Take a moment to imagine how you feel when you step onto the Grand’ Place in Brussels. It could be awe, respect or simply pride and joy in the fact that this is one of the world’s greatest squares. It’s hard to believe that anyone can be unmoved in some way, even if they’re walking through it to somewhere else.
Now imagine if there was traffic racing through it or – worse – if chunks of it were given over to chain shops and grim ministry buildings like the once glorious Place de La Monnaie. The truth is, Brussels’ greatest set piece gives the city its heart, both emotionally and culturally and gives anyone who lives in the city a sense of focus and belonging.
Without it, there would be an empty space, a missing link in the cultural chain that holds the city together. The culture of a city or country is always there, murmuring quietly in the background, yet our emotional response to it is not always easy to recognise. It’s only when something changes or disappears that we realise how ingrained it has become in our way of life.
The recent death of Maurice Béjart, one of the greatest inventors of 20th century contemporary dance, is a clear example of this. At 80 years of age, Béjart has always been there, part of the cultural furniture. It seems strange that he’ll no longer be bringing his extraordinary brand of dance to Belgium again. Despite moving to Switzerland in 1978, Béjart always called Brussels home and it was at La Monnaie that he created some of his most famous works, which in turn influenced future generations of choreographers in this country.
Dance is an art form that Belgium has made its own. Its social and political impact on Belgian culture cannot be underestimated. Dance brings together the different language and political communities in a way that no other performing arts can. Where physical expression takes precedence over language, human emotion can transcend any linguistic affiliation or place of birth. This is important to the quality of life in Belgium where these issues are high on the agenda. It binds the country artistically and places it on the international dance map which in turn engenders a feel good factor.
Recent studies in the UK have specifically focussed on this concept particularly in the economic and social impact of theatre. Currently, the New Economics Foundation is conducting a survey and study of how theatre can affect our wellbeing. Being moved by art is one thing but what about the added extras, the added value?
When we engage with culture it’s often a social event, sharing it with friends and family, eating out and having a drink, leaving work behind, getting a babysitter for the kids. Whether you see a film, a play or an exhibition you are lifted from the mundane, excused from routine and dropped into a world of an artist’s and your own making.
Even going out for dinner in Belgium is a cultural event; the local cuisine, Belgian beer and style of restaurants and bars make it a unique experience. It makes us feel part of the scene, we’re living like the locals and relaxing into life in an adopted country. And by using our cultural senses we can achieve a healthy balance between the daily grind and the beauty of the artist.
All of the arts help us to understand the world in which we live and our place in it. The arts are there to help us question and debate and sort out the muddle of modern living. One of the great benefits of living in Belgium is that it truly is at the heart of the European Union. Whatever your opinions of the European ideal, one of its great success stories is its ability to offer the broadest spectrum of people a cultural identity, to share, discover and understand. The great Europalia events, the cultural activities of the presidencies and cultural palaces like the Bozar are true testaments to the power of collective artistry.
Whether it’s the ancient arts, the old masters or the screamingly contemporary, the added value effect is cohesive and binding, giving a sense of belonging. We admire the quality, the skill, the execution, the idea and we know that things can be good, that we too can strive for excellence.
While some of the great Belgian buildings are an essential part of the country’s culture, we don’t always need to go into them to engage with the art. In Belgium, it’s all around you. The Mannekin Pis, the peeing dog, the Antwerp fashion houses, the comic strip murals, the art nouveau architecture, the view from Ghent’s St Michielsbrug, everything about Bruges; it’s all there to see and to be part of.
Culture is, in fact, part of our everyday lives. Without it, Belgium wouldn’t be what it is and we wouldn’t be what we are. We may not always notice it or recognise it but we absorb Belgian culture in almost everything we do. Imagine life without the Grand’ Place, beer and frites, Tintin and Rubens, the fine arts museums, lace, tapestries, and our great performing arts institutions. We’d be bereft.
