Work hard, play hard

Transcription

magazine
summer 2016
Work hard,
play hard
Inspiring ideas for business
tourism around WALLONIA
Creating comic-book
heroes for a digital age
La Boverie: new fine arts
museum unveiled in Liège
magazine
summer 2016
Work hard,
play hard
Inspiring business tourism
around the region
La Boverie: new museum
unveiled in Liège
magazine
summer 2016
Work hard,
play hard
around the region
Comic heroes for a
digital age
unveiled in Liège
summer 2016
magazine
OUT OF OFFICE
around the region
Comic heroes for a
digital age
unveiled in Liège
CONTENTS
AWEX/WBI and Ackroyd Publications
Pascale Delcomminette – AWEX/WBI
Marie-Catherine Duchêne
AWEX, Place Sainctelette 2
1080 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: 00.32(0)2.421.85.76
Fax: 00.32(0)2.421.83.93
email: [email protected]
???????
2
wallonia and brussels magazine
summer 2016
© CGT A. SIQUET
Editor Sarah Crew
Deputy editor Sally Tipper
Reporters Leo Cendrowicz, Renée Cordes,
Andy Furniere, Oonagh Gannon,
Georgio Valentino
Art director Patricia Brossel
Managing director Hans De Loore
Editorial
The economic impact of business tourism is widespread. Strength in this
sector promotes industry, enhances communication and boosts jobs in
various fields: agriculture, media, tourism, education, training and more.
So the region’s tourism office is championing MICE – Meetings, Incentives,
Conferences and Exhibitions. Already tapping into the lucrative business
tourism market, it’s now ensuring that facilities and services are of the
highest quality across the region. We explore some of the places and
activities available in each of Wallonia’s provinces. As the number of visitors
to Belgium falls due to security concerns, the stakes have never been so
high, but in a region blessed with diverse culture, outstanding heritage and
fine dining, there are plenty of positives. In our business pages, we meet a
range of companies that are reporting success. And it’s a similar story in the
artistic world, where the new Liège museum La Boverie is proving to be a
cultural beacon, and we discover the emerging local designers who have set
their sights on international careers.
14
04Big Picture
Your Nature eco park is under way in
Antoing
06News
Headlines from around the region
08Business
R/O will train the next generation of
comic book artists
10 Innovation
CE+T Power thinks outside the box to
win prestigious award
12 Investment
Galileo reaches for the stars in the
Ardennes
20
14File
Team-building, conferences and
events: why Wallonia is an ideal
destination for business tourism
20Gastronomy
Meet the region’s proud holders of
Michelin stars
23Culture
Liège’s newest museum opens with a
French focus
28
26 Design
Local creatives team up in Milan
28Panorama
Hats off to Herman Headwear
30Agenda
Cultural highlights around Wallonia
and Brussels
summer 2016
3
WORK
4
big picture
summer 2016
Lakeview
N
ext June, 193 exclusive holiday
cottages will be created in the
unique Your Nature eco-park
in Antoing, close to the French border
in Hainaut. The project will eventually
house more than 700 wooden cottages
running on renewable energy, on a site
where people move around on foot or
by bike, electric cart or boat. The site
will also include a seminar centre, three
restaurants, a fitness and wellness centre
and areas dedicated to leisure activities.
The estate features seven lakes,
thousands of mature trees and more
than 40 bird species, making it a
sustainable, economically responsible
destination for holidays, short breaks
and business tourism.

yournature.be
summer 2016
5
WORK
NEWS
On your bike
Wallonia’s tourist theme for 2016 honours the bicycle. The region’s cycle routes are
being extended and upgraded with the aim of making Wallonia a cycle destination
of excellence. Taking advantage of some of the region’s beautiful and varied scenery,
from river valleys to forests and castles, many paths employ the existing Ravel network, a 1,350km – and growing – series of disused railway tracks, towpaths and other
pathways converted into safe cycle trails.
One of the key initiatives is a new website, providing information on the whole of
the Ravel network as well as tourist routes. Cyclists can choose itineraries according to three categories: destination, difficulty and type of itinerary (local, regional,
international). As well as providing technical information about the route, it gives
details about tourist organisations, bike rental sites and accommodation. Once the
itinerary is selected, users can download an interactive map and consult the route along the
way from a smartphone.
Local companies
score at Euro 2016
The Euro 2016 football championship in
France was an international showcase for local businesses. Among the companies involved
were engineering consultancy firm Tractebel
from Brussels and five companies in Wallonia.
Simplex Arena from Liège was responsible for
seating at the Stade de Toulouse and VIP seats
at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Mouscron
company Wollux kitted out the fan zone at the
Stade de Bordeaux with flags and other material. Liège video production company EVS is a
regular at international sporting fixtures and
broadcast images from 10 stadiums. Fellow
Seraing company WNM was participating in
its fourth consecutive European Championships; it was responsible for sound signals during recorded broadcasts and supplying radio
signals at six stadiums. Deltacast, based in
Ans, provided the software for adding details
to replayed images.
Pairi Daiza welcomes
baby panda
The Brugelette animal park made international headlines with the arrival of a baby
panda on 1 June. Born to mother Hao Hao
and father Xing Hui, the newborn weighed
in at 171g. The birth followed a long and intense fertility programme by a team of specialists. Baby pandas are very fragile during
the early period of their lives; if Pairi Daiza’s
latest addition continues to thrive, he could
be presented to the public this summer.
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summer 2016
It was launched by Maxime Prévot, the Walloon minister for public works. “The Ravel is a
local tool for economic development thanks to cycling tourism,” he says. “With a network of
slow paths that other countries envy and which is crisscrossed by four international itineraries, Wallonia has all the necessary assets to further develop this activity.” He also pointed out
the health benefits of promoting cycling and walking.
 www.lawallonieavelo.be
 ravel.wallonie.be
New agrifood research centre in Gembloux
A new research centre has been opened at Gembloux Agro-Biotech, attached to the University of Liège. It brings together more than 175 researchers in the fields of agrifood, agriculture,
biotechnology and the environment. Expected to increase Wallonia’s international visibility,
the multidisciplinary Terra research platform also aims to develop sustainable agriculture. A
total of 28 projects in nine categories, including Feeding the Future, have been selected for
development. To house the facilities, a new building is under construction and is due to open
at the start of the 2017-2018 academic year. Professor Éric Haubruge, first vice-rector of the
University of Liège, said: “This new building will make Gembloux Agro-Biotech more attractive to the industrial and economic world in Belgium and internationally.” Relationships have
already been developed with the universities of Reims, Lille, Ghent and Beijing.
©wbt/antoine rassart
Brussels announces diversity tourism campaign
The capital’s tourist bureau, VisitBrussels, is set to launch a year-long campaign for 2017, called Mixity.brussels.
Throughout the year, cultural projects across the city will unite under the banner of diversity. Belgium’s regions and
language communities have joined forces for the €3 million project, which is being financed by the regional governments.
Since the security alert last winter and the subsequent terrorist attacks in March, Belgium has suffered a serious drop
in visitor numbers. The campaign is aimed at bringing tourists back to the city and engaging them with locals and
community life. A concert on 30 September will give the public a chance to discover five major events planned for 2017.
They will include hip-hop, choirs and urban art. Six events already on Brussels’ cultural calendar will adopt the diversity
theme, among them Couleur Café music festival, the opening of the House of European History, the temporary exhibition
Islam, it’s also our history, and an exhibition at the Jewish Museum of Belgium.
Additional initiatives to link community associations include guided tours and multilingual greeters to welcome visitors
to the city, while a series of awards will reward the best associations and cultural and sporting organisations. With 183
nationalities among its growing 1.2 million population, Brussels is the second most cosmopolitan city in the world.
Skechers expands Liège site
The Liège-based European distribution centre for US shoe company Skechers is celebrating the fourth phase of its expansion. Opened in 2002,
the centre in Haut Sarts industrial park has been extended by 26,000m2
to a total surface area of 98,500m2. It is now the largest distribution
centre in Wallonia, employing 250 people full-time, and the expansion
is expected to create more jobs. Automated technology is due to be
installed this year to increase efficiency and meet the demands of the
growing market. The inauguration on 30 May was attended by Skechers
finance director David Weinberg and Walloon vice-president and minister for economy, innovation, higher education and research Jean-Claude
Marcourt.
summer 2016
7
WORK
business
Digital heroes
A new centre bringing comic book creation up to date welcomes
its first trainees
By Renée Cordes
T
he cradle of Belgian comics
is gearing up for a digital
renaissance. Marcinelle, a town
near Charleroi, is best known as the
home of the Éditions Dupuis comics
publisher and the post-World War Two
artists known as the Marcinelle school
– Peyo, Franquin, Morris, Jijé and Will.
All were associated with the weekly
Spirou magazine, founded in 1938 and
still going strong.
Today, those who aspire to follow in
their footsteps need to do more than
just come up with original characters
or plot lines. Even at the concept
stage, they need to think about an
all-encompassing fiction universe
that works across multiple media and
technology platforms, and a big-bang
worldwide commercial launch.
The reason? Consumers’ buying trends
of cultural content, including comics,
are changing dramatically, according
to Léon Perahia, head of Dupuis’s
Belvision audiovisual division. “They
look for the same fiction universe on
multiple platforms, including print,
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Summer 2016
cinema, television, video games, the
internet, tablets and smartphones.
That means creators and authors need
the skills to create and develop their
ideas and intellectual property for a
majority of these platforms. And on
top of that, internationally.”
To train today’s aspiring artists for
the digital age, Wallonia’s regional
government has teamed up with
Dupuis and its corporate parent,
Média-Participations, in a new venture
called R/O and pronounced like the
French héros – envisioned as a trade
school, multimedia lab and business
incubator all rolled into one.
The initiative will consist of three
pillars. Firstly and most importantly,
a training institute on Dupuis’s
premises will offer theoretical and
practical instruction on screenwriting,
character development and other
artistic processes and on multimedia
storytelling through new technologies.
There will also be an R/O Lab next
door at the DreamWall digital graphics
and animation studio. It will be
equipped with all the latest audiovisual
technology innovations – such as a
3D printer and web-based tools and
infographics – that artists can use to
bring their projects to life.
Last but not least is the creation of a
new company called Belgian Heroes
to oversee financing of the institute
and the lab. Belgian Heroes will also
develop the intellectual property rights
for the projects, such as copyright and
patents, and help find companies to
launch them on the world market.
R/O, which took three years to plan,
will be backed by €4.05 million in
funding. Of that amount, Wallonia
will provide €2 million – half through
the Wallimage audiovisual investment
fund and half via Sambrinvest, a
Charleroi regional fund that supports
the launch and development of small
businesses. The remaining €2.05
million is to be raised from a handful
of private investors.
For
Wallonia,
R/O
fits
into
a
broader ambition to reinvent itself
economically by luring investment and
new start-ups in the creative and new
technology industries.
“The reputation of the Marcinelle school
has long been an established fact,”
Paul Magnette, minister-president of
Wallonia and mayor of Charleroi, said
at the R/O launch in December. “R/O
represents a link – economically and
artistically – to guide the Marcinelle
school towards a creative economy,
a future sector bound to generate
added employment in Europe. The
objective, and our ambition, is to offer
talented artists concrete and immediate
professional opportunities.”
Eliane Tillieux, Wallonia’s minister of
employment and education, added
that the region’s involvement in a
sector like audiovisual and multimedia
“carries a real opportunity for the
future and for emerging professions”.
Planners hope the project will put
Marcinelle back on the map for new
reasons, by bringing the world of
FACTS
What? R/O, a new centre for technology
and audiovisual creation
When? Opening in September 2016
Where? Marcinelle, home of comics
publisher Dupuis
FIGURES
€2 million in Walloon government
support
€2.05 million sought from private
investors
40 projects to be chosen for autumn
boot camp
10-15 projects to be selected for
debut class
comics – known as the ninth art – into
the 21st century.
“When it was created, the Marcinelle
school was ahead of its time,” said
François Pernot, head of MédiaParticipations’ comics and animation
division, at December’s launch.
“With this project, we aim to become
pioneers again.”
Only top talents from Belgium and
elsewhere will be admitted, with about
40 projects chosen for an intense and
competitive autumn boot camp. Of
those, 15 will be selected for the debut
class, set to start in January and finish
by July 2017.
Once the projects are finished, the real
adventure begins when their mentors
from Belgian Heroes will match them
with a media partner to launch their
new creations. And while Dupuis hopes
to do some of that launching, Perahia
said it wouldn’t be a disadvantage to
industry peers. “We will find the best
partner for each project, that’s the
main goal,” he said.
Summer 2016
9
WORK
INNOVATION
In the box
Liège company excels in Google challenge to create tiny
electrical inverters
By Andy Furniere
P
ower electronics company CE+T
Power, with headquarters in
the Liège district of Wandre,
has won the prestigious Little Box
Challenge, organised by Google
and the international Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
The challenge was to shrink inverters
from the size of a coolbox to the size of
a small laptop, but CE+T Power went
even further.
The aim was to encourage innovation
that can enable more solar-powered
10
Summer 2016
homes, improve the efficiency of
electrical grids and help bring
electricity to the remotest parts of the
world. Achieving these goals would
benefit Google as well as the planet
– after all, electricity is necessary for
internet access.
the energy from solar panels and in
batteries is always in DC while most
devices run on AC, which is what the
electrical grid provides. So you need
to convert the energy from a solar
panel before you can use it to power a
washing machine or television.
Inverters are key tools for these goals
because they convert direct current
(DC) from things like solar panels and
batteries into alternating current (AC)
for use in homes, businesses and cars.
For technical and historical reasons,
As is generally the case with electronic
devices, reducing the size of inverters
is essential in making their use more
widespread. As CE+T Power has 25
years of experience in the innovative
development of inverters, since it
invented the modular concept of an
inverter in the late 1980s, the company
leapt into action when Google launched
its contest in the summer of 2014.
“Our TSI Bravo inverter is six times
bigger than Google’s target but includes
much more technology than the
challenge required,” explains Olivier
Bomboir, head of product management
and business development at CE+T
Power. “And we were confident we
could make a smaller device than
Google had asked for.”
The first step was to create a team,
with partners that could provide
complementary
expertise.
The
University of Liège, Belgian tech
industry knowledge centre Sirris
and private company eFFiciency
research quickly joined the team –
called Red Electrical Devils after the
Belgian football team. The Walloon
government provided substantial
financial support.
The team, made up of nine experts,
worked frantically to first develop a
technical report and then an actual
prototype. “The challenge forced us to
try new working methods, with more
of a trial-and-error approach, to
save time,” says Bomboir. With
success: of about 2,000 registered
teams, the CE+T Power team was
chosen as one of the 18 best in
September.
The selected ‘little boxes’ then had to
be tested at the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory in Colorado, US.
The inverters had to withstand tests
related to efficiency, electrical noise
and thermal performance over about
100 hours.
Alongside teams from France’s
Schneider Electric and Virginia Tech
university in the US, CE+ T Power
made it to the final. They were invited
to a congress in February this year in
Washington, DC, where they were
crowned winners and awarded the $1
million prize. “Google was impressed
that we made an inverter that was
about three times smaller than what
they had requested,” says Bomboir.
For CE+T Power, which was established
in 1934, the victory has resulted in a lot of
visibility on the global stage and opened
up new horizons. “We are considering
targeting the market of renewable
energy solutions and especially the solar
energy sector,” says Bomboir.
world by companies in sectors such
as telecommunications, transport,
finance and oil, by clients including
Vodafone, Ericsson and China Mobile.
High-profile local clients include
Infrabel, Proximus, Elia, Charleroi
airport and Infrax. The company has
facilities in India, China and the US
and sales staff in France, the UK, India,
China, Malaysia, Turkey and the US.
CE+T Power is the technological
leader in power conversion and
storage with the goal of securing a
power supply for critical applications
that is immune to any interruption.
“Our inverters are used to store
electricity in DC and convert the stored
energy in AC when the general power
supply fails,” says Bomboir. “Backup solutions are essential to prevent
economic disasters for companies as
well as chaos in the transport sector
and tragedies in hospitals.”
Their winning prototype
will not be developed
for introduction on
the market but the
innovative technology is
used in new, more efficient
products – like the ECI
inverter that will be launched
in September. As the ECI
includes more features than
Google’s favourite ‘little box’,
making it more flexible in use, it
is also larger.
The
CE+T
Power
inverters are already
used all over the

www.cet-power.com
Summer 2016
11
WORK
investment
It’s in the stars
European GPS system Galileo to operate from
space industry park in the Ardennes
By Leo Cendrowicz
T
companies and start-ups in the space
sector. “Wallonia is ideally placed for
the logistics base,” says Georges Cottin,
Idelux’s deputy general manager. “On
the one hand, we’re in the heart of the
heart of the Europe. And on the other,
we’re linked to a road and rail network
and a dozen international airports, and
all these communication networks, and
all the industries that will serve this
maintenance and logistics centre.”
welve satellites from Europe’s
Galileo programme are currently
circling the Earth at an orbital
height of 23,222km. In the next three
years, a further 18 will join them, creating the world’s most sophisticated
global navigational system ever. It is as
audacious as any European project, and
one in which Wallonia is playing a vital
role: Galileo’s terrestrial platform will
be based at the Galaxia space industry
park in the Ardennes town of Transinne.
In March, the European Commission
confirmed that Galaxia had been
chosen as Galileo’s logistics centre, in a
2,300m² building managed by Idelux,
Luxembourg province’s economic
development agency. The centre will
ensure that all the Galileo ground
stations are able to communicate
with the satellites, providing effective
maintenance
and
repair
work
and managing supplies for all the
programme’s key sites.
Galaxia, on the axis linking Brussels
with Luxembourg and Strasbourg, is a
23-hectare business park dedicated to
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Summer 2016
This is an example
of Wallonia thrusting
itself into the future
Georges Cottin
The Wallonia region is to finance the
Galileo building, which will cost several
million euros and should generate
about 30 jobs, while boosting local
companies in the field of satellites and
on-board equipment. These include
Thales, Samtech, Amos, Spacebel and
Ateliers de la Meuse, some of which are
already subcontractors for the Ariane
rocket programme.
The Walloon IT sector will also reap
benefits from the applications that are
being developed to manage the data
collected and transmitted by Galileo
satellites. This is a fast-growing sector:
satellite applications are reaching into
more and more areas, from weather
forecasts to broadcasting and from incar navigation to search and rescue.
European hub. Not just institutional,
but also economic and commercial, and
educational.”
Cottin says one of the reasons Transinne
was chosen was because its bid was so
comprehensive. “We wanted a specially
conceived building that would deal with
this function,” he says. “This is expected
to last for twenty years, and offers
maneouvring and testing facilities,
security, and it is able to evolve as the
programme evolves. So the building is
tailor-made for the programme.”
Redu is also home to the Euro Space
Centre, a science museum and
educational centre that’s become
a major tourist attraction since it
opened in 1991, introducing visitors to
spaceflight, the planets and the stars,
as well as running space adventure
camps and space classes for schools.
Transinne is already the site of a
European Space Agency (ESA) centre to
nurture entrepreneurs with novel spinoff ideas for the wealth of technologies
and systems developed under Europe’s
space programmes. And in the nearby
town of Redu, seven kilometres away,
the ESA set up a European Space
Tracking ground station in 1968, from
where some 40 missions have been
controlled or monitored.
“Redu-Transinne is a couple,” says
Cottin. “Our aim is to make this a
But Cottin says Galaxia’s new Galileo
centre gave the region the impetus to
update it. “We have ambitious plans
to revamp it, to prepare for a new
generation with new buildings, new
visitor programmes and new training
projects,” he says.
Cottin notes that while Wallonia was
once dominated by coal and steel –
industries that drove the economy
two centuries ago but are now
almost all gone – there could not be
anything as modern as space. Indeed,
Belgium is in eighth place globally
and third place in Europe when it
comes to devoting GDP resources to
space. Belgium is the fifth biggest
contributor to the ESA, accounting for
around 6% of the overall budget – or
more than twice the average of other
members.
Belgium’s space investment has
supported some 70 research teams in
the country’s universities, scientific
establishments and specialist centres.
And the country is home to some
60 companies involved in the space
sector, with revenues of around €350
million, employing some 2,000 highly
skilled people.
“This is an example of Wallonia
thrusting itself into the future,” says
Cottin. “Wallonia has credibility in
a whole range of industries, not just
space. We want to change the image
of the region. Wallonia has stopped
looking in the rear mirror. We are
ready to really show that we can be
leaders in some of the most modern
technologies.”

www.galaxia-park.eu
Summer 2016
13
BUSINESS TOURISM
©CGT A. Siquet
FILE
All work and no play?
Wallonia is a dream destination for local and international companies looking to
combine business and leisure
By Sarah Crew
B
usiness travel and events form the
backbone of the tourist industry.
Wallonia is not only a top
destination for family tourism, it’s now
excelling in facilities for this lucrative
market.
While major venues can host conferences
and offer corporate hospitality,
companies are also choosing to pit
their skills in Wallonia via an array of
innovative team-building incentives.
With the power of the collective mind
and effective teamwork considered
one of the greatest forces in a business
environment, businesses can harness
this via flight simulators, sporting and
adventure challenges, food workshops
and nature. As Wallonia expands its
digital landscape, many local enterprises
reflect the changing face of tourism
through content for smartphones and
tablets.
14
summer 2016
In response to the demand for business
travel, the Walloon government has
developed a programme called meetings,
incentives, conferences and exhibitions.
Nadine Verheye from the region’s
Commisariat général du Tourisme
(General Tourism Commission): “It
may refer to business hotels or other
accommodation such as holiday villages
or gîtes with meeting rooms. Wallonia
also has prestigious and offbeat venues
such as castles, museums and industrial
sites that can welcome private events and
are equipped with the latest technology.”
For Verheye, the region’s nature is its
main calling card. “Wallonia is one of
the best-preserved regions in Europe,”
she says. “It’s an enormous garden,
which perfectly suits outdoor activities.
It’s a region filled with history and with
an extraordinary architectural and
archaeological heritage.”
©Ftpn Bossiroy
 Auberge de la Ferme (far left); La Capitainerie (left); Belrive boat
(above)
Each province has a convention bureau
that provides a free service for any
business considering organising a work
trip in Wallonia, to help them find the
perfect venue and activity.
 www.meeting-tourismewallonie.be
Justifiably proud of the quality of its
tourism services, the region launched
the Wallonia Quality Destination label
to improve facilities. The campaign has
three goals: to enhance the value of
companies providing tourism services;
to accompany them in improving their
services; and to reward by promoting the
label to tourists.
More than 220 tourism professionals
participate in the venture. They include
restaurant owners and managers, hotels,
self-catering accommodation, museums,
cultural event organisations and tourism
offices. In the charter, they promise to
place clients’ needs at the heart of their
business and to represent Wallonia’s
quality label. In return, the businesses
benefit from support in developing their
services in the form of training courses.
They also receive a publicity boost.
 www.walloniedestinationqualite.be
NAMUR
Conveniently situated in the heart of
Wallonia, the city of Namur serves as
the region’s capital. It is also the site
of the confluence of the Meuse and
Sambre. Water is one element of the
province’s strategic tourist plan, along
with gastronomy and cocooning.
Nautical activities include cruises (www.
namur-croisieres.com), and restaurant
and event barges, including the Belrive
(www.lacuisinedubelrive.be/www.
boat-for-you.com), are among the fleet
of boats tied alongside the quays. La
Capitainerie (www.lacapitainerie.be)
runs events for the public and businesses
as well as a restaurant and bar; the
Jambes mooring is the perfect place to
watch the sun set behind the citadel.
Soaring above, Namur citadel (www.
citadelle.namur.be) is a medieval fortress
and starting point for many an adventure
with its underground tunnels and public
space. They include exploring life in the
Middle Ages, guided historical tours,
wild plant walks, concerts, theatre, and
descending the fortress on a Segway to
explore the town. Gastronomy features
strongly in the region; the renowned
hotel school is based at the citadel and is
part of the restaurant hotel Château de
Namur (www.chateaudenamur.com),
Spring 2016
15
BUSINESS TOURISM
© martin’s hotel
3 square
FILE
 3 Square Club Justine Henin (above); Château du Lac de
Genval (right); Ronquières cruise (far right)
which also hosts seminars and teambuilding events.
Namur is forging a reputation for its
smart city credentials, with numerous
digital companies starting up in the
city. Vigo Universal (www.vigouniversal.com) runs team courses
in drones, electric skateboards and
robotics, specialising in historic reenactments and pyrotechnic shows.
For
another
historic
setting,
Château Ferme d’Arche (www.
chateaufermearche.be) in the village
of Maillen is available for seminars with
gîtes accommodation. Lying 15km from
Namur, the castle farm is perfect for
receptions. Château de la Poste (www.
chateaudelaposte.com), near Courrière
(like Château de Namur, it carries the
Destination Quality label) is a luxury
hotel set in parkland, with space for
seminars and team-building events.
Travelling south down the Meuse,
Dinant Evasion (www.dinant-evasion.
be) has an inviting programme of
team-building and family events,
from treasure hunts, laser game and
paintball to day or night-time gourmet
treks, adventure challenges and
cruises aboard the MS Sax, recently
refitted to host events.
16
summer 2016
WALLOON BRABANT
It may be the smallest province, yet
Walloon Brabant offers rich pickings
for companies. Its most famous site is
the battlefield of Waterloo, which
for its 200th anniversary in 2015
saw the opening of a new interactive
museum and renovated sites. The
Mont-Saint-Jean
farm
(www.
waterloo-beer.com) has a microbrewery and suite for meetings and
tastings. The former military hospital
offers a large event space (La Grange)
and restaurant, L’Orangerie du
Prince
(www.lorangerieduprince.
restaurant), with a menu reflecting
the brewery’s tipples. Other Waterloo
team-building activities include The
Revenge (www.2perfection.be) in
which you can rewrite history by
planting your flag on the Lion’s Mound
after a military-style escapade of rifle
shooting, jousting and movement of
troops. Alternatively, use teamwork
to break out of a lakeside house in
Escape the Villa at Genval (www.
actionteamtraining.com). The nearby
five-star Château du Lac de Genval
(www.martinshotels.com)
is
a
gastronomic hotel restaurant with a
business centre, seminar rooms and a
reception area with capacity for more
than 1,000 people.
At the heart of the university town
Louvain-la-Neuve, the Aula Magna
(www.aulamagna.be) is a multipurpose congress centre and theatre.
The contemporary glass structure in
the Grand-Place overlooks a scenic
lake. Fully equipped, it can stage
large-scale events, receptions and
shows, as can another event hub in
the square, The Cinescope (www.
business.cinescope.be/en/home).
The Cercle du lac (www.cercledulac.
be) on the edge of town hosts
networking and business activities.
For an original setting, you can’t beat
the world of Tintin. The Musée Hergé
(www.museeherge.com) is available
for receptions, conferences and
screenings.
The Bois des Rêves park near
Ottignies is a popular place for
families. It’s open all year and there are
four rooms for meetings and seminars
with a variety of catering options,
from barbecues to gastronomic
menus. In Limelette, 3 Square Club
Justine Henin (www.3square.be/
fr/limelette) is a sports club and
business centre with an international
outlook. Another green setting for
business opportunities is Louvain-laNeuve’s three-star Ibis Styles hotel
and meeting centre (www.ibis.com).
©CGT A. Siquet
HAINAUT
Airport. Dare to freefall at Airspace
(www.airspace.be) or pilot a Boeing 737
at European Flight Simulator (www.
efsimulator.com), where you can fly
at a speed of 200km/h in a glass tube.
Catering and meeting services available.
A province of contrasts, from industrial
heritage to folklore and abbeys, Hainaut
is on the move. A raft of new and
renovated museums opened for Mons
2015 European Capital of Culture.
Its tagline, Where Technology Meets
Culture, referenced many creative and
digital projects. The provincial capital has
a high-tech Libeskind-designed congress
centre: MICX (www.micx.be).
For cultural rather than adrenalinefuelled activities, enjoy the corporate
facilities of contemporary visual arts
museum BPS22, or Comédie Centrale
(www.comediecentrale.com) theatre.
Les Musicales de Beloeil (www.
lesmusicalesdebeloeil.be) offers starstudded classical music at the castle at
the end of August. Du Biez Traiteur
(www.du-biez.com) caters for private
and public events at local castles and
other stunning locations, including Biez
and Bougogne.
As the former coalmining capital, the
Borinage region is full of industrial sites
that have been refurbished as cultural
centres. One such is Canal du centre and
its Unesco-recognised boat lifts at StrépyThieu and Ronquières (voiesdeau.
hainaut.be). During the tourist season,
sip a cocktail on a personalised cruise,
after discussing business in one of the
many meeting rooms.
In the province’s westernmost corner,
Comines, test your skills at Ice Mountain
(www.ice-mountain.com), an adventure
and alpine park. Unique in Belgium, it
offers indoor skiing, snowboarding and
skydiving (freefall simulator), as well as
paintball. Away from the slopes, there
are multi-purpose meeting rooms and
restaurants. Flight simulators are among
the activities at Charleroi Brussels South
Flight simulators are
among the activities
at Charleroi Brussels
South Airport
Familiarly known as the boot of Hainaut,
the rural area south of Charleroi is
home to gastronomic delights (Chimay
Abbey, Biercée distillery), and the
extensive Lacs de l’Eau d’Heure (www.
lacsdeleaudheure.be). The top tourist
destination in Wallonia and largest lake in
Belgium has holiday village and wooden
chalets, while activities range from
nautical and nature to adventure and
relaxation. A bike park was inaugurated
in the spring and business tourism
packages will soon be available.
summer 2016
17
BUSINESS TOURISM
©CGT A. Siquet
FILE
LIÈGE
The provincial capital Liège is the
largest tourist destination in Wallonia,
with a vibrant cultural and artistic
heritage. Many of its flagship venues
can be reserved for private events,
including the sumptuous opera house
Opéra Royal de Wallonie (www.
operaliege.be). Other cultural jewels
with corporate programmes include the
Curtius Museum, Cité Miroir and the
Archeoscope. The Diamant Conference
and Business Centre (www.diamantliege.be) is a high-tech space for
meetings, seminars and dinners. A
fun way to discover the city’s folklore
is to join the teambuilding tour Qui a
kidnapé Tchantchès? (www.meetingtourismewallonie.be/fr/news/quikidnappe-tchantches). For city-centre
accommodation, the Crowne Plaza
(www.crowneplazaliege.be), is one of
only two five-star hotels in Wallonia. The
sensitive renovation of two aristocratic
townhouses offers an urban resort with
gastronomic restaurant, spa centre and
full business facilities.
A strategic transport hub within the
Euregio Meuse-Rhine area, Liège Airport
is also home to the Fly-In skydive centre
(www.fly-in.be), the largest freefall
simulator in the world. Big Airbag
18
summer 2016
The jewel of the
province is the
Ardennes, a rural
area famed for
its nature and
gastronomy
offers thrill-seekers the chance to jump
from the building on to a giant cushion.
There are meeting spaces on site. The
airport’s Park Inn Hotel (www.parkinn.
com) offers meeting facilities and events
organisation.
South of Liège lies the picturesque town
of Spa, famed for its thermal waters
and Formula One race track (www.
spa-francorchamps.be). A business
complex runs services on and off the
circuit. Tour the area on a Vespa with
V’Spa (www.vspa.be) and in summer,
events such as Francofolies and
Festival de Théâtre provide al fresco
entertainment. The nearby Stavelot
Abbey
(www.abbayedestavelot.be)
houses three museums plus space for
seminars, receptions and team-building
among the grounds. Weventures (www.
weventures.be) runs the game La taupe
de Manderscheid in the abbey, based
on the blancs moussis folklore characters.
Linked by a private funicular to the
thermal spa, is the Radisson Blu Palace
Hotel Spa (www.radissonblu.com).
Hotel Verviers (www.hotelverviers.be)
is a stunning transformation of a 19thcentury railway station.
Visit the capital of the German-speaking
eastern cantons, Eupen, for contemporary
arts centre Kloster Heidberg (www.
©CGT A. Siquet
 Kloster Heidberg (far left); Cité Miroir, Liège and Château du
Biez (left)
klosterheidberg.be). The former convent
has well-equipped seminar rooms
that retain ecclesiastical features. Its
multilingual staff organise team events
in the convent and surrounding area,
including the Haute Fagnes nature
reserve. Catering services are available
with accommodation for more than 70.
LUXEMBOURG
Home to green undulating hills and
forests, the jewel of the province is
the Ardennes, a rural area famed for
its nature, rivers, regional heritage
and gastronomy. It’s ideal for sports
enthusiasts. As well as river activities
such as kayaking and paddle-boarding,
there are adventure parks, horse riding,
hiking and cycling trails and ecotourism projects. Forest activities are
the speciality of X-Cape’s team-building
at Florenville (www.x-cape.be). Or don
your clan’s tartan for Highland Games
with the Avenature agency. Get the
chance to toss the caber, shoot archery
bows and down a dram of whisky
(www.avenature.be).
The Forêt d’Ardenne nature project
organises walks, sport and overnight
and residential trips across the region,
including
Saint-Hubert
(www.
lagrandeforetdesainthubert.be). Recreation project Chlorophylle park (www.
parcchlorophylle.com), near La Rocheen Ardenne, runs nature activities.
Harnessing the strength of the province’s
famed shire horses, Forest Jump is a
team-building activity in the woods of
Vielsalm (www.exploraid.com).
Conveniently situated on the E411,
the Euro Space Center (www.
eurospacecenter.be) at Transinne has
activities for families, schools and
businesses. Experience life as an astronaut
by joining the Space Squad Competition.
A reception area caters for up to 400.
Libramont’s flagship event is its annual
summer agricultural fair. The site has a
business centre, Libramont Exhibition
& Congress (www.libramont-exhibition.
com), with panoramic views of the
surrounding countryside.
Heading towards the French border, along
the Semois valley, discover the historic
town of Bouillon and its impressive
fortress castle (www.bouillon-tourisme.
be). Orval Abbey (www.orval.be) brews
one of the region’s famous Trappist beers,
with a restaurant off-site available for
events (www.alangegardien.be).
Bastogne War Museum (www.
bastognewarmuseum.be) was renovated
for the 70th anniversary of the Battle
of the Bulge in 2014. The complex has
seminar space for up to 80 people. Next
to the site, the Mardasson memorial
commemorates thousands of American
lives lost in the bitter winter battle.
L’Auberge de la ferme at Rochehaut
(www.aubergedelaferme.com) consists
of a hotel, seminar area, gîtes and an
animal park. Gastronomy in the region
centres on game and charcuterie in
particular. Local gourmet restauranthotel is Michelin-starred La Table de
Maxime
(www.maximecollard.be),
where prodigious young chef Maxime
Collard also invites seminars. He has
opened a second establishment, Les
Terrasses de l’Our, offering 14 rooms,
a brasserie and seminar space, all
wrapped up in bluestone rustic charm.
AtLesChocolatsd’Edouardchocolaterie
(www.leschocolatsdedouard.com) in
Florenville, workshops teach you how
to make pralines. In the Saint-Hubert
region, the Auberge du Sabotier (www.
les7fontaines.be) is a three-star hotel
with seminar and reception space. In
addition to fine dining, explore the local
countryside, either on foot, in a horsedrawn carriage or aboard a vintage jeep.
For gourmets, there are cooking classes
and wine workshops.
summer 2016
19
LIFE
GASTRONOMY
Star quality
Meet the local restaurants celebrating a galaxy of new Michelin stars
By Sarah Crew
F
ood-loving Belgium now has a
higher density of Michelin stars
than its neighbouring countries.
With the acquisition or loss of a star
having such a dramatic effect on a
restaurant’s success, Michelin can make
or break a business. The 2016 edition of
the international gourmet bible features
four new restaurants in Wallonia and
one in Brussels, and two restaurants,
one in each region, are promoted to
two stars. Discover the latest fine-dining
addresses enjoying lofty status, from
long-standing institutions to up-andcoming new chefs.
Elevated to the lofty status of a two-star
establishment, this restaurant literally
reaches for the stars, located as it is
on the roof of the IT Tower in Avenue
Louise. Awarded a first star soon after
opening at the end of 2014, it’s a
collaboration between former 2010 Top
Chef semi-finalist Alexandre Dionisio
and Brussels gastronomic institution
La Villa Lorraine. And their ambition
continues. “We were flattered to win
a second, but we have a third star in
our sights. It’s probably the best way
of hanging on to it as well. It would be
great for Brussels to have a three-star
restaurant,” says Dionisio. Also keeping
him on his toes are menus that change
almost daily. “We’re not hostage to the
menu; it’s a daily discipline, but the
best way to stay in shape,” he says. All
this pressure suits his temperament.
“I’m quickly bored,” he says, and he’s
convinced that the attitude of his
keen young team also keeps everyone
alert. They work in an open kitchen,
providing diners in the glass cube an
alternative view to the panorama of the
 La Villa in the Sky
 Philippe Fauchet
La Villa in the Sky
Avenue Louise, Brussels
20
summer 2016
accompanying each menu, €24-€42.
And for fans of French bubbles, Le Pilori
offers tastings of Champagne that has
just been disgorged, without the final
addition of sugar, offering an authentic
taste.
 www.pilori.be
Le Comptoir de Marie
Mons, Hainaut
 Le Pilori
city. Menus from €85 for lunch, up to
€175 in the evening (without wine).
 www.lavillainthesky.be
Le Pilori
Ecaussines-Lalaing, Hainaut
While for some, recognition comes early,
childhood friends Michel Van Cauwelaert
and Marc Leveau have waited a while
for their first star. “After twenty-five
years in the business, the star represents
enormous joy and the pleasure to see that
it’s possible to do something you love in
a way that you love without falling into
established practices,” says Leveau, who’s
responsible for front-of house.
Le Pilori occupies a renovated rustic
building that has served as a restaurant
for more than 80 years. With such a
culinary heritage, it’s little wonder that
the menus (€35-€75) find favour. Quality
fish, seafood and cuts of meat are teamed
with regional produce. The seasonal
menu includes: roasted langoustine with
almond butter; French Landes asparagus,
either Flemish-style or with mousseline;
saddle of lamb with olives and artichokes.
Leveau: “The most important features
of our cuisine are fresh and seasonal
produce and precise cooking, without
unnecessary embellishment.”
The
extensive
wine
menu
is
recommended, as are the selections
While
Michelin’s
expertise
on
expensive, fine dining restaurants is
long established, it’s also been criticised
for the absence of more affordable and
ethnic places to eat. So this city-centre
tapas eatery with its €37 menu is a
welcome addition to the guide. Owner
Luc Broutard was surprised by the star,
which was awarded 18 months after the
restaurant opened. “First of all, it wasn’t
expected. We work not to earn a star
but to gain clients. Of course, it’s great
recognition for the restaurant and for all
the team,” he says.
The early accolade has also attracted a
new clientele, from Michelin fans who
regularly frequent starred restaurants
and the curious from the region and
further afield. Broutard owns two other
local restaurants, Table du Boucher and
Madeleine. As for the concept, he says:
“The idea was to propose a convivial
meal, and tapas lends itself to that. We
are proof that a star does not have to
mean expensive. I think that Michelin
is evolving in a positive way. Why not an
Asian restaurant next year? As long as
the product, the quality and the taste are
all there.”
summer 2016
21
LIFE
GASTRONOMY
cuisine and high quality produce
selected according to strict criteria,
whether it be bread, lobster, poultry or
vegetables.”
Customers are advised to book well
in advance, especially if they want a
seat at the eponymous counter. Menu
options include Andalucian gazpacho,
tuna carpaccio with vegetable pickles, a
bonbon of matured Holstein beef with
potato puree and shallot confit and
cheese from Philippe Olivier. €37 for
menu of five tapas plus dessert, €28 for
wine selection.
The second star has led to an increase
of customers, and from further afield.
“The ‘two-star’ clientele seem to be more
informed and used to Michelin-star
cuisine,” says Fernez. “Paradoxically,
the demanding level of this cuisine is
also accompanied by greater simplicity.
This a challenge that we meet with great
pleasure every day.”
 www.lecomptoirdemarie.be
Philippe Fauchet
Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, Liège
Currently on the menu: poached
turbot with mousseline, Breton lobster,
Bresse chicken; among the desserts are
favourites such as rum baba, crèpes
comédie française and peach melba.
Menus from €49-€140, including a
€58 gourmet menu for under-28s. A
charming footnote: the restaurant is
named after Fernez’s grandmother
Eugènie and daughter Emilie.
If there’s one characteristic of cuisine
in Wallonia, it is regional produce. Chef
Philippe Fauchet serves vegetables
from his own garden, featured in
a seasonal daily menu (€45). For
20 years he has been delivering a
modern, inventive and pure cuisine,
and fans are delighted that it has
finally been recognised by Michelin.
For a gastronomic feast, the 20thanniversary menu currently includes
crab with asparagus, langoustines
with broad beans and wild garlic,
turbot and caviar, sweetbreads, pigeon
(€125 + €70 wine). Alternatively,
there’s a table d’hôte on Sunday
evening. The restaurant is a husbandand-wife operation. Situated close
to the E42, the brick-and-steel
structure is surrounded by fields;
a contemporary, sober and elegant
structure overlooking a garden and
terrace. Menus also at €45 and €60.
 www.eugenie-emilie.be
Alexandre
Rue du Midi, Brussels
Isabelle Arpin is the only female
chef among the latest Michelin
laureates; she has expressed surprise
at winning a first star and pleasure at
the recognition for their hard work.
Arping, from France, succeeded owner
and sommelier Anca Petrescu’s exhusband, Alexandre Dionisio, in the
kitchen (see La Villa in the Sky, hence
the name over the door). She presents
a cuisine centred on flavour, passion
and femininity. Her delicate, subtle
and colourful dishes also feature spice.
She is inspired by her travels and her
imagination according to the arrival of
fresh produce. For lunch, count on €50
for three courses (all-in formula €75)
or €34 for two. There are two evening
menus, €75 and €130.
 www.philippefauchet.be
d’Eugènie à Emilie
Baudour, Hainaut
Having been promoted to two
stars – the first came in 2012 – chef
Eric Fernez appreciates Michelin’s
confidence in his cuisine. Resolutely
traditional in style, he says: “For many
months, we have uncompromisingly
made the choice to favour classical
22
summer 2016
 d’Eugènie à Emilie
 www.restaurant-alexandre.be
©musee de l’orangerie/ ©Ville de liege
 Paul Cézanne, Déjeuner sur l’herbe
Let the light in
Liège opens new arts museum with exhibition celebrating the great outdoors
By Sarah Crew
L
iège’s fine arts museum opened
to crowds and warm sunshine in
May, the latest in an ambitious
series of urban redevelopments
that are revitalising the city. In a
landscaped park on an island bearing
the same name, La Boverie is easily
accessible via La Belle Liégoise, a
walkway inaugurated days before the
museum itself. The cycle and footpath
links the Calatrava railway station with
the Médiacité shopping and media
complex, providing an unparalleled
view of the city.
In its first month, La Boverie registered
25,000 visitors. Its mission is to
present quality exhibitions with an
international focus that will shine
a light on the Liège metropolis.
It has replaced the modern and
contemporary arts museum Mamac,
which closed in 2013. The original
Neoclassical building was erected for
the World Expo in 1905. While the
elegant exterior remains, the €27.6
million renovation has enlarged the
interior, most dramatically with a
contemporary extension overlooking
summer 2016
23
LIFE
Culture
the Meuse. Designed by French
architect Rudy Ricciotti, an outspoken
enfant terrible
in
francophone
architecture and winner of the
national grand prix of architecture
in 2006, the gleaming glass structure
is raised on stilts, appearing to float
above its surroundings. Thanks to this
extension, says Ricciotti, “the museum
looks towards the water and the most
popular part of Liège. It should be lit
up all night so this wing is like a smile
directed at Liège.”
Though it was his intention to maintain
the original building, he felt it was
necessary “to renew confidence in
its heritage”. He was joined in the
project by Liège architects p.HD. They
deepened the basement area to house
the city’s extensive art collections and
an auditorium, while the main space
is devoted to temporary exhibitions.
It has been entirely refurbished, with
the walls painted white and the floor
now a polished concrete surface.
The annex, currently containing
two alcoves with works from the
temporary exhibition, is earmarked for
contemporary installations. It can also
stage receptions and events, a function
24
summer 2016
Facts and figures
1905 Year of construction
€27.6million Cost of renovation
5,000m2 Total surface space of new
museum
350 People worked on the
construction
52 Companies participated in the
construction
1m50 Lowering of basement level
11m40 Height of main facade
prioritised by its architect. Ricciotti:
“Between exhibitions, the museum
must live. It should be left empty to
hear the beat of the drum and rock and
be used to partying.”
Inspired by the waterside setting, the
inaugural exhibition, En plein air, shows
more than 100 paintings from the end
of the 17th century to the 20th century,
depicting scenes of people enjoying
nature and free time. Among them are
paintings by masters such as Corot,
Monet, Cézanne, Léger and Picasso,
and numerous works by lesser-known
artists. La Boverie’s own collection is
featured along with works by Belgian
artists, but the majority are French,
explained by the fact that the exhibition
is part of a four-year collaboration
with the Louvre in Paris. A total of 47
museums and four private collections
have loaned the works, which are
divided into themes and explore the
confrontation between the view of
the artist and the outdoor activities
represented. The exhibition space
affords glimpses of the surrounding
park and landscaped gardens, including
a shallow pond designed to create the
effect of a mirror of water. It could
©Ville de liege
 Rick Wouters, Un après-midi à Amsterdam
serve as an outdoor exhibition space
in the future. Other facilities on this
floor include a boutique and cafe with a
terrace overlooking the park.
Meanwhile, highlights of the city’s
permanent art collections are on show
in the 1,600m2 exhibition space below.
La Boverie has enabled the reunion
of extensive collections from various
museums in the city: the Musée des
Beaux-Arts, the Musée de L’Art Wallon,
the Cabinet des Estampes et de Dessins
and the Fonds d’Art Ancien. It is the first
time in more than 50 years that the works,
numbering 6,000 and 40,000 prints,
have been brought together. Arranged
©rudy ricciotti bureau
The mission is to
present quality
exhibitions with an
international focus
that will shine a light
on Liège
chronologically, from the Renaissance
via Impressionism and Surrealism to
the 20th century, a selection are on
display here. After the luminosity of
the upper exhibition space, the lack of
light is at first disconcerting; the space is
dimmed to preserve the rarer paintings.
A dark gallery is reserved for drawings,
gouaches, prints and other fragile works,
functioning with light sensors. Among
the highlights are Liège artists Lambert
Lombard, Gérard de Lairesse and GillesFrançois Closson, and fellow Belgians
René Magritte and Paul Delvaux.
Liège possesses some exceptional works,
including Picasso’s The Soler Family,
and Impressionist and Modern works
by Gaugin, Chagall, Monet, Kokoschka,
Ensor and Ingres. Their acquisition is
a fascinating insight into the changing
fortunes of the art world in the mid20th century. Thanks to a philanthropic
group of wealthy industrialists, the city
purchased nine outstanding works,
including the Picasso, at an auction in
Lucerne in 1939. The paintings were
sold by Germany because they were
classed as degenerate art by Hitler.
With money remaining in their pockets,
the Liège delegation added to this
treasure trove by buying further works
at a sale in Paris in August of the same
year. These included paintings by de
Vlaminck, Ensor, Signac, Utrillo and
Guillaumin.
Future exhibitions will also take
advantage
of
these
permanent
collections. Further collaborations with
the Louvre include Voyage en Italie next
year, which will present works from the
16th to 20th century in the footsteps of
Liège court painter Lambert Lombard. A
third exhibition in 2018 will be devoted
to Art Mosan.

www.laboverie.com
summer 2016
25
create
design
Design is life
Young creators show their potential at the world’s
biggest furniture design trade fair
By Oonagh Gannon
Thanks
to
the
Brussels-based
association Wallonie-Bruxelles Design
Mode (WBDM), local designers have
been experiencing the benefits of the
SaloneSatellite for the past 10 years
under the banner Belgium is Design.
The label is used by institutions across
the country to highlight the unique
characteristics of Belgium’s creative
production. It was established in
2006 by AWEX, Wallonia-Brussels
International and the Wallonia-Brussels
Federation to support the export of
design from Wallonia and Brussels. The
platform provides a rare opportunity
for emerging designers to boost their
credibility through exposure at the
springboard event, which is accessible to
650 designers, aged under 35, from all
over the world.
“Each year, WBDM organises a collective
stand to showcase the research and
experimentation of young Belgian
26
Summer 2016
© Julien renault
S
pringtime in Milan is an annual
awakening for the design industry,
with Milan Design Week enticing
international visitors to discover the
latest trends and innovations in furniture
design. For many successful Belgian
designers, this is where their career
began: not at the mainstream event,
but at the trade fair’s SaloneSatellite
– a major opportunity for blossoming
talent to showcase their work on an
international platform.
 PaulinePlusLuis
designers, offering them unique tools to
work as a team, to test their work with
the public and meet the international
professional world,” explains WBDM’s
coordinator, Leslie Lombard. To be
eligible for the Belgium is Design
collective, designers need to have been
selected by the SaloneSatellite itself
and be based in Wallonia or Brussels.
Their project must include at least three
prototypes of a useful object and they
must provide a mid-term strategy to
develop their work beyond the trade
fair. After selection, WBDM ensures the
best coaching in stand preparation and
all aspects of practical organisation,
including transporting the works to Milan
and in-situ installation to help them gain
the maximum advantage from being at
the world’s biggest furniture design fair.
This year’s participants benefitted from
coaching with Belgium-based art and
design consultant Giovanna Massoni
and participated in workshops animated
by established designers.
© MikoMikoStudio
 Mathias van de Walle
 Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte
as a young designer,” he says. “Thanks
to the support of WBDM I can finally
show the design world what I’ve been
creating in my studio in Brussels. It’s a
perfect opportunity to explain to people
my approach, my way of thinking, and I
love to hear the first reactions of people
using and interpreting my work. When
you defend social design, like I do, the
Milan Design Week is a fantastic way to
expand your contacts, your ideas and
share interesting conversations with
people.”
Frédérique Ficheroulle, also a secondtimer, is equally enthusiastic. “Being
part of a group is very encouraging,”
she says. “We share our experience,
exchange opinions, give constructive
criticism and even make plans for
new exhibitions together. WBDM is
a magnificent support, and with all
the networking opportunities the
SaloneSatellite is a great way to start our
professional business.”
Mathias van de Walle, who was selected
for the stand three times, won a contract
with Veuve Clicquot to produce a
champagne bucket from his origamiinspired vase showcased in 2010, a year
after his first SaloneSatellite. Another
up-and-coming
designer,
Damien
Gernay, whose work is produced by
big names on the international design
scene including MOGG and ENO studio,
took part in the 2011 edition of Belgium
is Design. Five years on, his name could
be seen alongside Belgium’s worldwide
renowned luxury leather handbag
manufacturer Delvaux at this year’s
mainstream event. Altogether, there
were 13 Belgian designers displaying
commissioned works resulting from
collaborative pairings with companies
not otherwise known for furniture.
“Although tangible success doesn’t
come immediately after the show,
thanks to increased visibility in the
Belgian and international press
triggered by the SaloneSatellite, PierreEmmanuel, Frédérique and their fellow
participants have all the ingredients
to follow in the footsteps of Belgium
is Design’s successful predecessors,”
says Lombard. Award-winning Belgian
designer Xavier Lust, who featured at
For the 19th edition of the SaloneSatellite,
this year’s collective, comprising
Vandeputte, Ficheroulle, Romy Di
Donato, the duo PaulinePlusLuis,
Valentin van Ravestyn and Thien Vo,
were dubbed the New Belgians. They
took on board the role of design in our
daily lives, showing not only the potential
of different materials but also their own
unique potential to become tomorrow’s
names in design.
© F. Ficheroulle
 Damien Gernay
 Frédérique Ficheroulle
Young designers can apply for the
collective up to three times. PierreEmmanuel Vandeputte was selected
for the WBDM stand for the second
time this year. “SaloneSatellite is a very
exciting and important moment for me
this year’s main event, was one of the
first talents to be launched from the
SaloneSatellite to a rich international
career.
Summer 2016
27
Create
PANORAMA
Turning heads
F
rom its headquarters in Wellin
in the province of Luxembourg,
hatmaker Herman Headwear is
enjoying international success. It is a
pioneering example of how a family
company can go global with sales points
around the world and a new second
outlet in New York. Its backstory reads
like a period drama.
Company founder Justin Herman was
travelling to Vienna on the Orient
Express when he met a hat seller who
was looking to abandon his company
because he feared a downturn in
business due to the expansion of the
railways and reduction in road travel.
Herman took an alternative point of
view and bought him out. Although
tempted to embark immediately on
his chosen profession, he decided
that globetrotting would be useful
research; his experiences in New York
would prove to be very fruitful. Three
years later, in 1874, he returned to the
Ardennes and founded his eponymous
company.
In those early years, felt hats and caps
dominated the business, inspired
by both New York’s high society and
Irish dock workers. Over time, the
company grew, while maintaining
its international outlook, including
supplying felts to luxury London
emporium Harrods. While remaining
a family affair with Alexandre Herman
as CEO, the company has continued to
evolve. Production has moved abroad,
28
summer 2016
maintaining high standards while
respecting local knowledge. Panamas
are now made in Ecuador, caps in
Naples, woolly hats in China. As for
foreign sales points, Japan in particular
loves Belgian design, and collections
can be found at Le Bon Marché and Le
Printemps in Paris and Galeria Inno
in Belgium. In addition to its legacy
line Herman 1874, Herman Headwear
consists of various labels, among
them, Céline Robert, R Mountain,
France Chapeaux and R Mountain.
The company counts 15 employees in
Wellin, including local designer Damien
Ducobu, who has worked in Greece,
Toulouse and Paris. He produces two
collections a year (summer 2016 is
pictured here). His creative flair and
Herman Headwear’s ambition make for
a stylish and winning partnership.
 www.herman-headwear.com
summer 2016
29
CREATE
AGENDA
EVENTS
MUSIC
Ikere Jones
VISUAL ARTS
Eric Danhier/Visit Brussels
SUMMER OF PHOTOGRAPHY
FLOWER CARPET
The Flower Carpet has been showcasing Belgian
horticulture and design since 1971. The major
biennial event sees hundreds of thousands of
begonias woven together to form a massive work
of art occupying the entire Grand Place. This
20th edition is something special. Not only does
it mark 150 years of friendship between Belgium
and Japan but its creators – veteran Belgian
floral designer Mark Schautteet and up-andcoming Japanese graphic designer Fujie Suzuki
– are incorporating figurative patterns for the
first time, in the form of cranes and koi.
The sixth edition of Brussels’ biennial Summer
of Photography celebrates contemporary
photography in all its guises. An initiative
of the capital’s fine arts centre Bozar, the
event has grown into a city-wide selection of
exhibitions, readings, workshops and portfolio
presentations. One of this edition’s highlights
is the Alex Webb retrospective exhibition The
Suffering of the Light, and Dey Your Lane, in which
24 photographers explore the unprecedented
urbanisation of Lagos (pictured).
WHAT? SUMMER OF PHOTOGRAPHY
WHEN? UNTIL 4 SEPTEMBER
WHERE? ACROSS BRUSSELS
www.summerofphotography.be
JOAN BAEZ
Legendary American folk singer Joan Baez
makes a rare live appearance this summer. Baez
is known as much for her political activism as her
musical talent. Indeed, the two are intertwined;
throughout the tumultuous 1960s she sang
protest songs like The Ballad of Sacco & Vanzetti
and The Partisan. Against the spectacular
backdrop of the historic Hôpital Notre-Dame à
la Rose, Baez will revisit old hits and share some
new ones.
WHAT? JOAN BAEZ
WHEN? 5 AUGUST
WHERE? CENTRE CULTUREL RENÉ
MAGRITTE, LESSINES
www.ccrenemagritte.be
Denis Danze
WHAT? FLOWER CARPET
WHEN? 12-15 AUGUST
WHERE? GRAND PLACE, BRUSSELS
www.flowercarpet.brussels
30
GRAND-HORNU
AENEAS WILDER: ORIGIN
The contemporary art and design complex
presents a summer programme of activities for
all ages, inspired by its history as a former mining
village and its two major summer exhibitions:
Aldo Bakker: Pause at the CID and My Body is a
Cage at MAC’s. The Bakker retrospective focuses
on the Dutch designer’s formal approach to object
design; the second exhibition presents works
from the Marseille Museum of Contemporary
Art. The programme includes guided tours of the
exhibitions, botanical walks, cycle rides, picnics,
treasure hunts, workshops and more. In July and
August, Thursday is family day.
Scottish artist Aeneas Wilder presents a solo
exhibition in the gardens and park of the 18thcentury Château de Seneffe. Left to ruin for
decades, the castle and domain have been
meticulously restored over the past 20 years,
resulting in an outstanding monument with
an orangery, aviary, 55 acres of beech woods,
gardens and a pond with a romantic island
and bridge. Taking advantage of the property’s
varied perspectives and assets, Wilder has
created a number of his signature structures for
the show, presented as a meditation on the cycle
of life and death. ESPERANZAH
WHAT? FAMILY ACTIVITIES
WHEN? 1 JULY-25 SEPTEMBER
WHERE? SITE DU GRAND-HORNU
WHAT? AENEAS WILDER: ORIGIN
WHEN? UNTIL 13 NOVEMBER
WHERE? CHÂTEAU DE SENEFFE
WHAT? ESPERANZAH
WHEN? 5-7 AUGUST
WHERE? FLOREFFE ABBEY
www.grand-hornu.eu
www.chateaudeseneffe.be
www.esperanzah.be
summer 2016
In the land of a thousand music festivals,
Esperanzah stands out for its programme and
setting. This world-music weekender takes place
in the grounds of Floreffe Abbey overlooking
the Sambre river. Campers have their choice of
atmosphere. The main campsite promises nonstop partying while a new, more distant site
offers peace and quiet for families. This year’s
headliners include American punk poet Patti
Smith and French electronic artist St Germain
as well as gonzo Serbian gypsy-rock outfit Emir
Kusturica & the No Smoking Orchestra.
FESTIVAL OF WALLONIA
The months-long Festival of Wallonia is a
smorgasbord of classical music. Fans of big
string sections, brass bands and chamber
ensembles will enjoy a full 150 concerts held
in all manner of venues across Wallonia. This
46th edition is a musical encounter between
West and East, with European luminaries
performing alongside virtuoso players from
Asia and elsewhere. The festival’s guest of
honour is Goncourt prize-winning French
novelist Mathias Énard, who is no stranger to
intercultural exploration.
WHAT? FESTIVAL OF WALLONIA
WHEN? UNTIL 16 OCTOBER
WHERE? WALLONIA AND BRUSSELS
festivaldewallonie.be
PERFORMANCE
AMADEUS
Set to a soundtrack of Mozart’s music and against
the backdrop of abbey ruins is this flamboyant
version of the play Amadeus. Written by the
late Peter Shaffer, it’s directed by Alexis Goslain,
who has trodden the boards as an actor in many
a production at Villers-la-Ville abbey. The play
is a fictionalised account of the lives of Mozart
and fellow composer Salieri, familiar to many
after the successful 1984 film. Each summer, the
Cistercian abbey ruins are transformed into an
outdoor theatre with cast and audience moving
around the site for different scenes. For the 30th
anniversary production, 3D video mapping of
the facade of the cloister will add further drama.
WHAT? AMADEUS
WHERE? VILLERS-LA-VILLE ABBEY
WHEN? 13 JULY-6 AUGUST
SHOW OF STRENGTH
Aeneas Wilder is a Scottish artist who spends half the year in northern Japan. He specialises
in making imposing sculptures from wood – and his work has taken over the grounds of
the 18th-century Château de Seneffe until November. “I’ve been trying to avoid Japan
affecting my work for about eighteen years, but last year I decided to make something
inspired by the country, with this wooden style they have with straight lines,” Wilder says.
Taking advantage of the property’s varied perspectives and assets, Wilder’s solo show,
Origin, includes an 11-metre sphere constructed from 600 pieces of timber (pictured
on previous page). “I like to work with spherical structures,” he says. “The overarching
theme, beyond life and death, is fragility. This sphere is very structurally sound but it
looks fragile.”
www.amadeus2016.be
Also on display is a 12m-high chair made of stacked units of wood, and a flower labyrinth
made of wild flowers that will change as different flowers come into bloom between now
and November. Even more deeply reflecting Japan are four video pieces running in the
castle’s cellars: “I thought, OK, this is the year when I record the ordinary things I see.
Though by presenting this work here it won’t look ordinary to European visitors.”
summer 2016
31
1250
Very high density of
UNIVERSITIES and higher
education establishments
Highly skilled
AVAILABLE
WORKFORCE
FOREIGN
INVESTMENTS
in 14 years
400 M
CONSUMERS
reachable
WITHIN ONE DAY
6
COMPETITIVENESS
CLUSTERS in
LEADING-EDGE sectors
70%
an exceptional
QUALITY
OF LIFE
of business
turnover comes
from EXPORTS

Work hard, play hard

Transcription

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