Ugo Dehaes

Simple Machines

In Simple Machines, Ugo Dehaes shows how he grows, nurtures, and trains organic-looking robots as dancers in his basement. We live in a world dominated by economic principles that push us to make everything as efficient and cheap as possible. In response, Ugo fired all his dancers and explored how he could grow and train robots himself. They are born from strange cocoons and crawl across the table like peculiar caterpillars. Some grow hair, while others scurry around like small dogs.

Using artificial intelligence, he allows them to create their own dance performance. At this point, Ugo’s role as a choreographer becomes obsolete… Simple Machines is an attempt to make humans completely unnecessary in the creative process. Welcome to the future.

After the performance, the audience is invited to teach the robots new movements in the installation Arena, the first part of the Forced Labor cycle, which travels as the set for Simple Machines.

Running time: 1 hour

Performance starts:

14:00 – NL
16:00 – FR

To register click here: https://www.billetweb.fr/curieucity-edition-speciale&language=fr

Maya Boueiz & Camelia El Bakkali - Inforsciences ULB/ Jardin Massart

Mission Marais de Wiels: Investigating the health of our aquatic ecosystem

Discover the magnificent Wiels Marsh with us! During this exciting activity, we’ll explore this unique natural area and discover the fascinating world of aquatic animals. We’ll delve into the secrets of the marsh by taking our own measurements and examining the state of health of the area. Using hydrological and biological data, we’ll learn more about the ecosystem and biodiversity of this exceptional corner of nature. An ideal opportunity to experience nature up close while learning something new!

Workshop lasts 1h30 (max 15 people) and starts as follows:

Fri: 2pm, 4pm
Sat: 11.30am, 2pm, 4pm
Sun: 11.30am, 2pm, 4pm

To register click here: https://www.billetweb.fr/curieucity-forest

BRUKSELBINNENSTEBUITEN

This walk is only available in FR – NL

Gare de l’Ouest has all the makings of a lively town centre: all the metro lines cross here, the train stops here and it lies along the busy Chaussée de Ninove. The Ekla tower block and the neighbourhood renewal contracts are bringing new residents to the area.

And yet it often remains quiet, the Wild West of Molenbeek. A Brukselbinnensteubuiten guide takes you on a tour of a hidden aspect of the neighbourhood. Away from the traffic of the main thoroughfares, you’ll discover the urban traces of committed residents and a strong community dynamic (collective vegetable garden, self-managed park, socio-cultural venues, etc.). Saturday’s visit will end with a visit to the ‘carré & co’ neighbourhood urban design workshop.

This tour is available in NL at 13:00 and in FR at 15:00.

To register for this activity, click here.

Felix Aerts & Arshia Ali Azmat

Talk on your neighbourhood of the future

Join us for an engaging debate and Q&A session featuring Arshia Ali Azmat and Felix Aerts at Park Ouest. a community organiser and a graphic designer, working with the Brussels Centre for Urban Studies as well as on the research project “WELCOMIN – Community Welfare Mixed Infrastructures”. Her work probes the nexus of culture, housing, and politics, aiming to envision a city that is more accommodating for all its residents. With a background in coordinating a cultural network addressing migration and social justice within artistic realms, Arshia brings a unique perspective to urban community welfare.

On the other side, Felix Aerts represents Toestand vzw, a rapidly expanding non-profit focused on revitalizing temporarily vacant spaces for social and cultural uses. Their current initiative transforms the area between Beekkant and Osseghem into Park Ouest—a space for community building, sports, relaxation, and more.

This discussion will delve into the future of the neighbourhood and the ongoing development of Park Ouest. Attendees are invited to contribute their visions for their community’s future, engaging with various scenarios inspired by prospective research. Don’t miss this opportunity to shape the future of your community through active participation and forward-thinking dialogue.

CiDéSol

Citizens for soil pollution control

The CiDéSol project aims to provide access to decontamination techniques for professional and citizen farmers who cultivate polluted plots and lack access to industrial decontamination methods.

It seeks to determine under what conditions and by what means non-professional citizens involved in decontamination can autonomously handle the decontamination of the soils they use through mycoremediation and phytoremediation techniques.

The strong urbanization and industrial past of Brussels have led to the accumulation of various pollutants in the soil (heavy metals, hydrocarbons, etc.) at concentrations sometimes exceeding accepted standards. Currently, in the Brussels region, 93% of polluted plots are potentially excluded from the legal decontamination system. This system involves initially collecting and then physico-chemically treating the soils industrially, which often results in the biological death of the soil.

However, alternative modes of pollution control exist… For instance, phytoremediation can extract certain heavy metals from the soil using hyperaccumulator plants, while mycoremediation can degrade some organic pollutants through a plant-fungus association. These techniques do not allow for deep soil decontamination but offer hope in some areas to make the soils suitable for urban agriculture. Examples of this type of bioremediation are displayed at CurieuCity.

CIVA (Centre for Documentation of Brussels) and La Fonderie (Museum)

Archive images of industrial architecture in Brussels

This activity is only available in NL-FR

This small exhibition, organized by CurieuCity, presents a selection of archive images provided by CIVA and La Fonderie, offering a fascinating glimpse into the history of industrial architecture in the Belgian capital, specifically in Molenbeek.

The photos of industrial architecture executed in the late 1970s and early 1980s depict the essence and evolution of various significant industrial sites in the Brussels Region. They highlight the Weststation, the breweries of Vandenheuvel, the refinery, the foundry, the market of the slaughterhouses (Abattoirs), and the storage facility of the MIVB in Enghienstraat.

The photos are accompanied by the historical knowledge of guide Bernard De Plaen. He provides us with insight into the history, the industrial revolution, and the development of the city. This exhibition offers you a glimpse into Brussels’ industrial architectural heritage and the evolution of the neighborhood in which we find ourselves.

>> Presence of guide on saturday and sunday from 2 PM – 6 PM

* CIVA – Centre for Information, Documentation and Exhibitions on the city, architecture, landscape and urban planning in the Brussels-Capital Region

* La Fonderie – Brussels Museum of Industry and Labour

Damien Petitot

Déjà-vu

Dive into the universe of “Déjà-vu,” Damien Petitot’s video installation, a striking introspection on surveillance in public space. Confront yourself with the impact of emerging technologies like facial recognition and machine learning. It’s an invitation to examine our relationship with devices that watch us, often without our knowledge.

The piece welcomes you with an interactive mirror screen, where a discreet camera analyzes your face, assessing age, gender, emotions, and ethnic origin. Transforming this data into live-generated images, it reveals to us how algorithms perceive us, questioning the formation of visual stereotypes.

Damien challenges us: are we simplified into clichés through the gaze of observing machines? “Déjà-vu” dares you to consider how surveillance shapes our lives, emphasizing the importance of privacy and awareness of the stakes of personal data processing. A call to reflection on identity and self-perception in the digital age.

Benjamin Gaulon

2.4 GHz

Discover the 2.4 GHz project, a bold exploration of the underbelly of urban surveillance initiated by Benjamin Gaulon in 2008. Through the clever use of wireless video receivers, this initiative sheds light on the pervasive surveillance devices in our cities. Signals, easily interceptable by those equipped with the right technology, reveal the prevalence of hidden cameras, confronting us with the fragility of privacy.

Gaulon traveled through numerous European cities, capturing images from these receivers to compose revealing documentaries. Then, through a public installation of these devices, he made the invisible visible, educating city dwellers about the extent of surveillance they undergo daily.

In this interactive exhibition, you are invited to navigate the networks of wireless surveillance cameras, tracing signals like modern urban explorers.

Dynamorphe

Pézize

Immerse yourself in the world of “Pézize”, the monumental inflatable installation that redefines the art of space.

Designed by Dynamorphe, “Pézize” is an artisic installation that engages in a dialogue between inside and outside, playing with transparencies and levels through its perforated volumes and bold octahedral structure. It invites you to wander between patios and walkways, under filtered light that sculpts time and space, creating an architectural experience that is both captivating and soothing.

“Pézize” transcends the limits of traditional inflatable structures by embracing complex geometric shapes and inverted double curves. The aesthetic tension, underlined by a play of contrasting colours, maintains the balance of this innovative pneumatic architecture. Dynamorphe stands out for its innovative approach, integrating scientific techniques to create living, reactive spaces .

Xavier Gazon

GAHALANA

What is the impact of music on plants?

In a harmonious marriage between art, science, and nature, Xavier Gazon’s art installation “Gahalana” offers a unique immersive experience where plants become listeners to a polyphonic orchestra on magnetic tapes.

“Gahalana” is a bucolic sonic ecosystem inspired by scientific studies on the interaction between sound and plants. Xavier Gazon, artist and sound luthier, created this installation to express the subtleties of botanical communication.

As visitors wander through this sound garden, they are invited to listen closely to the vibratory whispers and be carried away by this multisensory experience presented for the first time to the public.

Xavier Gazon, a composer, sound artist, and performer, uses techniques to unveil the secrets of the plant kingdom. He invites you to reconsider our relationship with plants and perceive the richness of their sonic world. Immerse yourself in a sensory experience that will broaden your perspectives on interspecies communication and the impact of sound on nature.