The fourth edition of the Bruges Triennial: Spaces of Possibility, curated by Shendy Gardin and Sevie Tsampalla, will be held from Saturday 13 April to Sunday 1 September 2024. This event promises to transform the streets and historic center of Bruges, Belgium, into a showcase of contemporary art and architectural interventions. With a focus on exploring the latent potential of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, the festival raises questions about how concepts like change and sustainability can interact with preservation.
The 12 selected artists and architects have been prompted to challenge the existing spaces within Bruges. Among the invited names are Boonserm Premthada’s Bangkok Project Studio, Mona Hatoum, Studio Ossidiana, and Sumayya Vally, founder of Counterspace and curator of the first Islamic Arts Biennale, among others. Until September 1st, they are presenting temporary interventions and large-scale installations that seek to reveal the hidden potential of the city, echoing the festival's theme. Against the backdrop of Bruges' rich history, this edition of the Bruges Triennial underscores the importance of adaptable urban spaces in today's ever-evolving world.
Read on to discover the installations of the Bruges Triennale 2024, along with their official descriptions.
The Tower of Balance / Bangkok Project Studio
“The Tower of balance” by Boonserm Premthada of Thailand’s Bangkok Project Studio is inspired by his visit to Bruges’ 13th-century Belfry. His 18-metre-high contemporary bell tower, with three wooden viewing platforms, both marks and gives meaning to a little-known stretch of greenery.
Grains of Paradise / Sumayya Vally
“Grains of Paradise” by Sumayya Vally is inspired by Bruges' rich commercial history. The installation comprises a series of blackened pirogues, laden with herbs and spices, arranged side by side on the Minnewater Bridge.
Firesong for the Bees, a Tree of Clay / Mariana Castillo Deball
Mariana Castillo Deball has created an architectural, sculptural installation entitled “Firesong for the Bees, a Tree of Clay”. It combines a colony of bees with the history of beehives.
Full Swing / Mona Hatoum
Full Swing by Mona Hatoum invites you to swing in a narrow underground passage that has been excavated from the garden of the Onzelievevrouw Psychiatric Hospital.
Star of the Sea / Ivan Morison
Conceived for the beach of Zeebrugge, “Star of the Sea” attracts attention from afar with its voluminous form and peculiar chimneys. This weird monumental structure explores entanglements between art, industry, nature, and ecology.
Common Thread / SO–IL
SO–IL has created “Common Thread” for the garden of the former Capuchin Monastery. Together with Dr. Mariana Popescu (TU Delft) and Summum Engineering, the architects have developed a fabric that spans two neighborhoods and creates a new urban connection.
Earthsea Pavilion / Studio Ossidiana
Earthsea Pavilion is a living organism, a contemporary chimera made of minerals, plants, animals, organic matter, fungi and bacteria, collectively composing a new soil. It is both a garden and a building, a place of encounter and exchange between people and other forms of life. We find shelter within it as it grows, breathes, and changes over time, reacting to the weather as well as to the actions of its human and non-human inhabitants. We wander across it while its layers settle, while strata of organic matter become fertile soil, while water is filtered through its earthly walls, birds and bumble bees nest and build their hives, and fungi develop their web of relations.
Raamland / Norell/Rodhe
Norell/Rodhe's “Raamland”, situated between Oostmeers and Westmeers, takes the form of a new community garden. The Swedish architecture firm has redeveloped the square in Sint-Obrechtsstraat and transformed it into an exciting and inspirational meeting place.
empty drop / Shingo Masuda + Katsuhisa Otsubo Architects
Inspired by the density of Bruges' street plan, Shingo Masuda and Katsuhisa Ostubo have constructed a new, open 'place' for the city in St John's Hospital Park. Their geometric, brick-built sculpture subtracts ground from the historical orchard while also lending it structure. Here, the architects play with the concept of 'free' or undefined space and its absence in the city's geography, where every corner is well-defined.
Under the Carpet / Adrien Tirtiaux
“Under the Carpet” is a three-part artwork that invites you to rediscover the disused link road between St John's Hospital and the Minnewater Clinic.
The Joyful Apocalypse / Traumnovelle
With “The Joyful Apocalypse”, the Brussels architecture firm Traumnovelle is redefining the 13th-century courtyard of the Stadshallen [City Halls]. The 9-metre-high structure elevates the square into a temporary stage and turns the casual passer-by into a dynamic extra.
Who? / Ivan Argote
A pair of bronze boots stands on Speelmansrei. They seem to be resting or walking leisurely on the surface of the water. As if they belong to a larger sculpture: has it been dismantled or is it still under construction?
