www.echangeur.be De Imagerie, triggered by the image of the empty pedestal in Échangeur, was looking for a way to connect the film to the city. Artist Quinten Van Essche built a wooden construction, that will be part of Antwerp’s public space from 9 September until 31 October 2016. After 10 days we placed an information sign in front of it, passers-by immediately reacted and told us they were wondering since the beginning what the wooden pedestal was all about. We’re hoping that more conversations may follow. #decolonizebelgium


#SOKL -
1 month of decolonial action

NL / EN / FR

PITCH

There’s an empty pedestal standing on the square. It used to support a colonial king, but that king is gone now. There’s space for other stories.

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Collectif Faire-part wants to build a pedestal, a wooden replica of the plinth that carries a statue of king Leopold II in the centre of Brussels. In opposition to the original pedestal, this copy won’t carry a colonial ruler, but will serve as a dubious decor for performers who share their own views on past & present forms of colonialism.

In May and June of 2019, the wooden pedestal will travel through Antwerp. Where it lands, it provides a dubious backdrop for artistic actions.

OPEN CALL

Laura Nsengiyumva & Collectif Faire-part are looking for artists to intervene around/on/towards/away from the pedestal.

If you want to act/perform/build/sing/organize…
If you have a project in mind that questions power relations / colonial legacies in any way.

GET IN TOUCH - collectif.fairepart@gmail.com

DEADLINE - March 1st 2019

CONTEXT

1960 | After gaining independence, the DR Congo removes colonial monuments from its public squares. In Belgium, however, a one-sided, triumphant image of the colonial past remains preserved in commemorative monuments and statues.

2016 | Inspired by empty plinths in Kinshasa - and many brave activist interventions in Belgium & DRC - De Imagerie builds a copy of a Belgian colonial pedestal. The empty plinth travelled from Antwerp to Brussels and back again. Wherever it touched ground, it directed itself to passers-by: What to do with colonial monuments today? To whom does public space belong? Which images fit the projects of the future city, and which do not?

2019 | The plinth returns to the city, but this time it won’t remain empty! In a serie of interventions in public spaces in Antwerp, artists paint new pictures of colonialism and its legacies.

INFO

Sokkel is a serie of actions, curated by Anne Reijniers, Rob Jacobs & Laura Nsengiyumva.

Sokkel is made possible by Burgerbegroting Antwerpen & Het Bos.