Last Saturday, Museum Night Fever offered a rare opportunity to escape the (last of) the wintry and dark days. 19 Brussels museums opened its doors (almost) the whole night and offered guided tours, animations, music, dance, performances, in collaboration with students of numerous artistic high schools.
Too many to visit all (in the rain), so my favorite pick were the workshops (Ateliers) of the Royal Monnaie Theatre, a most prestigious opera house in Europe. Its workshops are one of the city’s best-kept secrets. Though not strictly to be considered a museum, but rather a very active creative part of an opera world. Would the unique journey (parcours) through its workspaces appear a source of inspiration (as the program announced)?
Indeed, it was, in the first place for the students of the Brussels school of Arts.
Figures disguised in black outfits and forehead masks, armed with I-pods playing excerpts from Mozart’s La Finta Giardiera, guided us – solely using “body language” through the various workshop spaces. Wardrobe, sewing, wood, metal and painting… unknown worlds of big-scale, hence creative activities opened up for me.
And everywhere young dancers (on of the them the daughter of good friend of mine) enhanced the de-mystifying experience with their fresh movement and dance creations. At the end we could watch parts of a rehearsal for Cosi Fan Tutti by singers of the famous music chapel Queen Elisabeth. An inspiring journey it was!
