To understand the true nature of Brussels (2022), I created a botanological map of the magical pentagon as a tool for my research. A botanological map is a map that explores the intimate relationships between Homo sapiens and the vegetal kingdom. On the map (presented on the floor in a space) I take people on a guided tour. The group wanders from Heysel over Grand Place and Matonge, …. to end in Parc Astrid in Anderlecht (on the map in the space). In each of these places, the group focuses on a particular plant that is strongly connected to that place. We scrutinize that plant and its properties; mainly to understand how the plant can inspire us to tell stories about that place. More general : how can plants open and hold a platform for conversation? How can we help them to unleash their inherent speculative energies to envision new worlds? Therefore, the guided tour involves a few pic-nics; we taste and digest Brussels together. During the tour, Brussels gets plowed, a landscape of emotions surfaces and reveals the true nature of the swamp city.
Format: lecture performance
Production: WpZimmer
