An apartment of Babylon: How a cosy apartment can be transformed into a temple to celebrate European unity – Meet Writingbrussels

William Peynsaert's avatarThe Confessor

There are six of them. Eva, Gaëlle, Mark, Yves, Veronika, Katarina. These artists from many different nationalities have joined hands to support each other’s creative output. Standing at the cradle of the artistic collective there was also Miguel, but that one moved to Berlin, but no worries, his spirit keeps marching on, since the membership keeps growing. Dulce has recently become a full-fledged pillar of the initiative. The collective is based in Brussels.

My wife and myself were invited yesterday, on Saturday, the 18th of November. The exact location of the event was only disclosed at the last minute.

We were welcomed by our host, an exquisite social butterfly, Veronika, a Czech lady who’s fluent in French and also writes in French.

The living room of the apartment was arranged like an ancient Greek theatre. We were treated to fine wine -the kind of wine that has a story to…

View original post 281 more words

Posted in Observing Brussels | Leave a comment

Quai de Hainaut. Molenbeek-Saint-Jean (2)

ATOMIUM

– Y el Atomium se había caído…- dije.

Adriana me observaba perpleja desde el otro lado de la mesa. Su mirada oscura como la entrada de una mina me invitaba a adentrarme en ella.

– ¿Cómo que el Atomium se había caído? ¿Me tomas el pelo? Eso es imposible….- me contestó.
Continue reading

Posted in Atomium, Eva, Hotel, Life is simple, Observing Brussels | Leave a comment

M is for Murder, A for Atomium

Atomium down

Tuesday 11 September 2001

One of those days, never to forget. I was at work in Brussels when I saw it all on TV, as I left through the lobby to catch the Schuman train. The Twin Towers in New York had been attacked by so-called Islamic terrorists. They hijacked two airliners and flew, suicide mode, straight into the skyscrapers. The buildings caught fire and collapsed, in a cloud of smoke and dust. Thousands died. Terrible. A friend (and he wasn’t alone) said “The news coverage made it all look like a disaster movie“.

Thursday 11 March 2004

Another day, never to forget. Again, I was work. This time my wife called to say “There’s been a massive terrorist attack on several trains around Atocha in Madrid. Big explosions. The government says it’s the Basque terrorists but it can’t be. They always claim responsibility. It must have been Islamic terrorists“. There were gaping holes in the train carriages, with people, dead, dying and injured, strewn along the railway tracks. The death toll mounted soon. Thousands were wounded.  A big political row began over who did it and why.
Continue reading

Posted in Atomium, Mark | Leave a comment

HEART MATTERS – our next reading in Auderghem

Saturday 18 November at 5 p.m.

Posted in Atomium, Events, Life is simple | Leave a comment

Le cœur bat tant qu’il peut

“Le cœur bat tant qu’il peut” (Karl-Ove Knausgaard, La mort d’un père)

Ce soir, je suis resté tard dans mon atelier. Je voudrais travailler mais je n’y arrive pas. Dehors, la nuit tombe à une vitesse brutale. La toile devant moi est presque invisible mais je n’ai pas pris la peine d’allumer. La pénombre convient mieux aux souvenirs balbutiants qui émergent de ma mémoire.

Pour les rattraper, je plonge en moi-même comme un nageur solitaire dans un lac profond. Ces moments éparpillés nourrissent le tableau qui est en train de naître en moi. Leur goût est acidulé et enivrant à la fois. Je ferme les yeux pour les savourer. Continue reading

Posted in Life is simple, Veronika | Leave a comment