News from Flanders - May 2012

Optimistic about the thought of summer on our doorstep, we bring our usual cornicopia of information about what is happening in Flanders in the coming weeks. Look out for us at next month's Taste of London festival where we'll be offering the public the chance to best of Flemish fayre. Enjoy the summer sun from the team at Tourism Flanders!

Accommodation:

B&B De Witte Nijl
Antwerp

This new B&B with 2 rooms is located in a quiet street in the centre of Antwerp in the trendy neighbourhood of 'Zuid', famous for its array of cool restaurants and terraces. Close to the site of the Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp it is also within walking distance to the fashion area, antiques area and the historic centre.  Decorated in a colonial African-style fashion, the building is located  in a beautiful 19th century house, typical to the area.  Rooms start at € 100,00 per night.
www.dewittenijl.be

Gastronomy:

Dinner in the Sky - Brusselicious
Brussels has always loved surrealism. From 4 June to 1 July 2012 “Dinner in the Sky” meets the challenge from a gastronomic angle. It is a unique occasion to discover Brussels haute-cuisine in the most extraordinary setting: 22 guests and 1 ‘Michelin starred’ chef will offer an unforgettable gastronomic experience serving rare dishes and fine wines, suspended in the skies of the capital city to provide  an unparalleled view of Brussels and its surroundings
More information : www.brusselicious.be   and  www.dinnerinthesky.be  

Culinary festival in Ghent 'Gent Smaakt'

Twenty of Ghent’s best kept culinary secrets are revealed when they present their finest work at the culinary festival 'Gent Smaakt' from the 17th till the 20th of May. Any visitor to this beautiful city will be able to recount the boundless range and quality on offer for all tastes ! Entrance fees for the festival are free and visitors can pay for their food and drink via a token system or 'Gentse stropkes'  ( medieval nooses and also the nickname for the Ghent locals).The festival takes place on  Leopoldskazerne, Gaspar De Craeyerstraat 2 , Ghent www.gentsmaakt.be  

New tourist beer guide

With more than 30 breweries that collectively produce over 250 beers, Flemish Brabant - with its beer capital Leuven - is the beer province par excellence. Eager to showcase the local brews,a new tourist  beer guide entitled  "Beer, a round of Flemish Brabant" has been produced. The book aims to offer an overview of the breweries, the varieties on offer and  beer flavours, as well as the history of the brewing process and a list of delicious beer recipes. For beer enthusiasts looking for a more physical challenge, there is a selection of beer walks and cycle routes aimed to highlight the authentic ambiance of typical beer cafés in the region! The guide is available in English and exists as an online guide also. www.toerismevlaamsbrabant.be/publicaties/publication-beer-flemish-brabant.jsp

Hard Rock Café in Brussels
Coming soon to the Grand Place, the HARD ROCK CAFÉ opens at the end of May. As well as the tried and tested favourites, the Brussels café will also serve Belgian food and Belgian artists will be contacted for memorabilia to adorn its interior. Its new premises housed in a 16th Century restored building will offer live music, late night lounge and shop. As well as cocktails the café will be offering more than a few Belgian brews remind visitors of where they are!

Taste of London 2012
Look out for the Tourism Flanders-Brussels stand ( IP4)  at the TASTE OF LONDON festival taking place 21-24 June . We’ll be joined by the best of Flanders in terms of food and drink and consumers will be able to sample a range of local delicacies . Eating and drinking are always factors that influence the success of any  foreign trip. With this in mind, the Flemish look forward to  impressing  visitors with some  innovative and tasty cooking ! For more information see www.flandersforfoodies.be and  www.tastefestivals.com/london

Fashion

3D-Cutting Edge Fashion

The Materialise World Conference put on a fashion show with a 3D printed twist. Making their runway debut were four hats from Brussels’ master milliner Elvis Pompilio. Also on the catwalk, were the top 20 designs of a hat and hair accessory competition, the “Hat’s Off to 3D Printing Challenge,” which was put together by  Leuven’s Materialise’s consumer division i.materialise. Flanders is a world leader in 3D printing and can lay claim to three companies in the world’s top 10. Its combination in fashion has been inspiration to designers like Elvis Pompilio who often use the technology to create award winning cutting edge design. The ability to create intricate lace-like designs in millinery is  made possible via 3D technology.

Examples of the stunning designs on show are included in following link. www.materialise.com/cases/a-fashion-show-like-no-other-debuts-at-the-materialise-world-conference However, the technology employs itself to other forms of design in jewellery (www.materialise.com/cases/a-fashion-show-like-no-other-debuts-at-the-materialise-world-conference)  and designer crockery http://unfold.be/pages/projects/items/kruiskopjes-0/product/date too!

Art and Design

KAMARAMA – Bruges

From May 1 until August 1, 2012, Belgium’s most famous contemporary Comic Strip artist, painter, theatre and television producer Kamagurka will act as curator for a special art project in Bruges: Kamarama. He will display his own work as well as work of other artists who inspire and fascinate him at several locations around the city. It will be an exhibition full of remarkable art, surprising perspectives and a certain amount of humour. Look out for Yves Obyn’s wooden crashed airplane in the heart of the city!
www.kamarama.be

Google Art Project

The Google Art Project, launched in February 2011, offers virtual tours of seventeen of the world's major museums, including the New York's Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery in London, the Reina Sofia in Madrid, and the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg.

The second phase of the Google Art Project began in April 2012. The goal is to significantly expand the number of participating museums and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium have been invited to take part. The selected works span the fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries, and include paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (The Numbering at Bethlehem (inv. 3637) and The Fall of the Rebel Angels), Jacob Jordaens, Rogier van der Weyden, Gustaf Wappers, Alfred Stevens, Jacques-Louis David and Fernand Khnopff. In December 2011, a team of the Google Art Project came to Brussels to digitize the masterpiece of Bruegel the Elder "The Fall of the Rebel Angels" (1562) with a 1 Gigapixel camera. For more information see http://tinyurl.com/7okmec7

Duvel Collection

Every year, the  Duvel-Moortgat brewery release a new series of exclusive, printed glasses, designed by the Belgian and Dutch artists Arne Quinze, Daan and Stefan Glerum.  Original and limited in sales, the series is available in local, Belgian stores and in the Duvel webshop, starting June 7.
For more information: www.duvelcollection.com

Leuven’s 2012 Summer Scene
Leuven is getting ready for a colourful summer with the second edition of “Summer in Leuven”. Huge murals by Sol LeWitt, the most influential conceptual artist, will completely take over the M-Museum Leuven. This is the first time that an overview of his work will be on show in Belgium. And to cap it all, enjoyable concerts, music festivals, a culinary event and the city’s unequalled atmosphere will be jostling for your attention: The terrific 3=2 campaign held by Leuven’s hotels and B&Bs will make Leuven a summer hotspot that is not to be missed.
www.leuven.be/summer

Middelheim Museum
On 26 and 27 May the revamped Middelheim museum will throw a party when it reopens its doors to the public. The highlight of the weekend will be the performance given on Saturday by Swiss artist Roman Signer. Countless other performances are due to take place across the entire park during the opening festivities. 

In the Braem Pavilion, fashion designers Bernhard Willhelm and Jutta Kraus will present their selection of internationally renowned works from the Middelheim museum's permanent collection. The custom artwork by Ai Weiwei, Thomas Schütte and Philippe Van Snick complete the line-up for this fabulous opening weekend 
www.middelheimmuseum.be

Thomas Schütte Exhibition: 26 May 2012 - 16 September 2012

Books

The Bradt Guide to Flanders

 Author Emma Thomson has finally had her detailed guide to Flanders and Brussels published by Bradt. The book, which took many months to compile was the Emma's brainchild and during her 10 year love-affair with the region, she was able to painstakingly research the length and breath of Flanders . With surprises at every turn, she applied an "off the beaten track" approach to her travels to provide a comprehensive visitors guide to the many cities, vast countryside and coastal towns in the area. Emma's book is available online from Bradt. www.bradtguides.com.