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des blocs festival and tour
On the occasion of the 1958 World Expo, Fernand Brunfaut, architect, socialist deputy, and president of Foyer Laekenois, sought to build a residential district that reflected the ideals of the time, blending technical advancements with social progress. Six renowned Belgian modernist architects were chosen to design a project of over 1,000 housing units on a 17-hectare plot of land.
The vision for the Cité Modèle began to take shape with one guiding idea: a universal home for a new universal man.
Originally conceived as an independent piece of the city that could offer residents all the benefits of a real city, but within a healthy and nature-filled environment, the Cité was meant to have all the services its inhabitants would need: schools, shops, a health center, cultural and sports centers, a library, a church, and more.
Of these facilities, only the cultural center, library, gas station, Foyer Laekenois offices, and supermarket were completed. The plan to build a line of single-family homes in a zigzag pattern along Chaussée Romaine was replaced by four eight-story apartment blocks. The list of infrastructure was significantly reduced: the sports center, church, school, restaurant, and health center were never realized.
In 2015, a collective of artists began to visit the Cité Modèle on a regular basis. Step by step, they discovered the history of the Cité’s towers and witnessed how this modernist utopian project had been abandonned.
Yet, the inhabitants of the Cité Modèle refused to let their neighbourhood crumble. Wandering through the Cité, we cross paths with a non-profit organisation that organises activities for young people over 18 at the Cité, then that of a group of women who meet every Thursday to sew, do crafts and discuss the place of women in the neighborhood.
All these initiatives tell us one thing: the Cité Modèle is marked by a strong identity, which exists and is passed on thanks to the individuals who make it up.
A new project has been born.
Residents and a city coming together to tell a new story.
The story of a little-known place,
Concealing an unsuspected architectural heritage,
And a pool of talents just waiting to be unveiled.
The first part of the project consists of the ‘Des Blocs workshops’.
Each year, the Des Blocs collective, composed of multidisciplinary artists and residents of the Cité Modèle, organises workshops in the heart of the Cité with the inhabitants of the neighbourhood. By the creation of the creative and participative environment, the aim is to allow residents to learn a variety of artisitc practices accompanied by professionals, be it music, cinema, photography, drama, or even radio, in order to build a piece together which will be presented during the Des Blocs Festival.
The Des Blocs Festival is the second step of the project.
Each year, at the end of the workshops cycle, the Des Blocs collective organises its great DES BLOCS FESTIVAL at the Cité Modèle. During a festive weekend, lovers of Brussels discoveries join the inhabitants of the Cité Modèle to celebrate the end of the cycle of workshops organised throughout the year in the neighbourhood. The eclectic programme subtly mixes creations from the workshops with well-known or emerging artists from the Belgian and international art scene.
The festival is also a time to discover the Cité Modèle and its history. The creations and art pieces are presented to the public both on an outdoor stage and within two interior spaces dedicated either to exhibitions or to live shows. Atypical spaces are also made accessible, such as an appartment entirely dedicated to the festival, walks around the buildings, or even a parkinglot tranformed into an exhibition room.
The Des Blocs Tour is the final stage of the project.
Once the festival is over, it is time for the Cité’s works to travel around Brussels. Through exhibitions, screenings and performances, the Cité’s productions are hosted in Brussels institutions such as the Beursschouwburg, the Boghossian-Villa Empain Foundation, the CIVA or the Théâtre National, thus allowing extra-local audiences to discover their history.
A new project has been born.
Residents and a city coming together to tell a new story.
The story of a little-known place,
Concealing an unsuspected architectural heritage,
And a pool of talents just waiting to be unveiled.
The Des Blocs Festival is the second step of the project.
Each year, at the end of the workshops cycle, the Des Blocs collective organises its great DES BLOCS FESTIVAL at the Cité Modèle. During a festive weekend, lovers of Brussels discoveries join the inhabitants of the Cité Modèle to celebrate the end of the cycle of workshops organised throughout the year in the neighbourhood. The eclectic programme subtly mixes creations from the workshops with well-known or emerging artists from the Belgian and international art scene.
The festival is also a time to discover the Cité Modèle and its history. The creations and art pieces are presented to the public both on an outdoor stage and within two interior spaces dedicated either to exhibitions or to live shows. Atypical spaces are also made accessible, such as an appartment entirely dedicated to the festival, walks around the buildings, or even a parkinglot tranformed into an exhibition room.
The Des Blocs Tour is the final stage of the project.
Once the festival is over, it is time for the Cité’s works to travel around Brussels. Through exhibitions, screenings and performances, the Cité’s productions are hosted in Brussels institutions such as the Beursschouwburg, the Boghossian-Villa Empain Foundation, the CIVA or the Théâtre National, thus allowing extra-local audiences to discover their history.
On the occasion of the 1958 World Expo, Fernand Brunfaut, architect, socialist deputy, and president of Foyer Laekenois, sought to build a residential district that reflected the ideals of the time, blending technical advancements with social progress. Six renowned Belgian modernist architects were chosen to design a project of over 1,000 housing units on a 17-hectare plot of land.
The vision for the Cité Modèle began to take shape with one guiding idea: a universal home for a new universal man.
Originally conceived as an independent piece of the city that could offer residents all the benefits of a real city, but within a healthy and nature-filled environment, the Cité was meant to have all the services its inhabitants would need: schools, shops, a health center, cultural and sports centers, a library, a church, and more.
Of these facilities, only the cultural center, library, gas station, Foyer Laekenois offices, and supermarket were completed. The plan to build a line of single-family homes in a zigzag pattern along Chaussée Romaine was replaced by four eight-story apartment blocks. The list of infrastructure was significantly reduced: the sports center, church, school, restaurant, and health center were never realized.
In 2015, a collective of artists began to visit the Cité Modèle on a regular basis. Step by step, they discovered the history of the Cité’s towers and witnessed how this modernist utopian project had been abandonned.
Yet, the inhabitants of the Cité Modèle refused to let their neighbourhood crumble. Wandering through the Cité, we cross paths with a non-profit organisation that organises activities for young people over 18 at the Cité, then that of a group of women who meet every Thursday to sew, do crafts and discuss the place of women in the neighborhood.
All these initiatives tell us one thing: the Cité Modèle is marked by a strong identity, which exists and is passed on thanks to the individuals who make it up.
The first part of the project consists of the ‘Des Blocs workshops’.
Each year, the Des Blocs collective, composed of multidisciplinary artists and residents of the Cité Modèle, organises workshops in the heart of the Cité with the inhabitants of the neighbourhood. By the creation of the creative and participative environment, the aim is to allow residents to learn a variety of artisitc practices accompanied by professionals, be it music, cinema, photography, drama, or even radio, in order to build a piece together which will be presented during the Des Blocs Festival.