Exhibition: Diaries of the Brugse Poort
22 October 2024 09:00 till 20 December 2024 17:00 - Location: Corridors 01 West - By: Communicatie BK | Add to my calendar
From 22 October to 22 December, the exhibition 'Diaries of the Brugse Poort - on the people behind the facades' takes place.
Artistic incubator Fixatief at Bij’ De Vieze Gasten in Ghent kept a year-long diary of the Brugse Poort: passionate photographers tell the story of local residents by documenting them in their homes.
The Brugse Poort is a working-class Ghent neighbourhood in the city’s 19th-century belt. It is a densely populated, lively and diverse residential area.
Bij’ De Vieze Gasten organises projects through community collaboration in which participants and artists follow an artistic journey together.
This project emerged from a fascination with people and their identities. The participating photographers documented the daily lives of residents in the Brugse Poort, allowing us a glimpse into the intimacy of their homes.
Yann Bertrand, documentary photographer, was the creative director for the project, moderated discussions regarding imagery and followed up on the participant’s artistic work.
“Ours is a socially engaged art practice,” Michèle Verbruggen, project coordinator, explains. “We try to connect people through our projects, while, at the same time, guiding the artistic process and aiming for high-quality images. Participants of all levels were coached by Yann and myself, and encouraged to develop their photography skills as much as possible. We also considered the people who were photographed as participants in the project. We got to know all these people more
intimately and they us. They helped shape the project.
And so this project grew into a fascinating exhibition in which 10 photographers connected with 12 local residents. So, besides working on a series of images, numerous friendships and anecdotes also emerged.
As an organisation for socially engaged arts, we are fully convinced of the importance of community collaborative projects. We would like the exhibition of this project to reach as many eyes as possible to help spread awareness of the field of socially engaged arts. Artists do more than create and present art. By being who they are and creating with others, they also teach others to look and think more abstractly and bring people closer together.”
More information
- For more information, please contact Michèle Verbruggen.