Rethinking the city
Imagining futures
Futures for everyone
Brussels for everyone
The future starts today
Rethinking the city
Imagining futures
Futures for everyone
Brussels for everyone
The future starts today
BrusselAVenir makes futures stories with and for the people of Brussels. In our first futures story, the radio show of the future discussed how Brussels has become climate-proof in the year 2030. Later, we explored how we will live together, and translated the collective and diverse future visions into audio stories on encounters on the tram in the year 2030. We made music tracks of the futures with youth talking about being young in Brussels in 2035. During our collaboration with Slovakia, we’ve created 3 short films with a group of 20 youngsters on how young people will bond in 2035. In May this year, we set up our latest project: a TV-like show called 20:40 Slessurb show that hacks all the devices in 2040 in a fictional city called Slessurb, Brussels in reverse, where technology dominates all aspects of everyday life. The show was broadcasted for 24 hours on BX1 television. All of these creations take place over several lab-like workshops in Brussels, our futuristic playground!
Now, with our partners Plurality University from Paris and YouthWatch from Slovakia, we want to gather with an interdisciplinary group of young people from Brussels and Bratislava in Paris for a 5-days lab and dive into futures.
The futures lab will take place in an unique and extraordinary place, Césure, a former Sorbonne-Nouvelle campus – Censier, the biggest temporary occupation in Paris. Together with a group of 10 young people from Brussels, and 10 from Bratislava we’ll travel to the year 2050, imagine the everyday life in this world, what we will eat, wear, how we will live amidst a very different landscape because of changes in technology, environment, politics, jobs, economy and the global situation. Concretely we will imagine all that around this space and what this site of 25,000 m² can be in 2050. Together we will explore futures, and translate our visions through various creative mediums like audio, artifacts, crafting and illustrations.
Are you between 18-30 years old and fascinated by futures and its power to bring alternatives to various challenges? Interested in learning about futures literacy, an essential skill of the 21st century 🔮🚀? Or passionate about exploring with different creative and artistic formats in multidisciplinary teams 📽🎭🎨? Then you should be onboard with us on the train to Paris.
Send us a motivation letter or video here! Deadline for applications: Tuesday, 19 September 2023.
We are looking for:
Brusselèirs (living/going to school/working in Brussels) between 18 and 30 years old…
with an interest in the future and arts…
with at least a basic knowledge of English
We offer:
A five days futures lab in Paris, together with a group of Slovakians and Parisians
Travel costs, accommodation and three meals a day are included
Accompaniment of team members from BrusselAVenir, Plurality University and YouthWatch
Checklist before you apply:
Are you between 18 and 30 years old?
Are you free from 12-16 October 2023?
Are you able to free at least 1-2 days after October (meet online) to finalize the project? (Moments of encounter will be decided on with the group)
This lab is part of the project Future is Now and funded by Erasmus Plus.
BrusselAVenir makes futures stories with and for the people of Brussels. We have made a radio show of the future in which we discussed how Brussels has become climate proof in the year 2030. We’ve made audio stories on encounters on the tram in the year 2030, in order to explore how we will live together. We’ve made music tracks of the futures talking about being young in Brussels in 2035 and we’ve created 3 short films with a group of 20 youngsters on how young people will bond in 2035. All of these creations take place over several lab-like workshops in Brussels, our futuristic playground!
For our next labavenir we would like to bring together a group of youngsters from Brussels and along with them explore as future archeologists the year 2040, 10 years after Molenbeek has won the title of European Capital of Culture.
Worldbuilding Weekend – Les Halles de Schaerbeek June 30th and July 1st (14:00 – 17:00).
For two afternoons the young participants will dive into the Futures! You will learn about Futures thinking; how to ‘use the future’ and see how we can act upon it. Together, we will become archeologists of and from the future and create materials to build the world for a Futures story! We will then prototype the story at the end of the second afternoon in the form of a talk show.
As a follow-up to this weekend, 10 young participants will be selected to go for a trip to Paris for 5 days in October 2023. During this trip, you will meet other youngsters from Slovakia and France and together explore the world of futures in order to co-create a futures story (the medium of the story will be decided together by the group). What is guaranteed is that you will meet many new fun and interesting people and make new friends 🙂
Do you find the future fascinating? Do you like to dream wild? Do you like to make things? Do you like working in group? Do you want to be part of bringing the future to the streets of Brussels?
Brusselèirs (living/going to school/working in Brussels)
between 13 and 30 years old
with an interest in the future and audio-visual arts
who are available on June 30th and July 1st and preferably also for 5 days in October 2023 for a trip to Paris (tentative dates of October are 12-16 October 2023 (TBC).
This activity takes place in the framework of the project Future is Now and is supported by Erasmus+ programme and as part of the summer assembly 2030.
In August 2022 10 youngsters from Brussels and 10 youngsters from Slovakia gathered in Bratislava to reflect on the question: “How will young Brusseleirs and Bratislavian bond in 2035?” We traveled together to futures, we created and shared creations with the others, and we got the impossible task of making movies in 60 hours. We imagined worlds on how people will connect in 2035, amidst the increasing presence of technology. We had 60 hours, 2 cameras, 1 phone, some tape, some plastic, a reptile costume, a melon and a black box theater to turn ideas into films. With a few imagined movie concepts, we started to shoot to concretise these ideas. The outcome is 3 short films. It’s time now to share them with you:
V
One day, in 2035, a girl is faced with a difficult decision: to leave the earth and go to live in a digital universe. Choosing to live in the metaverse is attractive, but once you go, it is impossible to return. Through a poetic narration, the film reflects the inner voice of the protagonist and gives us a glimpse into the motivations that lead her to her final decision. Director: Léonard Degoulet Director of photography: Romane Solé, Róbert Hojda, Vanessa Minacapelli Scenario and Script: Róbert Hojda, Léonard Degoulet Actors: Diana Jacková, Lívia Zajaková Assistant Director: Alexandra Kurišová Sound: Róbert Hojda Editing and animation: Róbert Hojda, Diana Jacková, Blaise Turikumwe Lights: Karim Bouziane, Miloš Čohán Make-up | Decor | Props | Costumes: Monika Balková, Romane Solé, Lívia Zajaková, Silvia Vimpeľová, Roman Štefánik, Kevin Balog, Katarína Slobodová, Maty Mihalko
Revival
2035 is the year where people can live and be in the digital world. Revival is the new programme where people can be fully digital and are able to be reborn. What would a rebirth in the digital world be? Does it have any similarities with birth in the analogue world? Through radical movements, we see barriers break down in a choreography that is certainly not meant to leave us unmoved. Director: Vanessa Minacapelli Director of photography: Blaise Turikumwe Actors: Tomas Ntamashimikiro Hand actors: Alena Tomanová, Katarína Slobodová, Miloš Čohán, Monika Balková Storyboard: Diana Jacková Scenario: Tomas Ntamashimikiro, Vanessa Minacapelli and Blaise Turikumwe Sound: Vanessa Minacapelli Editing and animation: Vanessa Minacapelli Lights: Karim Bouziane, Miloš Čohán Make-up | Decor | Props | Costumes: Monika Balková, Romane Solé, Lívia Zajaková, Silvia Vimpeľová, Roman Štefánik, Kevin Balog, Katarína Slobodová, Maty Mihalko
Middling
Maty is an AI child of human parents, being judged by other AI beings due to looking too human. During a party, he is criticised for his looks and this causes him an identity crisis The film questions the ethics of creating virtual beings and their rights. Will virtual beings exist just to fulfill our desires and needs? And what about theirs? Director: Bori Szekeres Art Director: Justine Cappelle Director of photography: Tomáš Tomis Actors: Maty Mihaľko, Róbert Hojda, Silvia Vimpeľová,Tomas Ntamashimikiro, Justine Cappelle, Blaise Turikumwe, Bori Szekeres, Diana Jacková Storyboard: Bori Szekeres, Justine Cappelle Scenario: Bori Szekeres, Justine Cappelle Sound: Bori Szekeres Soundtrack: Buttechno – Pkds Editing and animation: Bori Szekeres Lights: Karim Bouziane, Miloš Čohán Make-up | Decor | Props | Costumes: Monika Balková, Romane Solé, Lívia Zajaková, Silvia Vimpeľová, Roman Štefánik, Kevin Balog, Katarína Slobodová, Maty Mihalko
Generalcreditsfor 3 films
Technician: Robert Klváček from A4 Venue: A4 – priestor súčasnej kultúry Audiovisual coach: Vinco Zierowan Scenario coach: BrusselAvenir, YouthWatch Editing assistance: Vinco Zierowan Sounddesign assistance: Vinco Zierowan Interludes sounddesign: Vinco Zierowan Audiovisual interludes: Vinco Zierowan Production: BrusselAVenir & YouthWatch Ellen Anthoni, Khushboo Balwani, Alena Tomanová, Maty Mihaľko, Alexandra Kurišová Thanks to Saji Debongnie & Gateway Traffix
These films are made as part of the project YouthFutures 2035 by BrusselAVenir and YouthWatch in the framework of the Erasmus plus funding programme. The research question of the project is “How will young Brusselèirs and Bratislavians bond in 2035?”
July 2040: a television show called “The Slessurb Show” manages to hack every device and spreads throughout the city. Slessurb – Brussels in reverse – is a city where nothing seems to work and technology invades every aspect of life. The show features a series of events and objects that move beyond the current societal dysfunctionalities and finds new ways to meet, socialise, and bond. Zinnema welcomed us for a 5-day residency adventure: together with an intergenerational and multidisciplinary group of participants, we co-created this multilingual TV show. We re-imagined the possible futures of social relations, invented suitable costumes, scenography, and music, and filmed the scenes you can discover below. From a cooking show recreating underground communal dining at times when agrifood has been taken over by 3D printers industries, to an advertisement for the Reality Rehabilitator, a device that rescues those lost in the metaverse and brings them back to reality. And let’s not forget the dating show, reviving spontaneity in a world of algorithm-based matchmaking …
The Première of the Show was broadcasted on BX1 television on 8 July 2023!
Scenography: Jan Rymenants | Editing & Post-production: Mattia Petullà | Jinglemusic: Dantel – Alexandros Lykouras | Music credits: Sound Syntesis – Margarida Albino | Graphic Design: Andrés Silva | Venue & technical support: Zinnema | Habibi Habibi animation footages: Everything videogame by artist David OReilly
A production of BrusselAVenir: Khushboo Balwani, Ellen Anthoni, Ilya Pringot, Lilia Raikhline, Annagrazia Graduato Special thanks to Chloé Luchs-Tassé from Plurality University.
This show is made as part of the project Future is now by BrusselAVenir in the framework of the Erasmus plus funding programme and as part of the artist in residency at Zinnema.
Music of, from and about the future – TrackBX2035 is here!
2035 is the time when the babies of today will be the youngsters. These babies grow up in times of pandemic, dominant presence of social media, and tons of uncertainties and insecurities brought up by technology. What will it be like to be young in Brussels in 2035? What will the music be like in Brussels in 2035? What will be the role of music in the lives of young people in 2035?
In April and May 2022 we gathered for a 8-days futures music atelier with 25 young people from all around Brussels, together with futurists and musicians. While composing and singing, we discussed futures that led to many new questions.We questioned the role of music, sounds, and genres in 2035 in Brussels. During the 8 days, different experts accompanied us physically in the process of creating this music and we had several Zoom calls with local Brussels artists to ask them whatever we wanted to know. The outcome is 3 music tracks with the sound of the future of Brussels that you can listen to now !
A production of BrusselAVenir funded by Erasmus+ under guidance of Vinco.zone and Arthur Chambry. In partnership with with Zinnema, Entree, Overkop and Dbroej. Thanks for the inspiration: Rrita Jashari, Jeunes Boss, Dance Divine, Mambele, Madcurse, SVDU, Volta. Participants: Amine Bouarfa, Younes L’Mourabiti, Ryan Salu, Genza, Gus Itali, Juicyroyce, Ramses, Ritchie, Lexie, Nemia, Akbar Bigira, Ky Rayleigh, Juiceisdope, Moussko, Sunray_helena
Tram 20.3.0 Talks are audio fiction stories narrated by Tram 7 about its passengers in the year 2030. The six stories paint a picture of everyday interactions between Brusseleirs. People that meet each other on the public transport and open up about their changing lives.
Created for and by Brussels citizens, the stories of Tram 20.3.0 Talks are the result of one year process of participatory futuring and co-creation of various visions of the future for Brussels. By answering the question “How will we share the city amongst each other in Brussels in 2030?“, about 500 people imagined near futures during the workshops organised by BrusselAVenir. This, together with discussions in the community, research, interviews with experts and discussions with citizens, is what made up the different layers & features of the six different stories.
As the omniscient narrator, tram 7 travels through time and into different stories, each story tells us about different encounters. During their conversations we come into contact with various elements of possible futures: new ways to communicate, the new material reality of the tram, the route, the different stops and the local stories of the neighbourhoods, a host or hostess who welcomes passengers, all with the aim of triggering action to make these imagined futures a reality. The objective is to show what sharing the city could look like in 2030 and how it can trigger solidarity, a sense of belonging, linguistic and cultural pluralism… and how, together, we can create new stories.
Conception and coordination: Ellen Anthoni, Khushboo Balwani, Islin-Lucrezia De Fraye, Mattéo Scognamiglio, Annagrazia Graduato and Ilya Pringot Editors: Matesa von Hildebrand (English), Islin-Lucrezia De Fraye (French) and Ellen Anthoni (Dutch) Voice actors: Joey Wright (English), Line Pillet (Dutch), Islin-Lucrezia De Fraye (French) Graphic design: Ellen Anthoni and Bram van Bree Installation design: Jan Rymenants and Koray Sels Sound artist: Zino Moons Recording and technical support: BNA-BBOT Special thanks to STIB-MIVB, Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie, Bruxelles Mobility for their support
‘20:30 Bruxsels Talks: A Talk Show of the Future’, is a scripted radio show set in the year 2030. In a live performance on 23 January 2020, Brusseleirs were transported to a future where Brussels has made an inclusive and sustainable transition that takes care of its diverse population on both an ecological and social level. This future fiction piece is a twofold attempt to make the vastness and complexity of an eco-social future understandable and relatable through storytelling, while also demonstrating the role of media, such as radio, in the process of sustainable transition. Over the past six months BrusselAVenir gathered content for the show through several ‘LabAVenirs’ participatory workshops, specialist interviews, and collective imagining of Brussels in the year 2030.
In this fun and entertaining show you will hear people from the future sharing about their lives, hopes and fears. There will be reminiscent throwbacks of the past (that is today) through sound archives; contemporary breaking news; live music; and interviews with influential members of 2030’s society, all with the aim to trigger action to make this plausible future a reality!
