artists you love to knew the guy who ran it, who was to become the Houghton, Liars,… All those things are very listen to? head of EMI in Europe. He understood what exciting. We signed a lot of new stuff when we It may sound very closed-minded but when Mute was about. So I just wrote down all of the went independent again. you’re working on so many records it’s very hard things I wanted in terms of control etc and they to listen to music for pure entertainment. I’ll pretty much agreed to everything. Over the years, Are there any “new kids on the block” listen to music when I’m thinking of signing it. EMI started to have problems of their own, new amongst the stuff you’ve heard lately…? Because my head is not in entertainment mode management came in and they didn’t really These guys like Big Deal and SCUM are but in analytical mode. I’m not very good at understand what the culture of Mute was. They all very, very young bands. They’re in their late multi tasking. Of course there is loads of stuff understood why Depeche Mode and Moby were teens or very early 20s. There are all very young out there that is interesting. I’ve been doing some there but not why Mute was there. All of a sudden kids and I like working with young musicians, more DJing recently and I have a radio show in I found myself in an environment that had no young artists, it gives me a big challenge as well. Berlin that I’ve been doing for a really long time. relation to the one I had entered into. I had creative freedom but felt like Mute as a label was going Can you talk to us about Grey Area? Why backwards. I don’t think I’m a very good team ˆ was it important to reissue certain bands’ player and finally EMI and I came to an agree- catalogues? ment whereby I would start a new company and I don’t think I’m a We didn’t start out by saying: “let’s do that”. they would license me the name Mute, some cata- What really happened was that Throbbing logues, and some of the artists would move as well. very good team Gristle stopped working together and they asked So in 2010 I started a new company, which works player and finally us to take over Industrial Records. We were under the name Mute, with pretty much the same friends of theirs and we were fans so we were very, stuff, quite a lot of the same artists and kind of EMI and I came to an very happy to do it. Then all of a sudden I was the same catalogue. Obviously they didn’t let me agreement whereby approached by Can, who were one of my favour- have some of the bigger names but that’s fine. ite bands in my life, I mean they influenced me I would start a new and millions of other musicians. That opportuni- So how exactly have you benefited by going company ty was great and we thought we’d separate the reis- back independent? sues from the Mute frontline of new releases and Well, I do whatever I want. this is where we came up with a separate name: ˇ Grey Area. It’s part-fandom, part-archivist work. Do you still go out a lot and discover new bands? How exactly do you work with them? Are It has a strong cultural element in it… Yeah, I go out fair enough and people come you still in the studio with them or is it Yeah, it’s an important thing to keep this music to see me too. We listen to stuff and decide more like coaching and mentoring? going. When we started the Grey Area it was quite together. The last one I personally brought in It depends. It’s very different from artist easy for those musicians to just to slip out of shops, was probably Apparat. to artist. I usually end up in the studio with slip out of the distribution area and disappear. them at some point or another. Not producing These days it’s less likely to happen because eve- Which bands are you most excited about the record but just helping them finish it, or if rything is on the Internet but still, it’s not just about today and which ones would you love to I have a strong view about a song or some final putting the records out, it’s about helping people bring to Mute? details. It’s a good time for me to get involved whose catalogue may disappear and sometimes it Oh God (laughs). We only sign things to – when everybody else is tired and have heard means reissuing, re-mastering, doing box sets, all Mute if we’re all very excited about it so I’d everything for a hundred times, it’s good to those little things. Things that the fans like, the say all the current projects we’re working on have a pair of fresh ears and a bit of input. artists like. It keeps the music alive. Music 63

How exactly did the Can thing happen? The band owns their masters on Spoon Records, which is the band basically. The person who runs Spoon records is Hildegard Schmidt, the wife of Irmin Schmidt. She’s been taking care of the business side from day one. I met her once in the Rough Trade shop very briefly (I think that they had a license with somebody else and it was running out) and somebody said to her: “You must see Daniel, he’s a huge fan!” So she got in touch, I was flattered, we talked and it all went very well. Because she’s full of energy and ideas we have constantly been reissuing things, making different version, documentaries, books and important things you can bring to the audience.

I’m not a music expert so tell me if it is completely irrelevant but is re-mastering a Can record similar to touching up a Da Vinci for example? just very happy that it was done and they did much you paid for it or is it completely out No, it’s more like cleaning a Da Vinci. It’s it very well, according to policy, respectful. of order? like finding a painting somewhere in the attic I know that it was not Mute but someone else, It is completely out of order (laughs). A lot and trying to make it look like it was in the first but they did their job. I’m happy and I’m not more then I should have. But, the way I see it is: place. So it’s not changing the picture, it’s getting possessive about it. if you’re a guitarist and the guitar that Jimmy back to how the artist originally saw it. It’s not Hendrix played Purple Haze on went for sale, mixing, it’s just mastering. Taking the original it would just be priceless. It’s even more than master tape and readjusting it so that it sounds ˆ that because Hendrix played on a Fender as good as possible on the CD. You know, when Stratocaster but this was a one-off, never to CDs first came out, people wanted to put eve- We thought we’d be repeated piece, so it is expensive but I’m rything on CD, but they didn’t really have the delighted that I acquired it. technology or the understanding of how to separate the reissues make it work. There were a lot of CDs that were from the Mute frontline Who did you buy it off? basically shit. The technology was not there nor It was actually sold by the band. I didn’t the experience. 25 years later things got so much of new releases and know Ralf Hütter (the leader of Kraftwerk) was better. That’s why you re-master CDs: because this is where we came selling it. What’s funny is that I know him a bit the old ones didn’t sound very good. and it was on eBay. But as it was under a different up with a separate name: name, I had no idea it was him. Then one day This might be an obvious one: why did you Grey Area. It’s part- I get an email saying, “Daniel, you gotta check decide to call it the Grey Area? this out, you might be interested”, with the link I don’t think I did, it was the guy running fandom, part-archivist to the vocoder auction. A colleague of mine is a Mute – John Mcrobie, who no longer works work big eBay person; he understands the tricks etc. here – who came up with it. He started the so I asked him to bid on it in his name. At the idea of doing it and oversaw the Grey Area. end Ralf figured out that it was me and I figured It is kind of hard to play with words really: ˇ out he was selling direct. I think he felt a bit bad industrial grey, grey area, in between things… about how much it was, so he made this lovely the vague zone. Obviously, anybody is going to say this – stuff like a special authenticity certificate for me. especially if you are running an independ- How do you pick which bands’ catalogues ent label – this is not a commercial venture Is it the kind of thing you’d insure? you are going to reissue? for you? Absolutely! It’s not replaceable. Partly, what is available then things we like Well, it all has to be commercial at some of course. We tried to do Neu! for about 10 point. Can have been commercially success- You must have some pretty insane electric- years and we failed. Neu! is really what I wanted ful, Cabaret Voltaire as well. All those things ity bills at home! to do because nobody released CDs at that time, don’t sell very much every week but we’ve been It’s not cheap. Problem is: you just never there were a lot of bootlegs. We had individual working with these catalogues for years and really switch this off; it’s too risky to switch off! agreements with members of the band but the years and they continue to sell. Every time we band could not agree between themselves. It was re-promote it, we sell some more. It’s important Is there still a piece of equipment that is on a long struggle. Do you know Grönemeyer? income for us and it’s important income for the your wish list? artists as well. No, not really. I’ve got too much stuff No, I can’t say I do. anyway as it is. He’s a big German star, he persuaded them A lot has been made about the Kraftwerk to work with him on his label, Grönland. I was vocoder you bought. Can you tell me how mute.com 64 The playlist

Pieter Dirkx Young Belgian filmmaker Pieter Dirkx, a graduate from Antwerp’s Royal Fine Arts Academy and St Lucas in Brussels and whose movies have been shown at renowned film festivals from Cannes to Montreal, has just finished what is possibly his most prominent work to date: the music video for “Maniac”, the latest single of celebrated Brooklyn indie rock band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Other than that he was recently invited to the Küstendorf festival by cinema legend Emir Kusturica and is now working on a feature film about an alternate reality where redheads are considered as evil. We asked him to put together what a grey playlist would sound like to him.

Illustrator Virassamy

Visage Geinoh Yamashirogumi Fade to Grey Kaneda Polydor Victor Music Industries, Demon Records/JVC Records An obligatory choice for this list! This song Akira is one of the things that inspired me always makes me wish I had experienced the the most to become a filmmaker. It’s the 80s more consciously. most sombre, gloomy animated film I know. The soundtrack is unlike anything else you’ll ever hear and it matches the richly detailed, highly desaturated artwork perfectly.

Clogs The Owl of Love Brassland Records This sounds like it could have been written by Monteverdi and it features guest vocals by my friend Shara Worden from Grizzly Bear “My Brightest Diamond”. The song is about Deep Blue Sea an owl that’s awake at night and goes to 4AD sleep in the grey morning light. Daniel Rossen and Ed Droste sing about a blue sea, but whenever I hear this song Wild Beasts I imagine whales and jellyfish swimming so Albatross deep that the water becomes dark grey. It’s Domino an especially simple song to Grizzly Bear’s Another song about birds! This one features standards, but one of their finest. Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark an albatross crossing the vast, cold oceans. 2nd Thought Hayden Thorpe and Tom Fleming both DinDisc have amazing voices and I hope they’ll keep Andrew Morgan For me, “Organisation” is OMD’s best writing many more songs like this. Five Paintings album. It also has the most beautiful and Broken Horse appropriate cover image. The photograph If grey had a vocal equivalent, Andrew of the desolate volcanic landscape puts the Morgan’s voice would come pretty close. This music in an entirely different light. almost unknown album is perfect winter music. Music 65

My Brightest Diamond The Cure Bright Eyes She Does Not Brave the War A Forest Road To Joy Asthmatic Kitty Rhino Records Saddle Creek This is a beautiful song about the unnotice- Any song by The Cure could go on this Conor Oberst’s dark and bleak lyrics often able women who work like crazy to take care list, but “A Forest” is still one of their most make a great contrast with his upbeat music, of their families without getting the recogni- haunting ones. and this is one of his most pessimistically tion that heroes usually do. cheerful tunes. “If you’re asked to fight a war Clare & the Reasons that’s over nothing, it’s best to join the side Everybody Wants to Rule the World that’s gonna win,” is probably the one line Fargo Records he’ll be remembered for the most. This cover of the Tears for Fears song has a wonderful arrangement for strings. I bought Moonface the album during the stormy holidays in Marimba and Shit-Drums Brittany where I made my very first short Jagjaguwar film on the stony grey beaches of Camaret- This bold song by Spencer Krug from Wolf Sur-Mer. This music was the soundtrack to Parade and Sunset Rubdown is made up many location hunting trips. entirely of marimba, synthesised drums and many layers of voices. It’s as unusual as its Modest Mouse silver cover artwork. Float On Epic Isaac Brock has the most nuanced, ironic lyrics I’ve ever heard. With witty album titles like “Good News For People Who Love Bad The Shins News”, ’We Were Dead Before the Ship The Past and Pending Even Sank’ and ’No One’s First And You’re Warner Bros. Records Next’, nothing is every really black or white After hearing this for about a thousand for Modest Mouse. times, I can still say this is probably one of my favorite songs ever. A perfect song for when it’s really bad weather outside!

Mew Sometimes Life Isn’t Easy Sony This song comes from my favorite album of theirs called “No More Stories Are Told Animal Collective Today I’m Sorry They Washed Away No Brother Sport More Stories the World Is Grey I’m Tired Domino Let’s Wash Away”. The title summarises the If Visage let us fade to grey, Animal melancholic tone of the songs very well. Collective can let us fade back to bright colors. They’re one of my favorite bands Arcade Fire because of how they reinvented music to No Cars Go create their unique sound. It evokes the most Merge Sergei Rachmaninoff vibrant, psychedelic images. Brother Sport For me this is the most beautiful Arcade Fire Isle of the Dead is their most epic song to date and makes song, both lyrically and musically. It’s about London all imagination-stimulating substances the blurry moment where you fall asleep and I love almost everything by Rachmaninoff, obsolete. dreams start to take shape. For the sake of but this is one of his most chilling composi- extra greyness I’d choose the much rougher, tions. It was inspired by Arnold Böcklin’s original version from their self-titled EP. famous paintings that show a man in a boat approaching a dark island on misty waters. Woodkid Iron Green United Music My Morning Jacket This song has one of the most impressive Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Pt. 2 black and white music videos I’ve ever seen. Rough Trade It shows many different kinds of warriors There’s a lot of songs I like to play when it’s being bombarded with black smoke in front raining, and this is another one that always of a plain grey background. makes me want to sit under a warm blanket.

Over 1.000.000.000 images There are have been uploaded to Instagram since it launched in October 2010,

the same price Facebook recently paid for it. 7 photography In Belgium, 1 million galleries photographs are uploaded to in Belgium Facebook everyday The photography sp ecial

Belgium has Apple has sold more than 218 million

iPhones 2photography museums

An average of

110 million digital cameras were shipped 250 around the globe in 2011 million photographs are uploaded daily to Facebook 68 The specials papers

BNT by Pica Pica Dieudonné Cartier’s Selection of collection Selection of collection n°002 (Slides)

Nicholas Gottlund Nicholas Gottlund Nicholas Gottlund © Pauline Miko Benoit Grimalt’s Trésor caché de la Côte d’Azur Jurgen Maelfeyt’s The Swing (APE) Jurgen Maelfeyt’s The Swing (APE)

publishing a zine in your new adoptive country Theophile Calot and Eleonore Joulin are A photo-zine can help to set your feet more firmly on your new a young and dynamic French couple also based turf. And it’s true that zines can communicate in in Brussels. He publishes zines and distributes a very direct language; that of the present image, free copies with his bike at openings, organ- a day keeps without the need for too many words. ising small press salons in the hip and trendy Benoit Grimalt is French, likes experi- corners of Europe, while she collects images of the doctor mental music and weird movies and once Chernobyl and the Titanic, representing these photographed Jean-Luc Godard for French iconic disasters in oversized zines. Not the newspaper Liberation. His work often betrays oldest, but one of the earliest in the zine pub- away a kind of distant humour as well as the irony of lishing scene is Bartolomé Sanson’s Kaugummi everyday life. He organises gigs in the city and which he founded in 2005 and whose pages From the DIY movement to organisations like photocopies raw zines and flyers for distribu- have featured photographers like Alec Soth Self Publish Be Happy, the zine scene’s never tion at parties. One of his zines is called Trésor and Todd Hido, all before Sanson himself been quite as lively as in recent years. And this Caché de la Côte d’Azur and is published by reached 25. Working with artists from his own is particularly true for the photography variety. Poursuite Editions. It’s printed with a riso- generation, he discovered photographers like From Erik Van der Weijde to Ed Templeton and graph, the ancestor to the Xerox machine, using Jeff Luker before he was hired by Levis to shoot the New York Book Art Fair, to photo-blogs like a process that produces bright colors, something the Go Forth Campaign. After publishing more One Year of Books or Little Brown Mushroom, that’s coming back into fashion in the zine scene. than 130 titles, Bartolomé stopped Kaugummi it’s not just going on a mission to collect them The Swing is another risographed and won- last summer and has moved on to a new project that’s getting more and more popular; publish- derfully psychedelic zine produced by Flemish called Shelter Press that will feature the creme ing is now all the rage too. So what about Belgian designer Jurgen Maelfeyt that’s filled with de la creme of photography… to be continued, photo zines then? We’ve chosen a non-exhaus- pictures of the cosmos. A couple of years ago, xeroxed, sold out and reprinted. (FA) tive collection: spontaneous, fast, teenager-ish, Jurgen created Art Paper Editions in Ghent, a egotistical, brilliant – and cheap. They’re an small publishing imprint that focuses on con- benoit.grimalt.free.fr artistic balancing act between punk and concep- temporary art and design as well as random poursuite-editions.org tualism. Many of the zines listed here are pro- images of girls fighting in the mud or surrealistic artpapereditions.org duced by foreigners living in Belgium, as though collages of breasts encountering watches. kaugummi.fr The photography special 69

The possibility of landscape

First, let’s sit on a rock and think: what is a landscape made of? The colour green? The absence of urbanism? Can a landscape even exist without the human eye? Perhaps Jan Kempenaers asked himself these questions when he shot the images for Spomenik and The Picturesque. Spomenik is a series of abstract, monumental and almost cosmic images of landmarks in the former Yugoslavia. Grey con- crete figures stand muted in the middle of iso- lated fields, somewhere between Tarkowski’s zone in his movie Stalker and Camille Corot’s French countryside cliché. The treatment of this very graphic and silent subject may take its cues from the school of photography known as the New Topgraphics and led by Lewis Baltz, Robert Adams, The Becher and the likes. It’s also interesting to know that when the Belgian photographer travelled to the former Yugoslavia, he sometimes had to make draw- ings of what he was looking for for the locals: difficult to reach battlegrounds and monu- ments, witnesses to World War II, from a time when the Balkans constituted one single force and wanted to be remembered as such, places where the landscape had experienced so much change that their meaning had turned into a riddle. We met Jan Kempeners in Ghent at the Kiosk Gallery at HOGENT art school, and he was just a couple of weeks shy of presenting his PhD “In search of The Picturesque”. His work- in-progress was to be exhibited by the gallery in conjunction with a monumental sculpture by Karsten Fodinger, a beautiful and cold gigantic metal cage called, in clever paradox, “Void”. This white cube, unfolded into several rooms, featured photographs you might have encoun- tered in books by independent art publishers ROMA. It’s interesting to meet pictures hung vertically on a wall when you’re used to enjoy- ing them up close in the privacy of a book, or in jpeg form, reblogged on your tumblr. Suddenly, in the three dimensional space of the gallery, the images appear and they don’t belong to you anymore; they’re bigger, stronger and more

mysterious. An image faces you, as if it had © Sarah Eechaut its own eye, and you almost exchange glances. Islands touching the sea, grey ruins, trees in the snow, falling stones depicting the loss and Menders and Roger Willems, and document- and Aglaia Konrad. For more than 20 years, the passage of time that is as romantic as it is as-subject is a crucial part of their work. ROMA has shown the art world how the art political. Jan Kempeners took his inspiration ROMA has published many art books since book is sometimes even more important than from books, the very books that led him to the 1998, from editions of two copies to 150, 000, the exhibition itself… standing still like a rock landscapes he decided to shoot. And with the and they’re considered major players in the in the face of the grinding passage of time. (FA) landscapes captured on camera, Kempeners is field of contemporary art books. Their ever- making more books. The publishers at ROMA growing catalogue includes artists such as jankempenaers.info are two accomplished artist themselves: Mark Nigel Shafran, Batia Suter, Dirk Braeckman romapublications.org 70 The specials papers

The ones to watch Being a magazine with somewhat of a penchant for photography, we’re in the rather enviable position of receiving a great deal of portfolios on any given day. And, although the majority of them are good, only a handful manage to get our attention and capture our imaginations. Here are four of those series which we’ve been particularly keen on lately.

Sarah Carlier Habitus

With her series “Habitus”, Belgian-born photographer Sarah Carlier, currently based in Holland, carefully observes and explores the long lasting, worn-out habits of people with an intimate and sensitive eye. For one year she studied the personal environments of people living in West Flanders and The Hague, focusing on revealing the remains of a traditional way of life in the midst of today’s modern society. “I don’t want to put a finger on urgent social issues – my focal point is the human existence as such,” Sarah explains. “My goal is to let people see the world from a different angle,” something she skillfully accomplished with “Habitus”.

Sarah’s works are currently exhibited in Antwerp’s FotoMuseum, Amsterdam’s Tropenmuseum and at the Stroom art center in The Hague. Her book “Four years, three deaths, sweaty armpits and a fetus,” has been nominated for the Dutch-Doc Award 2012. sarahcarlier.nl The photography special 71

Quentin de Wispelaere Burning flowers

After having been trained as an airline pilot in the US, Quentin, born in Mons and based in Brussels, took up photography studies at La Cambre. With his “Burning flowers” series, he picks up the subject of the fast decay and strikingly vivid mortality of flowers: “I wanted to make a series about nature, human intervention, aesthetics and destruc- tion.” Quentin spent two nights somewhere in a lost forest in the Belgian countryside shooting flowers, symbolising their passing away by burning them. “I wanted a more radical and obvious way of killing flowers than cutting them, so I decided to put some fuel on them and light a fire.” Through the use of special chemicals, he succeeded in making the flames appear in different colours, creating a mesmerising and vibrating visual effect.

Quentin will soon be covering Paris fashion week (he is especially looking forward to Raf Simon’s debut show for Dior). quentindewispelaere.com 72 The specials papers

Vincent Delbrouck As dust alights

Vincent Delbrouck is a 36 year old photographer based in Loupoigne, Belgium who also practices shiatsu therapeutic massages. His series “As dust alights”, which he has been working on for the past four years, is a way for him to, as he puts it, “share with images the energy I get from the periods I was travelling in Nepal and India.” Imbued of a resolutely intrinsic approach to photography, Vincent’s work sits somewhere in between auto-fiction and poetry, staying clear of casting any kind of westernised filter on the elements he chooses to capture: “There is a flow. And maybe a fiction you can imagine with all that: the characters, the animals, the stones, the trees, the colors and the light.”

Vincent currently has a solo show at Cardiff’s Third Floor gallery and is working on a new book for ’As dust alights’. vincentdelbrouck.be The photography special 73

Lara Mennes Capturing the sensible

Born and based in Antwerp, with a Masters in Fine Arts from Central Saint Martins, Lara’s series “Capturing the sensible” is a search for memoirs in architecture, an archive of the forgotten artefacts of a building’s inner being, those that leave a trace of its past human activity. Capturing the interiors of a school, a hospital and a semi-industrial building, the series looks for meaning in what is usually destined to be demolished and disregarded. Lara’s work stops time and gives cause for thought. “I always work on different projects at the same time and for a long period. This one took about two years. I think it is important that a project has time to grow and develop.”

Lara is currently working on a permanent installation for the garden of the Emile van Doren Museum in Genk, titled “Dans l’ombre du coin perdu.” She will also be taking part in the group show “Between Stories” running from 19th August until 14th October in Genk. laramennes.be 74 The festival

Bozar’s summer of photography Bozar’s bi-annual platform for international photography kicks of on 14th June, uniting over 30 museums and other cultural organisations in a two month-long programme of exhibitions and talks around one central theme – landscape. In its fourth edition, the biennial spreads out across Brussels, Antwerp, Charleroi, Ostend, Knokke-Heist and Hornu. Here, we select four shows to be pencilled into your agendas.

1. Sense of place

Drawing on more than 160 works from 40 European photographers, this exhibition, the festival’s main one, takes a look at the evolving nature of the relationship between man and environment. More specifically, the show seeks to illustrate how today’s landscape has been shaped by the modern day realities of a post-industrial society marred by concerns for its environmental future.

Traditionally a focal point of photography, © Elina Brotherus landscapes as we knew them have drastically changed over the years – appropriated, manipulated and redefined to suit man’s many needs – and, with that, so to has our interactions with them. Demonstrating the importance of the surroundings in shaping the individual, the show is separated into three geographical sections – Northern, Central and Mediterranean Europe – and proves that Europe isn’t merely a political space, but also a place with personal meaning.

From 14th June to 19th September Bozar, Brussels

bozar.be © Ilkka Halso © Massimo Vitali The photography special 75 © Pieter Hugo

2. Bamako encounters

This ninth edition of the internationally reputed Rencontres de Bamako has as its central theme “For a sustainable world”. Drawing on over 280 photographs and 10 videos, the show reveals the underbelly of European landscapes, presenting a diverse regional view of horizons that serve to illustrate the environmental situation on the African continent. With the customary poetic narrative African photographers have been known for, the exhibition exemplifies the interconnectedness of landscapes in today’s globalised world, proving that what happens in Europe is of importance in Africa, and

© Khalil Nemmaoui vice-versa. One of the strongest initiatives to grow out of the continent, and one which has done more than any other to establish Africa as an art force to be reckoned with, especially in terms of its photographic talent.

3. De Buren (The neighbours)

Brussels-based couple Merel ’t Hart and Luk Vander Plaetse have been roaming The Netherlands’ urban landscape in a rented trailer for the past two years now, exploring notions of Dutch chastity and freedom through their mesmerising series on a very specific architectural characteristic: the large window panes of Dutch houses that allow, invite nearly, passers-by to peer through. A striking statement of independence and transparency, the photographs capture houses and their inhabitants at dusk, when natural light disappears and artificial light takes over. A painstaking work of research and authorisation requests, the work, a series of large format prints, is exhibited in Brussels for the first time.

From 30th June to 1st September Centre Culturel Jacques Franck, Brussels lejacquesfranck.be The photography special 77

Three additional events for your agendas

1. Meet the Artists Symposium on landscape photography with Massimo Vitali, Pedro Cabrita Reis, Céline Clanet and Vesselina Nikolaeva and Liz Wells (curator of the exhibition 4. Sense of Place). Viewpoint – Point of view Bozar, Brussels Inspired by the series Barriers-European 14th June from 14h Neighbouring, that documented the evolving function of borders in Europe, the exhibition Viewpoint-Point of View 2. sees life from a tourist standpoint. Taking as “Landscapes in contemporary Czech starting point the areas from which tourists photography and in my own work.” photograph certain landscapes, the images Lecture by Pavel Banka, photographer on show emphasise the imposed and dictated and editor in chief of Fotograf magazine. way in which we are told to view certain landscapes. With a focal point and a picture Bozar, Brussels frame pre-determined for us, the comfort 16th June from 18h30 of the viewer seems to lie in the restriction of choice in viewpoints. Four images from the original series will be shown alongside 3. new work, all presented by photographer Recyclart evening projection Michiel De Cleene. A selection of photographers show their own vision of the relationship between From 14th June to 16th September nature and city. Cultuurcentrum Strombeek Grimbergen ccstrombeek.be 26th July from 20h recyclart.be

Bozar’s summer of photography will be running from 14th June through to 16th September in over 20 locations around Belgium. summerofphotography.be

The festival’s catalogue is available from the BOZAR Shop. bozarshop.com 78 The nomination

A stamp of approval We asked six greats of Belgian photography to nominate one emerging Belgian photographer that got their stamp of approval. There’s nothing like getting anointed by those that paved the way for you.

Stephan Vanfleteren’s nomination Thomas Sweertvaegher The photography special 79

Dirk Braeckman nominates Max Pinckers

One of the most prominent photographers of his generation, Dirk Braeckman is known for his grey-scaled works that owe as much to his acute sense of composition as to his restrained approach (he sometimes doesn’t develop his rolls years after having shot them). A teacher at Ghent’s Academy for Fine Arts (Kask), Dirk picked Max Pinckers as his nomination.

What attracted you to Max’s work? What strikes me most in Max’s work is that he developed a new approach, something I haven’t seen before. He works within a documentary context yet leans towards staged photography, always express- ing a form of theatricality. This grey area in between is where Max’s images find themselves.

What would you like to see him develop? What I would like to see more of in Max’s work has just arrived with his new series, “The Fourth Wall.” His first series “Lotus,” based on transsexuals in Thailand, had a very sensational edge to it. The new work is moving away from this and achieving a more mysterious feel.

What would you advise him in terms of his work and career? Don’t be put off of by gallerists and keep doing your own thing.

maxpinckers.be

Gilbert Fastenaekens nominates Clément Montagne

His sombre, mysterious and slightly haunting nocturnal studies are what made Belgian photographer Gilbert Fastenaekens famous. Living and working in Brussels, he focuses especially on urban landscapes, industrial structures and city views, referencing the German and French schools of landscape photography and promoting a documentary style. His nomination: Clément Montagne.

What attracted you to Clément’s work? What I really like about Clément’s photographs is the atmosphere they reveal. I like the spirit of the images. And Clément doesn’t just take photographs: He also creates his own, personal hand-crafted books with the images he takes.

How did you discover Clément? Actually in a rather incestuous way: He was my student at Brussels’ ERG school. At the time I met him he was already well-educated by another former student of mine: Fréderic Barthes. That made it much easier for me!

What advice would you have for him? What’s most important is to have confidence in yourself and what you do. And he should not pay too much attention to the rapidly changing nature of photography and contemporary art – the developments are just too fast. There’s no point in trying to keep up with that. 80 The nomination

Stephan Vanfleteren nominates Thomas Sweertvaegher

Kortrijk-born photographer Stephan Vanfleteren started his career at De Morgen, going on to make a name for himself beyond Belgian borders with his striking portraits fraught with social commentary of individuals living on the fringes of society. The winner of the World Press Photo award and the prestigious Henri Nannen prize, he is known for his powerful black and white photography, as radical as it is sensitive. Besides a well-documented love affair with his home country, he also aims his lens on conflict zones in Afghanistan and Kosovo. Stephan’s pick: Ghent-based Thomas Sweertvaegher.

Why did you choose Thomas? I am fascinated by his series on skateboarders. He shows a whole different world from its very inside. And I find the liberty, the slightly anarchic, hippie life of the people shown in these photos very appealing.

What is it that you like about his work? He is part of this sociotope and you can see the trust and intimacy in Thomas’ images. That’s why, even though I have a lot of experience, I would never be able to take the same pictures. I really like that he exposes a part of society in a way that’s rarely seen – not from the outside, but from within.

switnphoto.com

Harry Gruyaert nominates Bieke Depoorter

With a special focus on the subtleties of light and the power of colour, Gruyaert’s work has for the last 30 years stayed clear of any clichés. A member of legendary photo agency Magnum since 1981, the Antwerp-born photographer is especially famous for his portrayal of Morocco, a country that has continued to fascinate him throughout the years. Harry Gruyaert picked Bieke Depoorter as his nomination.

What attracted you to Bieke’s work? I really like her personal approach. Her images are very intimate, very personal. She builds a relationship with the people she photographs and sleeps over at their houses for example. And her photographs are always well-composed, also colour-wise.

What would you like to see her develop? I’ll leave that completely up to her.

What would you advise her in terms of her work and career? The only advice I have for Bieke is to be herself. biekedepoorter.be The photography special 81

Marie-Françoise Plissart nominates David De Beyter

Living and working in Brussels, Marie-Françoise Plissart is the author of a number of books, many originating from the collaboration with her former partner Benoît Peeters. In 2001 she started a second career as a filmmaker with her first documentary, “L’occupation des sols”, and in 2004 she received the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale of Architecture for her captivating images of Congo’s capital Kinshasa. But most of the time Plissart directs her lense on her home country, as in a series entirely shot from Brussels’ rooftops or in her works on the renovation of the Atomium. Her nomination: David De Beyter.

What attracted you to David’s work? What I like in his work is his adventurous, exploratory side. There is this sense of freedom about what he does. David is someone who organises his vision of the world without hesitation and feels completely at ease jumping into a collective memory. My favourite image is the one with the light-painted house. It is obviously staged and this staging is intrinsically photographic. It would not make sense in another medium.

What advice would you have for him? I know that he’s already done staging with several people (for example a group of friends sitting in a tree). That image was full of promise regarding his capacity of uniting people, arranging them in a certain way and composing a situation. I’d really like to see more of that.

Serge Leblon nominates Laetitia Jeurissen

Belgian-born photographer Serge Leblon’s distinctive visual narrative has been shaped through years of shooting for some of the world’s most important fashion publications, from Another Magazine and Dazed & Confused to Purple and Self Service. With countless exhibitions paying tribute to his work and a new monography about to be launched, Serge is without a doubt one of the great fashion photographers of his time. He currently is based in Brussels, and picked Laetitia Jeurissen as his nomination.

What attracted you to Laetitia’s work? Her capacity to decentralise and bring a critical and human eye on our society. Her refusal to give in to technology and her attachment to the essence of photography’s history. Her use of analogue photography which is rare nowadays and requires a more consistent preparation of the subject.

Why did you select her? I had noticed her work at one of La Cambre’s end of year shows.

What would you like to see her develop? I’d like to see her fine-tune her narrative as well as her technique and find the tone that suits her best. 82 The object

Man vs. machine Some shoot digital, others shoot analogue. Some use medium format, whilst others religiously use large format. Most, however, aren’t defined by the camera they use although they very much see their choice of equipment as an extension of their work. Here we profile three Belgian photographers’ cameras.

Photographer Sarah Eechaut

Satoru Toma

Brussels-based Japanese photographer Satoru Toma seeks out the marginal landscapes, a city’s behind-the-scenes wilderness. His recent book Ask the Cat, published by Le Caillou Bleu, documents a walk along Brussels’ boundaries.

Satoru is photographed with his Toyofild 45-A. “(I like it for) its slowness as well as its format and huge precision.”

Satoru will be taking part in a group show dedicated to contemporary Belgian photography at Bucharest’s MNAC from 30th May 2012. satorutoma.com The photography special 83

Michel Mazzoni

Michel Mazzoni is based in Brussels since 2007. His work explores notions of time, space and territory and is a constant balancing act between light, focal point and frame. He has more recently been focusing his attention on places which history seems to have touched and abandoned. Michel has published three books (Zones, Straight in the light and God’s left eye) and is represented by Anyspace gallery.

Michel is photographed with his Linhof Technica. “I’ve lately been using the Linhof quite a lot. I like this model because it’s fold- able, is very precise and extremely reliable. I also like working with it because it demands a lot of reflection.”

michelmazzoni.com

Frederik Heyman

Antwerp-based photographer Frederik Heyman mostly works in fashion and advertising. His conceptual and futuristic work has resulted in commissions for everyone from Vogue Homme Japan and Metal Magazine to Bruno Pieters and Kenzo.

Frederik is photographed with his Canon Eos 5D, mark II. “The 5D is fast, sharp and easy to handle in complex surroundings.”

Frederik has a solo show, Pen PALS, at Base Alpha Gallery in Antwerp starting 17th May. frederikheyman.com 84 The reversal

The hunter becomes the hunted… We often wonder what the photographers that hide behind some of our favourite portraits look like, so we asked one of them to turn the lens on herself for once and describe the experience.

Jens Veerle

Lisa Athos The photography special 85

Self-portrait

Géraldine Van Wessem Ghent-based Géraldine is a 27 year old portrait photographer who first started taking photographs at the age of 22.

“I found facing the camera quite strange, I thought it would have been easier. I found it hard to focus, to get a concentrated expression. It is strange to think about what a picture of me should look like: of how I should present myself, of what light and what colours I should use. The picture is rather undefined and I look really reserved, but I guess that’s also why I feel better behind the camera. At the same time I was very curious about how the image would look on the ground glass. I am always very nervous when I take someone’s picture, but somehow looking at the ground glass is a moving experience.”

geraldinevanwessem.com 86 The round table

Is the photography book the new exhibition ?

We met in the art nouveau sanctuary for Belgian photography L’Espace Contretype to talk about the future of the photography books and how it might or not become the future of exhibitions. Jean-Louis Godefroid opened Contretype in 1978 in his apartment when he was still a student, and now runs the major contemporary center for photography in the Hotel Hannon, in Saint Gilles / Sint Gillis. Fabrice Wagner created his publishing house Le Caillou Bleu 10 years ago, and since then has defended a very concerned and humanist point of view on photography. Bartolomé Sanson founded the zine and cassettes publishing house Kaugummi in 2005 before bringing an end to it in favour of new imprint Shelter Press in 2011.

A conversation moderated by Felicia Atkinson Photographer Grégoire Pleynet The photography special 87

Felicia Atkinson — Since Martin Parr pub- then the photography world didn’t really reach to be available for the biggest audience possi- lished the Anthology of the Photobooks, the Belgium. We didn’t have such museums as ble without losing its personality, and that’s a importance and value of photo books have Charleroi or FOMU, and the art world wasn’t big challenge. Another challenge is each time been acknowledged by a wider world. It was so much concerned about photography in gal- I publish an unknown artist, who doesn’t have also a way to bring to the crowd the access leries… The only access to see photography any history in the photo world. But the chal- to some very rare books that one could not was through books. There was a library at lenge can also be in the run I choose for a book. easily collect. With those two large volumes, school and our teachers had books too. They For example with the monograph of Elina everyone could all of a sudden discover an would also show us some slides during classes. Brotherus I am publishing now, we decided to ideal library that was previously only open for And then, one day, in a second-hand book- handle a large print run, which means taking a specialists. store, I found “Nothing Personal” by Richard risk with costs. Each time the dynamic is dif- I would like to ask you to introduce your Avedon and James Baldwin. It was a very large ferent, but remains crucial, in the conscience self while choosing one book that inspired you format, with close-ups and portraits. It was the of the crisis that stands now, where book- to do what you do and tell us why and how… first book I saw that wasn’t just a monograph. store returns 40 percent of the books to the It was a shock. publishers, when they used to send back only 15 percent. You need to be very aware of those matters nowadays.

J-LG — With Contretype, we first published three or four books and then we realised that was another job than curating a space, and we decided to ask real publishers, such as Fabrice, to help us. Each book we would decide to co- publish would be related to our space: a residency, an exhibition… We can’t afford to do differently. The challenge stands in terms of subject and meaning. To exist, a book needs to Fabrice Wagner — I remember a book be bought, which means being considered in I bought in 1998 called “Photographs” by Bartolomé Sanson — I created the short and long term at the same time. Emmet Gowin. It gathers images of his family Kaugummi Books in 2005 in Brittany, when with pictures taken from a plane and some I was very young. I didn’t know anything about FA — What about the increased speculation foreign landscapes. This book has been men- the photo world, who was famous or who for books online? tioned now by Martin Parr as a very impor- was not, I could publish in the same book a tant title, but back then I had no idea of its photograph of Alec Soth and one by a young FW — The succes of a book is also depend- value when I purchased it. At this time Le unknown teenager from Norway... The book ent on the energy of the photographer itself but Caillou Bleu wasn’t existing yet, but it was that I would choose is pretty recent but gathers also from the hype of the moment of course. the year that my first child was born, and the I think all my recents concerns. “Directory” Think Engstrom or Alec Soth, whose books premise of the imprint: I would name it “the blue by Ari Marcopoulos, co-published by Nieves get sold out in a very short time. They are tas- stone” after watching him painting stones in blue and Rizzoli. This book is the size of a phone temakers in the photography world now with at his grandfather’s… This question of filiation book,1400 pages of photocopies with a signed blogs like Photoeye or Ahorn, places such as is crucial to me. The book by Emmet Gowin was print inside. It is rare, modern, precious and LE BAL in Paris or Dashwood in New York, showing something I was looking for for a long cheap. It is an incredible sum of work, very and bookfairs like Offprint or Kassel. time, a very unique way of treating everyday well thought, where the design is completely life and the family portrait. I was still living in serving the concept… It’s a retrospective and a FA — But isn’t there a danger to just do a very Strasbourg, where there were very few photog- contemporary object. I think it brings togeth- catchy design to win another photoprize and raphy exhibitions, and this book was like the er all of the parameters that a photo book get sold out asap? first entrance for me to the photography world. should endorse. BS — When you take a book like Tokyo FA — What is the book that you published that Suburbia by Takashi Homma, a photographer was the most challenging to you? that I love, it is weird how the book is now so expensive! It seems that it’s not anymore about FW — I would answer very radically: each what’s inside the book but just about the value book I published had its own challenge! I need and speculation, and that’s frightening. to be behind each book if I want him to have a chance, at each step of its process. I realise JLG — We should’t forget that the key for a this every day! I chose the big distribution photo book is not the subject or the design, but game with a European stockist, but first, when the point of view of the artist! I see a photogra- I began I was bringing the titles to the book- pher as a poet: I want to defend his special sight stores myself. I realised very quickly, in the over the world. first hours of my work, the ambiguity of the Jean-Louis Godefroid — I created job: one bookseller would by 15 copies where shelter-press.com Contretype in 1978 when something needed one would just take one to try and see. For me, contretype.org to be done in Brussels for photography. Back one of my main concerns is that the book has cailloubleu .com 88 The round up

Photographers… and everyone around them Painters can just pick up their paintbrushes and let loose on a canvas. Photographers, on the other hand, need a whole micro- system of specialists – printers, framers, air brushers – to get to the final result. In a bid to shine a light on those professions essential to the photographic process, we profile four artisans without whom none of this would be possible.

Photographer Veerle Frissen

The reseller Campion

Michel Campion’s second hand camera shop, nestled in the heart of Brussels’ Matonge district, has something of a museum feel to it: The small space is filled with countless cameras, focal lenses and vintage leather bags of all kinds and shapes. The 69 year old, who took the business over from his mother in 1973, has built what could be considered a true shrine to the photography of the past, with a large and varied selection of analogue models. “Children and grandchildren come here to sell the cameras they inherited from their parents and grandparents, mostly trading them in for new digital cameras in our first hand shop across the street,” Campion explains. Amongst the plethora of archaic equipment, a gold-plated Swedish Hasselblad (¤5,000) stands out, as well as the rare cameras dating back to the 19th century. On the way advances in technology have affected his business, Campion is unequivocal: “There will always be a niche for it, just as for vinyls.”

Rue Saint-Boniface 13 Bonifaasstraat – 1050 Brussels The photography special 89

The framer Mertens

When artist Peter Mertens couldn’t find anyone building frames to his liking, he decided to give it a shot himself. Soon he was making frames for his friends too and as the demand grew he started his own framing studio in Amsterdam in 1988. Since then the business has grown immensely, including the opening of a second studio in Brussels 12 years ago. Eppo Dehaes, who was taught all about framing by Mertens himself, has managed the Brussels branch for quite some time now and keeps up the tradition and high-quality practice, which is reputed for not using any standard production items. Having developed its own framing system, Mertens has a proper wood workshop where every frame is assembled and painted by hand. “Patience, attention to detail and precision are crucial,” says Dehaes, who studied painting at St Luc in Brussels. Specialising in contemporary art and especially photography, Mertens’ roaster of clients include art galleries Xavier Hufkens and Catherine Bastide as well as prominent painters such as Luc Tuymans.

Rue Antoine Dansaertstraat 188 – 1000 Brussels mertensframes.com 90 The round up

The printer Jazz Colorlab

André Jasinski (53) started out as a photographer himself, having studied photography at Brussels’ St Luc school. After years of developing his own black and white photographs, he switched to colour photography, but was never quite satisfied with the prints he received from the various labs he tried. Finally Jasinski, who also worked for Brussels’ center for photography Contretype, decided to learn the craft himself in a laboratory in Canada. When he came back to Belgium 12 years ago he founded his own print shop and today Jazz Colorlab is one of the very few places remaining that still employs the rare method of handmade chemical photo processing from analogue films. “After the overwhelming success of digital photography I think I might actually be the only one in Belgium,” he tells us. His clients, professional artists for the most part, come from as far a place as Finland, as photographer Elina Brotherus for example.

Rue de Flandre 29 Vlamsesteenweg – 1000 Brussels The photography special 91

The printer Atelier KZG

What Jazz Colorlab does for analogue cameras, Atelier KZG does for its digital counterparts. Founder Gaëtan Massaut (36) and his associate David Marlé (37), who studied photography themselves, are dedicated to continuing the photographic printing tradition whilst at the same time bringing it in line with the requirements of today’s digital photographers. Massaut opened the studio in 2004, at the time of the switch from analogue to digital photography with the goal of providing a high-quality service for a new need. “Our job is not just about the process of printing an image,” Marlé, who is also a teacher at La Cambre, explains. “We have long discussions with the artists, always trying to find the best possible version of the image and bringing out its utmost potential by adjusting the vibrance of colours or strength of contrasts.” Today Atelier KZG is the place to go for some of Belgium’s most reputed photographers such as Stephan Vanfleteren or French man Vincent Fournier.

Avenue Van Volxemlaan 405 – 1190 Brussels kzg.be 92 The photography showstoppers

Snapper’s delight There’s something of a duality to our photography showstopper selection. On one hand, we’re very much in the nostalgic, with our pick of pendant and wallet, whilst on the other, we’re clearly aiming to the future with our road test of the latest camera and digital frame to hit the shelves. Either way, we’re set for a summer of photography.

Photographer Melika Ngombe

1. The pendant

Considering that even key chains have digital photo displays nowadays, wearing a necklace with a photo pendant around your neck might seem a little archaic in certain circles, although definitely not in ours. And, thankfully, iconic jewellery-maker Tiffany’s still produces the nostalgic neck piece. With its clean lines and no-fuss aesthetics, this particular pendent made with real silver isn’t heart-shaped nor does it have the kitschy engravings, although its oval locket with room for two photographs sits just about right to hold those you love close to your heart.

Tiffany’s oval photo locket (¤465) with chain (¤80). Available from Tiffany’s (Brussels). tiffany.com The photography special 93

2. The wallet

Google launched its digital wallet service and according to a recent study smartphones will have replaced wallets by 2020. A plain leather wallet seems almost like a relic of ancient times then, and it is no wonder that we had to dig quite a bit to find one with the classic feature of a see-through picture pocket. For decades parents have used their wallets as photo- holders for their children’s portraits – probably because it’s the one thing you never leave the house without. Nowadays though most of us don’t flip out our wallets anymore when they proudly want to show their new born baby or favourite pet: These days it’s the smartphone they reach for. A big no no if you ask us, especially with the kind of wallets French leather goods maker Longchamp creates. Fact is, in our world, physical beats digital any day, and we’d much rather show off an actual photograph of our little ones than a pixelated version. What’s more, a study once revealed that wallets with photos are more likely to be returned to their owner – with baby pictures being especially efficient.

Longchamp wallet with picture pocket (¤130). Available from Longchamp (Brussels). longchamp.com

3. The camera

With a whopping 16.1 mega-pixel resolution, there’s not much this camera cannot do. An everyday man’s compact with professional aspira- tions, the latest addition to Nikon’s Coolpix tribe includes such stand- out features as its specially crafted wide-angle Nikkor lens, its squarish design as well as its fluid automatic-manual shift a the flick of a switch. Testing it out, we were particularly impressed by its lack of camera shake when set on long-paused shutter speeds although it really is its high-definition filming capability that got the entire office bubbling. However, if there was one flaw we had to find with the camera, it’d have to be its weight: it can at times feel a little light which somehow gives you the impression it’s not as sturdy and solid as you’d want this type of all- terrain equipment to be. That’s only an impression though.

Nikon Coolpix P310 (¤319) nikon.be

4. The frame

This nifty little invention is aimed at people who don’t make a habit of printing their photographs, preferring instead to keep them in digital format on their hard drives and desktops. The thinking goes like this: instead of pinning your holiday pictures or family portraits to the fridge, why not upload them to your memory card which can then be slotted into this digital frame. Once that’s done, the frame will rotate up to 1,000 of your favourite photographs in one continuous slide- show. It’s not for everyone, although your elders who are still struggling to make the switch from analogue to digital might see some benefits in this one.

Philips digital photo frame (¤99,99) Available from philips-store.be 94 The portfolio

Grey Young and upcoming Belgian photographer Adriaan Hauwaert’s mesmerising grey series works against the dull and monotonous image associated with the colour grey. His photographs shimmer in immeasurable shades of grey to reveal the often hidden dazzling features of a generally disregarded, underestimated tone, bringing out its undeniable beauty in the most unexpected of places. Culture 95 96 The stockists

Access Faguo (at Fresh) Leen Boden (at Rosier 41) Rado (at Claes-Coolens) +32 (0) 3 231 70 75 Rue Du Midi 57 Zuidstraat Rosier 41 Rue Wayezstraat 150 1000 Brussels 2000 Antwerp 1070 Brussels American Apparel +32 (0) 2 511 93 25 +32 (0) 3 225 53 03 +32 (0) 2 522 92 45 Kammenstraat 14 faguo-shoes.com leenboden.com rado.com 2000 Antwerp +32 (0) 3 227 00 32 Filippa K Longchamp Brussels Sandrina Fasoli americanapparel.net Rue A. Dansaertstraat 42 Avenue Louise 5 Louizalaan Place Brugmannplein 22 1000 Brussels 1050 Brussels 1050 Brussels A.P.C. +32 (0) 2 512 81 18 +32 (0) 2 543 02 60 +32 (0) 2 343 33 86 Rue Darwinstraat 61 filippa-k.com Longchamp Antwerp sandrinafsoli.com 1050 Brussels Leopoldstraat 12 +32 (0) 2 346 26 16 Gucci 2000 Antwerp Tamawa (at Smets) apc.fr Boulevard de Waterloolaan 49 +32 (0) 3 227 33 00 Chaussée de Louvain 650-652 1000 Brussels longchamp.com Leuvensesteenweg Ave +32 (0) 2 511 11 82 1030 Brussels Lombardenstraat 18 gucci.com Louis Vuitton Brussels +32 (0) 2 325 12 30 2000 Antwerp Boulevard de Waterloolaan 59 tamawa.be +32 (0) 3 227 44 01 G-Star (Brussels) 1000 Brussels ave-couture.com Rue A. Dansaertstraat 48 +32 (0) 2 289 28 29 Tiffany & Co. 1000 Brussels Louis Vuitton Antwerp Boulevard de Waterloolaan 63 Chanel Brussels +32 (0) 3 232 94 99 Komedieplaats 14-16 1000 Brussels Boulevard de Waterloolaan 63 G-Star (Antwerp) 2000 Antwerp +32 (0) 2 501 66 33 1000 Brussels Kammenstraat 22 +32 (0) 3 212 12 12 tiffany.com +32 (0) 2 511 20 59 2000 Antwerp louisvuitton.com Chanel Antwerp (at SN3) +32 (0) 3 232 94 99 Tom Ford (at Ici Paris XL) Frankkrijklei 46-48 g-star.com Manolo Blahnik (at Smets) Rue Neuve 37 Nieuwestraat +32 (0) 3 231 08 20 Chaussée de Louvain 650-652 1000 Brussels 2000 Antwerp Hermès Brussels Leuvensesteenweg +32 (0) 2 219 22 07 chanel.be Boulevard de Waterloolaan 50 1030 Brussels tomford.com 1000 Brussels +32 (0) 2 325 12 30 Converse (at People) +32 (0) 2 511 20 62 manoloblahnik.com Tommy Hilfiger Rue du Lombardstraat 14-18 Hermès Antwerp Avenue de la Toison d’Or 20 1000 Brussels Schuttershofstraat 19 Monsieur Bul (at Glory Box) Gulden-Vlieslaan +32 (0) 2 502 18 01 2000 Antwerp Rue Léon Lepagestraat 10 1050 Brussels converse.be +32 (0) 3 227 09 43 1000 Brussels +32 (0) 2 513 67 87 +32 (0) 2 511 04 88 tommy.com Clio Goldbrenner (at Fresh 34) Hugo Boss monsieurbul.be Volkstraat 34 Avenue Louise 43 Louizalaan Urban Outfitters Antwerp 2000 Antwerp 1000 Brussels Nikon Meir 78 / 201 +32 (0) 237 50 23 +32 (0) 2 538 03 63 nikon.be 2000 Antwerp cliogoldbrenner.com hugoboss.com +32 (0) 3 201 59 10 Paula Giezman (at Biutiful) Urban Outfitters Brussels Delvaux Brussels La Costa del Aldogon Volkstraat 27 Place Stephanie 6 Stefanieplein Boulevard de Waterloolaan 27 (at Biutiful) 2000 Antwerp 1000 Brussels 1000 Brussels Volkstraat 27 +32 (0) 3 237 79 64 +32 (0) 2 207 14 80 +32 (0) 2 513 05 02 2000 Antwerp urbanoutfitters.co.uk Delvaux Antwerp +32 (0) 3 237 79 64 Paule Ka Brussels Komedieplaats 17 lacostadelaldogon.com Boulevard de Waterloolaan 48 Victoria Beckham (at RA) 2000 Antwerp 1000 Brussels Kloosterstraat 13 +32 (0) 3 232 02 47 Lacoste +32 (0) 2 347 28 85 2000 Antwerp delvaux.be Galerie Porte de Louise 228 Paule Ka Antwerp +32 (0) 3 292 37 80 Louizagalerijen Komedieplaats 10 victoriabeckham.com Diesel Brussels 1050 Brussels 2000 Antwerp Rue A. Dansaertstraat 38 +32 (0) 2 512 20 32 +32 (0) 3 233 42 92 Vionnet (at Verso) 1000 Brussels lacoste.com Lange Gasthuisstraat 11 +32 (0) 2 503 34 27 Pierre Hardy 2000 Antwerp Diesel Antwerp Lee Cooper (at Inno) pierrehardy.com +32 (0) 3 226 92 92 Meir 22 Rue Neuve 111-123 Nieuwestraat vionnet.com 2000 Antwerp 1000 Brussels Philips +32 (0) 3 213 79 79 +32 (0) 2 211 21 11 philips-store.be Wild Fox diesel.com leecooper.com wildfoxcouture.com The future is free But free don’t come cheap Support The Word Magazine and subscribe to receive your four yearly issues at home

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Visit us Like us Follow us Download us thewordmagazine.be facebook.com/ twitter.com/TheWordMgz thewordmagazine.be/ipad TheWordMagazine 98 Before we leave you…

So, what’s next on The Word calendar.

A quick rundown…

Travel in June, music in July then a break in August on thewordmagazine.be A graphic design exhibition, Smile, in September

Then the pink album

Think Belgian bourgeoisie, home-grown highs, party people, highbrow haircuts and gym gorillas.

We’re also toying with the idea of hosting a party towards the end of the year.

Oh, and then there’s the book we’re planning on releasing together with Sarah Eechaut, an extension of our “facing the blank canvas” feature.

So, lots on our plate then…