Zebrastraat
The Zebrastraat (Dutch for "Zebra Street") in Ghent, built in 1906 by the architect Charles van Rysselberghe is an entirely renovated site where living, culture and economy meet in an inseparable way. The social experiment "De Cirk" has been modernized and became the project Zebrastraat in 2006, while strictly respecting the original architecture.
Situation
Due to the industrial revolution at the end of the 19th century, there was no longer room for a zoo within the city, and the site was parceled out. The textile industry was at that time very important, and as a consequence the workers' houses had to be built as close to the city centre as possible. Charles Van Rysselberghe felt that he needed to take the most out of the valuable plots, and decided to build the houses for the workers upwards, in order to face the living problems caused by the vague of urbanisation at that time. He also designed several schools and public buildings such as the Museum of Fine Arts in the Citadelpark.
Since the construction of these houses in 1906, social housing managed by the Gentse Huisvestingsmaatschappij (Ghent social housing association) formed the majority in this neighbourhood, but by the end of the century, social life faded away slowly but surely, and many houses were left unoccupied and fell victim to dilapidation. The site was eventually sold to the Liedts-Meesen foundation, which took charge of the new Zebrastraat project.
The site has been entirely renovated and Zebrastraat currently organizes several socio-cultural activities. At the same time it offers a forum for young promising artists in order to stimulate the development of unusual themes and new artistic movements.
Initiatives
The projects of Zebrastraat concentrate on interactive and experimental digital art. The foundation has chosen for less well-known forms of artistic expression, reflecting technological evolutions. A first initiative was the exhibition Stippels en Pixels in early 2005. 2006 saw a follow-up with Update, a bi-annual manifestation for interactive and digital art. In 2010, a second Update manifestation was organised, in the form of the exhibition Body Sound, in cooperation with the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.
The Update events always come to an end with an exhibition by an established provincial artist.
Parallel to these bi-annual manifestations, the foundation has been handing out the New Technological Art Award since 2008. It is given to an outstanding work in the world of digital art, after evaluation by an international jury.
"The artist of the month" is another remarkable initiative, with a young promising artist presenting a selection of his work to a broad and divers public in a non-commercial context.
The foundation is also engaged in projects promoting diversity and opposing fragmentation between people, e.g. Habbekrats, a service for disadvantaged young persons and for transgressing initiatives.
Finally, Zebrastraat possesses its own art collection, with works by Nick Ervinck, Panamarenko, Thomas Huyghe, Honoré d’O, ...
Exhibitions
- 2005: Stippels en Pixels
- 2006: Update I (curator Jean-Marie Dallet)
- 2006: 40 year of paintings by Henri Vandermoere
- 2006: Wonderland - Fluxus and the game
- 2007: Cabinet portraits 1962-2006 Pjeroo Roobjee
- 2008: Update II (curator Peter Weibel, ZKM)
- 2009: Picture Palace Hans Vandekerckove
- 2010: Update III (curator Christine Van Assche, Centre Pompidou)
- 2010: Verlangzamingen Michel Buylen
- 2013: Expo Etienne De Smet
External links
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