Our cities contain many unofficial leisure spaces. These bits of wasteland have become increasingly popular with social and cultural societies and action groups. They often work with local residents to create public parks, or allotments. In the morning, projects in the canal zone, Kuregem and Molenbeek will be visited by bike. In the afternoon, there will be a debate at the Kaaitheater.

Opening Night - Carolyn Steel follows the trail of our food, from countryside to city, via markets and supermarkets, kitchens and dining rooms, waste disposal and back. She asks herself how we can use food more effectively to better understand our cities, to improve their design, and to make them into more pleasant places to live. Carolyn Steel will present her work and join a conversation with Brigitte van der Sande, chief editor of the publication Food for the City. A Future for the Metropolis.

CANCELLED - We are inviting Árpád Schilling to give a one-off talk, putting his trilogy into
context along with the relationship between the social and the artistic
that exists throughout his work. It will be about the choices made and
the theatre’s political dimension in the troubled context of Hungary
today. It presents a unique opportunity to meet an impassioned artist.

Led by the director and artist Ann Van de Vyvere (Firma Irma), a group of
‘observers’ has been studying reality in all its forms. Together, they bring surrealism to reality. How can we be sure of what we know? How do we measure what is normal and what is not? Hocus Focus explores the boundary
between the enthralling reality and real science.

As usual, the Kaaitheater will be introducing you to the world of several leading artists in a series of four lessons. Between the talk and the performance you will be served soup and bread. The talks are in Dutch.

Fifth in a series of solos and duets by the French choreographer Jérôme
Bel, based on the autobiographies of dancers. In this solo Cédric
Andrieux, dancer with Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown William Forsythe
a.o., looks back at important moments in his career.

On the very day when, ten years ago, the great German writer W.G. Sebald died, Ictus and the French composer Jérôme Combier are paying him a tribute, based on his novel Austerlitz. Combier wrote a ‘soundtrack for an imaginary film’ and will design the setting with the French video film-maker and stage designer Pierre Nouvel. Johan Leysen will read from Sebald’s novel.

We don’t hang around: every day there are about 209,000 more of us and
sometime in the next few weeks we shall be crossing the ‘7 billion
line’. Will there be peace on earth for all 7 billion people or will
things be slightly more difficult than that? Hania Zlotnik, the director
of the Population Division of the UN, and recognised internationally as
one of the greatest authorities on demographics, is coming to Belgium
for this lecture. Fred Pearce will talk to her.

The Austrian artist Franz West was recently awarded the Golden Lion for his whole oeuvre at the Venice Biennale. In the early seventies, West made his first portable sculptures or adaptives. Last year, Ivo Dimchev made the solo I-on using the adaptives and this season this is leading to a group performance for four people for which West will create new, larger adaptives.

As usual, the Kaaitheater will be introducing you to the world of several leading artists in a series of four lessons. Between the talk and the performance you will be served soup and bread. The talks are in Dutch.

The artist Annemie Maes has installed ten beehives in two roof gardens in Brussels’ canal zone – there is now a beehive on the Kaaitheater roof as well. A small exhibition highlights the results of her research.