Summer Festivals I

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

Summer has ended a while ago so lets see what we saw this year!

27-6: Dijlefeesten, Mechelen

- The Rudy Trouvé Septet: Belgian music at it's best
- Think of One: great world music from Antwerp


29-6: Ottertrotter, Mechelen

A great free multi-cultural festival with great mojito's, mouth watering food and hot Flamenco ;-)


6-7: RockWerchter

- Devotchka: Terrific! Brilliant! Just listen: http://devotchka.net/
- Tim Vanhamel: some great Belgian songs
- Hercules & Love Affair: interesting disco tunes
- The Kooks: nice
- The Raconteurs: great! pity we can only see part :-(
- Grinderman: Woohoo! Love Nick Cave and his new band!
- Justice: French dance fun
- Beck: weird guy with brilliant songs (or vice versa...)
- Deus: still great ;-)

Oriental Fascination (Brussels, 7-9-2008)

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

A cool exhibit about Orientalism in Belgian art combined with real Japanese drawings from the collection of the Krakow National Museum.

There are some terrific works of art here so it's highly recommended to have a look. The exhibit is in the City Hall of Brussels so it's easy to find!

Exhibit un till 28-9. More info: http://www.brupass.be/
You can visit this exhibit and "Fables" (see review) for 7 euro!

Fables-Karen Knorr (Brussels,7-9-2008)

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

Another cool exhibit in "La Centrale Electrique". This exhibit is part of the "Summer of Photography" which is a great concept!

I love the strange and poetic world of Karen Knorr (http://www.karenknorr.com/). It's full of animals in strange places and perfect compositions. She has a nice way of seeing the world and I hope she'll make lots of other projects!

Exhibit un till 28-9. More info: http://www.brupass.be/
You can visit this exhibit and "Oriental Fascination" (see review) for 7 Euro.

The British Royal Collection (KMSKB, Brussels, 7-9-2008)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

A nice exhibit about some Flemish paintings (Bruegel to Rubens) from Britain but nothing really special.
Ok you can see works together that have never been together since probably the time they were painted but I think you have to be an art-historian specialized in the period to actually enjoy that.
So if you aren't just don't pay the extra money for this exhibit and see the normal collections. They are interesting enough!

Exhibit un till 21-9. More info: http://www.fine-arts-museum.be/

Through the glass

Leaves

Brussels, plants behind tinted glass window

Spider

One of our spiders in summer

Waiting

A sight that caught my eye in Brussels this summer.

Jens Berre-Caermerklooster (Gent, 31-08-08)

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

If you are interested in anthropology and you are in or near Gent this weekend you should definitely visit the exhibit with pictures and short movies from Jens Berre.

This Danish explorer has made some really exciting trips to the San (Bushmen), the Wailbree Aboriginals and the cannibals of Papua New Guinea in the early fifties. His pictures show practices and peoples that now have all but disappeared.

Very exciting and free! Exhibit ends september 14th.

BELvue Museum / Coudenberg (Brussels, 24-08-08)

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

A definite must for every-one who wants to know more about Belgium and see a cool archaeological site as well!

The BELvue Museum is located on the "Coudenberg" in Brussels in an 18th century hotel. The location is very beautiful and luxurious. The rooms show all kinds of interesting facts, pictures, posters, objects, etc. of Belgium history. You can learn and see a lot here!

Underneath the hotel are the remains of the former "Palace of Brussels" which was originally built in the 11th century. This is where Emperor Charles V used to live when he was in Brussels so lots of exciting historical facts took place here!
In 1731 a huge fire destroyed the palace and the ruins where finally taken down in 1775. But underneath the street level you can still see some of the rooms.
They aren't decorated but it's a fascinating walk none the less (see pic).

You can visit both museums from tuesday to friday for only 5 euros! More information: http://www.belvue.be/ or http://www.coudenberg.com/ (a cool site with music!).

Fotomuseum: Guy Bourdin

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

Current exhibit, un till 14-9-2008 so be fast if you want to see it!

Guy Bourdin was the fashion photographer of Vogue Magazine and he made some really funny, weird, intriguing pictures. He has had a lot of influence on current fashion photography so check him out! http://www.guybourdin.org/

There is also an exhibit about sports photography which is well worth a watch.
Check: http://www.fotomuseum.be/