Take me to your place (2023) — De Maalbeek community centre — Etterbeek, BE

In 2023, Renée and Erien received a co-creation grant from the Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie (VGC) and developed Take me to your place, a project focusing on social anchoring in Etterbeek during a nine-month residency. Etterbeek is a municipality known for its multicultural and cosmopolitan character, as well as its proximity to European institutions. As a result, there is a lot of movement, with many people seeking or finding a temporary home.

In the first phase, they placed a caravan in a public space and transformed it into a mobile studio. Renée and Erien portrayed residents and passers-by while listening to the many stories that emerged from the question: 'What does a safe space mean to you?'. They visually translated these stories into drawings projected onto the faces of visitors to the caravan, positioned between drawing and photography.

Subsequently, Erien and Renée took individual walks with participants they met in the caravan, following the motif 'Walk me to your place'. During these walks, they photographed the residents, interviewed them, listened to their stories, reflected together, invited participants to write down their impressions in poetry or text, and encouraged them to take photographs along the way. Based on these conversations, Renée and Erien composed a collective poem using fragments of text. This poem was performed during a large, shared walk in which all the places were visited. Participants were invited to share artistic contributions at their locations, such as reciting written poetry or texts, playing music, or performing choreography together.

In the final phase of the project, they initiated visual art workshops based on four themes: light, community, nest, and nature. These themes emerged as essential to feeling at ease in a particular place during a collective session to define the workshop focus. The workshops were conducted using recycled materials and emphasized conviviality and shared enjoyment.

A book documenting the project was published by HOPPER&FUCHS, and a permanent exhibition is on view at De Maalbeek community centre.