Radio Lab

It is June 2018, and a boat named Aquarius is carrying 630 migrants across the Mediterranean. Floating adrift off the coast of Italy, the central government refuses to open its ports. In response, several cities such as Naples, Taranto or Palermo announce their wish to welcome the boat, in an outburst of solidarity and humanism.

At the same time, several voices are rising within the European institutions to ensure that a true continent-wide welcome policy is put in place. At a time when nation-states seem to be overwhelmed by the issue of migration flows, are cities and Europe the best echelons to deal with them?

With Philippe Lamberts, Gesine Schwan, Élise Phamgia and Ludovic Lamant.

It is June 2018, and a boat named Aquarius is carrying 630 migrants across the Mediterranean. Floating adrift off the coast of Italy, the central government refuses to open its ports. In response, several cities such as Naples, Taranto or Palermo announce their wish to welcome the boat, in an outburst of solidarity and humanism.

At the same time, several voices are rising within the European institutions to ensure that a true continent-wide welcome policy is put in place. At a time when nation-states seem to be overwhelmed by the issue of migration flows, are cities and Europe the best echelons to deal with them?

With Philippe Lamberts, Gesine Schwan, Élise Phamgia and Ludovic Lamant.

European elections are fast approaching, and with them the same nagging fears as Eurosceptic parties and nationalist ideas go from strength to strength throughout the continent.

However, with only eight months to go until those crucial European polls, this is no time for resignation. Reinvigorate a progressist discourse, revive the European project and remobilise the forces: these are the challenges that face us between now and May 2019.

European Lab Brussels will echo the sentiments of a whole wave of citizen initiatives that have already taken up the gauntlet. Far removed from any political parties, it is activists, venues, festivals and medias such as We Are Europe who are picking up the baton, starting the countdown and launching their own mobilisation campaigns.

With Eva Rovers, Alberto Alemanno, Mick Ter Reehorst, Kyrill Hartog and Angela Richter

-

In partnership with Are We Europe - https://www.areweeurope.com/

European elections are fast approaching, and with them the same nagging fears as Eurosceptic parties and nationalist ideas go from strength to strength throughout the continent.

However, with only eight months to go until those crucial European polls, this is no time for resignation. Reinvigorate a progressist discourse, revive the European project and remobilise the forces: these are the challenges that face us between now and May 2019.

European Lab Brussels will echo the sentiments of a whole wave of citizen initiatives that have already taken up the gauntlet. Far removed from any political parties, it is activists, venues, festivals and medias such as We Are Europe who are picking up the baton, starting the countdown and launching their own mobilisation campaigns.

With Eva Rovers, Alberto Alemanno, Mick Ter Reehorst, Kyrill Hartog and Angela Richter

-

In partnership with Are We Europe - https://www.areweeurope.com/

GEN Z – you guessed it: short for ‘Generation Z’ – is questioning the reality experienced by young people born after 1995. By collaborating with schools and associations, and by interrogating the youth of Europe anywhere from playgrounds to living places, social adventurers Antoine Neufmars, Salvatore Calcagno and Emilie Flamant have looked countless young people in the eye and listened to their thoughts.

These raw materials have now been stitched together in a patchwork-style manifestation: photos, video passages and sound extracts all punctuate the telling of the story of generation Z, the creator and actor of tomorrow’s world.

-

Salvatore Calcagno, Garçon Garçon, BE

Emilie Flamant, Garçon Garçon, BE

Antoine Neufmars, Garçon Garçon, FR

-

In partnership with Garçon Garçon - http://garon-garon-dmwx.squarespace.com/

GEN Z – you guessed it: short for ‘Generation Z’ – is questioning the reality experienced by young people born after 1995. By collaborating with schools and associations, and by interrogating the youth of Europe anywhere from playgrounds to living places, social adventurers Antoine Neufmars, Salvatore Calcagno and Emilie Flamant have looked countless young people in the eye and listened to their thoughts.

These raw materials have now been stitched together in a patchwork-style manifestation: photos, video passages and sound extracts all punctuate the telling of the story of generation Z, the creator and actor of tomorrow’s world.

-

Salvatore Calcagno, Garçon Garçon, BE

Emilie Flamant, Garçon Garçon, BE

Antoine Neufmars, Garçon Garçon, FR

-

In partnership with Garçon Garçon - http://garon-garon-dmwx.squarespace.com/

“Architecture is the physiognomy of nations.” When French writer Astolphe de Custine penned these words in the nineteenth century – the century of nations – Europe was still but an idea. Two centuries down the line, and the construction of Europe has accelerated: having become a political space, it is armed with its own shared institutions and symbols.

And even a ‘European district’ located in Brussels, struggling to embody the ideal of a democratic, supranational Europe.

In Eurotopie, the Traumnovelle collective explore this particular dimension of the European project and suggest that we redefine the architecture of this political space, in order to simultaneously reinforce our sense of belonging and inject it with fresh democratic zeal.

With Dennis Pohl, An Fonteyne, Cédric Libert and Lieven De Boeck

“Architecture is the physiognomy of nations.” When French writer Astolphe de Custine penned these words in the nineteenth century – the century of nations – Europe was still but an idea. Two centuries down the line, and the construction of Europe has accelerated: having become a political space, it is armed with its own shared institutions and symbols.

And even a ‘European district’ located in Brussels, struggling to embody the ideal of a democratic, supranational Europe.

In Eurotopie, the Traumnovelle collective explore this particular dimension of the European project and suggest that we redefine the architecture of this political space, in order to simultaneously reinforce our sense of belonging and inject it with fresh democratic zeal.

With Dennis Pohl, An Fonteyne, Cédric Libert and Lieven De Boeck

“I don’t know a rapper in Brussels who lives off his music.” Back in 2011, as part of Martin Vachiery’s documentary Yo ? Non, peut-être !, rapper Scylla – the man behind ‘Bx Vibes’ – painted a bleak picture of the Brussels hip-hop scene.

Seven years later, from the sensational Ipséité by Damso to the explosion of Caballero and JeanJass, not to mention Roméo Elvis and his hit ‘Brussels Arrive’, the scene has suddenly landed in the spotlight.

All of a sudden, questions about the money made by its leading figures are no longer phrased in the same terms. The impact of this upturn in fortunes has been considerable for everyone on the scene, from artists (whether established or emerging) to those involved on the ground. With a little expert help from Belgian media platform Check, we wonder what will become of this scene and what opportunities and risks have been created by this unprecedented hype.

-

Martin Vachiery, Check, BE

ICO, Artist, BE

Phil "Fourmi" (Philone), Zulu Nation, BE

Jeanne Mouffe, Check, BE

Benoit Quittelier, Future Art Movement, BE

-

In partnership with Check - https://www.checkcheckcheck.be/

“I don’t know a rapper in Brussels who lives off his music.” Back in 2011, as part of Martin Vachiery’s documentary Yo ? Non, peut-être !, rapper Scylla – the man behind ‘Bx Vibes’ – painted a bleak picture of the Brussels hip-hop scene.

Seven years later, from the sensational Ipséité by Damso to the explosion of Caballero and JeanJass, not to mention Roméo Elvis and his hit ‘Brussels Arrive’, the scene has suddenly landed in the spotlight.

All of a sudden, questions about the money made by its leading figures are no longer phrased in the same terms. The impact of this upturn in fortunes has been considerable for everyone on the scene, from artists (whether established or emerging) to those involved on the ground. With a little expert help from Belgian media platform Check, we wonder what will become of this scene and what opportunities and risks have been created by this unprecedented hype.

-

Martin Vachiery, Check, BE

ICO, Artist, BE

Phil "Fourmi" (Philone), Zulu Nation, BE

Jeanne Mouffe, Check, BE

Benoit Quittelier, Future Art Movement, BE

-

In partnership with Check - https://www.checkcheckcheck.be/