Books Fair : get reading !Mensuel gratuit réalisé par La Tribune de Bruxelles - N°13 - Mars 2010

Distribué en partenariat avec

Cultural Diary2

Maintenant à Bruxelles!

www.esl.be

rue du Rouleau 29 boîte 12 BE-1000 Bruxelles T. 02 203 59 91

babel:

Vers Brussels – poetry in the city“Vers Brussels, poetry in the city” is an initiative of the literary organization Het beschrijf, which is based in the international house of literature,

Passa Porta. Over the past years, 12 poets from as many different linguistic areas have visited Brus-sels. For a full week they immersed themselves in the daily lives of a single district, and processed their impressions in the form of a poem. In dia-logue with their poetry, 12 Belgian visual artists create new artworks for Brussels. This generates a

trail through the city, with 12 new works that join together poetry and visual art.

U More information can be found on www.versbrussel.be (Dutch) or www.versbruxelles.be (French).

A L’AgeNDA

“Sixties, Les couleurs d’une libération”

Une exposition au musée de la Mode et de la Dentelle de Bruxelles qui aborde la mode occidentale dans les années 60. L’occasion de prendre la mesure de ce que cette décennie a signifié en termes de lib-erté pour la femme.

U Sixties, Musée du Costume et de la Dentelle, 12, rue de la Violette, à 1000 Bruxelles. www.bruxelles.be. Jusqu’au 31 décembre prochain.

Le concerto de Schumann

Le concerto de Schumann ne quitte jamais Hélène Grimaud. Après l’avoir interprété encore récemment avec la Staatskapelle Dresden (au disque comme au concert), elle s’associe cette fois au Brussels Philhar-monic pour un moment de pure évasion.

U Samedi 20.03.2010 à 20h au Palais des Beaux-Arts / Salle Henry Le Bœuf.

La légende de la déesse Hathor

La légende de la déesse Hathor permet à Béatrice Grognard et à ses danseuses de se plonger pleinement dans l’éblouissante richesse artistique et intellectuelle de l’Egypte pharaonique. Grâce aux extraits musicaux issus des multiples répertoires égyptiens, « Songe d’une nuit d’Egypte » a magnifie une esthétique millénaire à travers la création contemporaine entre-prises par Béatrice Grognard.

U « Songe d’une nuit d’Egypte », spectacle de danse théâtrale d’Egypte par Béatrice Grognard et la Tarab. Les 16 et 17 mars à 20h30 à Wolubilis, 251, avenue Paul Hymans – 1200 Woluwe-St-Lambert. Rés. : 02 761 60 30. www.wolubilis.be h

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During the month of February one thou-sand copies of the new movie by visual artist Honoré d’O will be distributed to the inhab-itants, European employees and visitors of international cultural institutions in the Euro-pean Quarter. Babel is a poetic interpretation of the European quarter in Brussels, and part of the poetic city project Vers Brussels initi-ated by the literary organisation Het beschrijf. In June 2008 Belgian artist Honoré d’O and Ger-man poet Ulf Stolterfoht visited the European zone in Brussels. Gigantic, cold office buildings and busy thoroughfares bordered picturesque streets surrounding squares. In the Leopold Park, where a zoo was once situated, Eurocrats were speaking all languages together at once. Ulf Stolt-

erfoht wrote the poem babel based on his im-pressions of this particular part of Brussels. Hon-oré d’O had this German poem translated into the 22 other official languages of the EU during a Babylonian translation workshop. Volunteer translators, who in their daily practice are active within the biotope of the European institutions, ventured into an unrestrained poetic translation. Each of them, in their own language, looked for the words that would best convey the rhythm and tone of Stolterfoht’s poem. All of these ver-sions now form the soundtrack of a unique film that seems to have brought the former Brussels zoo back to life again. In-between are to be heard the typical sounds of our common social living sphere: that is how universal babel is. po

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a poetic movie about the european quarter

3galleries 3

Dark TravelU 6.03.10. Thierry Mortiaux Barbarian TravelLe Salon d’art - Rue de l’Hôtel des Monnaies, 81 1060 BrusselsT/ 02 537 65 40 www.lesalondart.beTuesday to Friday 2 to 6:30pm, Saturday 9:30am to 12 noon and 2 to 6pmFree entrance

This is the first solo exhibition for Belgian Thierry Mortiaux (born 1973), a multicultural and multilingual artist (he also speaks Russian and Mandarin). Giving up cartoons for engrav-ings, he has discovered a new world. Mortiaux’s drawings (created by using a feather and brush), have a definite influence on his engravings. Pouring zinc varnish, acqua-tintes and bitings on the plates, he creates interesting contrasts and paradoxes. Playwright at heart, his subjects are dedicated to the flesh, wrapped up with sarcastic humour and witty titles. Mortiaux’s photographic memory witnesses different imaginary scenes from Russia, China and other places. His work is of high quality and very promising! M.S

Sea VariationsU 27.02.10. Philippe Carpentier - PaintingsGalerie Fred Lanzenberg Avenue des Klauwaerts, 9 – 1050 BrusselsT/02 647 30 15 www.galeriefredlanzenberg.comTuesday – Saturday 10am to 12:30pm – 2 to 7pmFree entrance

Frenchman Philippe Carpen-tier (born 1942) has a fascina-tion for the sea. His passion goes back to the memories of his childhood (he was born nearby the sea side), and also during his military service, which he carried out in the Navy. Carpentier paints the sea and the sky in infinite variations and quite often in an almost abstract way. A man from the north, his colours range from mono-chrome green, grey or blue. The work on wood and paper has been done with water-colour, tempera, Indian ink, arabic gum. “Just water,” says Carpentier. “I hate acrylic, because I only like blending transparencies.” As a result, his work is sharp, direct, instinctive and peaceful. Stripped to the bear essen-tials, quiet and uplifting, the movement is elegant and sometimes evokes Japanese calligraphy. Whether you love the sea or not, stroll along and let yourself float into the open sea... M.S.

The latino avant-gardeU 25.04.10El Cubismo, Cubism and its contextMusée d’Ixelles - 71, rue Jean van Volsem - 1050 BrusselsT/ 02 515 64 21 - www.museedixelles.beThursday to Sunday 11:30am - 5pmFree entrance

Madrid’s Fundacion Telefonica gathered an impressive col-lection of cubist paintings by European and Latin American artists. The exhibition is defined about three main themes: a new definition of cubism (1916-1925), Juan Gris - Cubism and modernism in Latin America and, geographies of moder-nity. Each themes proposes a reflection on cubism. The collec-tion shows Juan Gris influence and emphasizes cubism’s con-tribution into the development of new trends in modern art. An original and rare opportunity to see works made between 1907 and 1924 by Juan Gris, Louis Marcoussis, Albert Gleizes, André Lhote among others who where influenced by Ce-zanne’s theories and by Tribal arts. Portraits, still life, landscapes, if some of these works get close to quasi-abstraction others give new shapes to daily objects. The vision of a world seen from different angles at once. A blissful discovery of quality works made by famous or lesser known artists, gratuitously offered to the public by Fundacion Telefonica. M.S

Contemporary Art | Exhibition

André Lhote, Nature morte au pot rouge, 1917. Huile sur toile. © Fundación Telefónica.

MeditationU 3.04.10Spirits - Patricia Kinard - William SweetloveArtiscope - 35, Bd Saint Michel - 1040 BrusselsT/02 735 52 12 - www.artiscope.beTuesday - Friday 2 - 6pm or by appointmentFree entrance

Artiscope gallery exhibits two artits’s works diametrically opposed in style who perfectly complement one another. Kinard takes us in her colorful world, her chromatics are made of refined shades that remind Japanese style landscapes. Her tranquil space, evoking mountain, valley, lake, sky or mist, is suddenly disturbed by ghosts coming out of the blue. Young girls or boys in 30‘s style appear in levitation and draw a poetic and mysterious feeling ... By contrast, Sweetloves’ animal gang lead us to another world. Paying attention to the current issue about recycling and a presumed end of our world, his fossilized and cloned plastic beasts

alter our vision of the planet. Sweetlove defies the visitor with his non sense and pecu-liar sense of humour... enough to turn spirits upside down! M.S.

William Sweetlove, 2 White Elephants, 2010, print sur toile, 110x80 cm. Courtesy Artist

Patricia Kinard, La Grotte Bleu, 2009, tech-nique mixte sur toile, 50x50 cm. Courtesy Alain Speltdoorn

FortitudeU 27.03.10Frida Kahlo - Diego Rivera - Le voyage MexicainGalerie Didier Devillez - 53, rue Emmanuel Van Driessche - 1050 BrusselsT/02 215 82 05 - www.galeriedidierdevillez.beThursday to Saturday 2 - 6:30pm or by appointment

French photographer Gisele Freund (born in Germany 1908-2000) was famous for her documentary photographs and portraits of writers and artists. Freund dislikes self-conscious middle-class portrait revealing social class and self sat-

isfaction. In order to disclose the individual real personality, she creates an atmosphere. Freund usually goes to the people place where the person feel more at ease rather than in her studio. She engages a topic allowing the writ-er or the artist to forget about himself and get his attention focus on the meeting’s quality. The exhibition gathers more than 30 pictures of Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and important Mexican artists who contributed to the cul-tural revolution. Fascinating portraits show-ing strong personalities, their charisma and reflecting also the Mexican atmosphere. M.S.

Frida Kahlo et ses chiens, Mexico City, 1948. Ph. n&b, 37 x 35 cm — r° : signature, timbre sec / v° : cachet

Gallery | Exhibition

Cultural DiaryPeople4

The Man Behind The Chairg Blue-blooded Bruno is a big, bold, bear-like creature, believing that Brussels is the best place to be above Paris, who could have one begging for a hug as soon as one saw him, were he not so forthcoming himself. His world -famous, colourful furniture creations may well have already brightened up your Ikea coffee tables on the front covers of Elle Decoration, or House & Garden? Non? Then, dash out and grab one of his chaise-longues at his inclusive Brussels showroom, to put life into your dinner parties, to impress your guests and give them something to talk about, while they mull over Martinis and scoff your canapés!

There is no escaping family ties for some people and history is always in the making, but Bruno de Caumont-Chandoisel goes to great lengths, “I’m close to my ancestors because I was brought up to respect their commitment to others, with a sense of duty with which they applied to serve their coun-try.” His aristocratic roots from his French father date back to the 15th century, placing most of us, comparatively, as mere peasants in the pecking order. Also up there with the high-flyers was his ancestor, Ange-Jacques Gabriel, architect of Par-is’s Place de la Concorde, where most of us have will have visited at least once in our lives.

Then there is Bruno’s mother who grew up as a French “outsider”, born and raised in Algeria – a so-called “pied noir”, with her feet firmly stamped in history too,“My mother’s great grandfather took part in the conquest of Algeria (1830-1847), alongside the Duke of Aumale, son of King Louis-Philippe, and her father, who’s nearly 99 years old (and still writing a book!), was right-hand man to the last Governor of Algeria, right up until 1964.”

Even the Belgian Francophones speaka da lingo due to a Bruno-ancestor who drafted the Ordi-nance of Villers Cotterêts that imposed French as the dominant Oïl language in the main northern Roman Gaul territories in 1539.

All that said though, his personal goal, to design our interiors aesthetically was not handed to him on a plate, “It was a bit rough in the beginning, as I had no money and it took some months to build my portfolio, which I presented to Maison & Objet about a year later: one prototype, plus lots of mod-els and reproductions, but with no success, not even a single request!”

Since then he has leapt into the Top 50 of the Fu-ture of Design list, according to the 100 year-old House & Garden magazine, which, Bruno jests, has since been discontinued, “Could this be be-cause of me?!”

He hints that the best is yet to come and that he has more exciting designs hidden away until the time is right to revolutionise the lounge scene again.

While Belgian furniture manufacturer, Mas-sant, eventually brought him back to Europe to settle, after Eastern travels to Saigon in search of the perfect polished finish to his work, his great-grandfather, Henry Schneider, a household name in business, had got his foot in the door before him, “When Massant eventually made me an offer to produce 18 pieces of my work, I was amazed…it seemed like an obvious choice too, as my grand-mother lives here. Returning to Paris after 8 months

of travels, I found myself thinking Parisians are crazy people, which actually scared me because I’d previously lived there for 30 years! It was easy to convince my grandmother that it was a good idea too, as maintaining a big house is not that easy for an old person on her own!”

Then, Bergdorf Goodman offered to present his collection in their department store on New York’s Fifth Avenue, as launched by Elle Decor, and the rest is history...

He likes Brussels’ cultural mix, “The people I meet; the ancient and more recent architecture; the rhythm of the city; and its buildings, especially the great Art Deco ones. There’s also the possibility of still discovering exceptional houses from the inside and out - I always expect to discover hidden trea-sures in Brussels, whereas in Paris, everything is already known, used, exploited.”

And the locals? “A warm welcome still exists here in Brussels, which, regrettably, has certainly disap-

peared in France. Here, people take time to live, much more than in many countries. It is very pleasant to see that there are still people who try to protect fam-ily life rather than making money at any cost!”

SALLY PIDgeON

U Give up your shopping days battling over Swed-ish meatballs! Go and kiss cheeks, or shake hands with the self-employed man himself at D.A.M. Spazio, 13 rue Leon Lepage, 1000 Bruxelles (0478 281 902) and visit: www.caumont-interiors.com

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For a free-thinking writer, email me: sallypidgeon@hotmail.com

Chaque mois retrouvez les Européensde Sally Pidgeon qui nous parlent deleur vie, de leur passion et de leurville. Envie de témoigner ? Ecrivez nous à TheBrusselsTribune@tbx.be

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ExhibitionsThe Istanbul Centre in Brussels (ICiB) is organis-ing an exhibition entitled ‘7 Architectures from 7 Hills’ with the European Capital of Cultural Agen-cy Istanbul2010 and the World Architecture Com-munity (WAC).

The exhibition runs until March 21 and is part of Is-tanbul’s European Capital of Culture programme.

U Website: www.istanbulcentre.eu

Wanted: volunteer interpreters for 112 call centreThe Brussels Fire Brigade is look-ing for volunteer interpreters to test the Brussels region’s multilingual 112/100 call centre as part of a three-month pilot project.

112 is an EU-wide emergency number but the difficulty is that those current-ly in the call centre do not speak lan-guages other than French or Dutch. That can clearly present a problem when, for example, members of your family and friends visiting Brussels do not speak those languages.

Volunteer interpreters are needed to be available 24h/24 via their mobile telephones during an on-duty period of several days each time. The vol-unteers will interpret from any one of the following languages (the first ones listed being the most impor-

tant): Portuguese, Polish (and other Slavonic languages) Italian, German, Spanish, English, Arabic (Moroccan) and Turkish. Greek, Finnish, Swed-ish and Russian are needed too but are lower priority given the number of calls.

U If you want to volunteer, email: OSP-RD@ec.europa.eu)More information can be seen on the R&D site www.renouveau-democratie.eu

MusicThe Italian institute of culture is hosting a piano concert by Gianluca Angelillo featuring music by Beethoven and Men-delsshon.

U Istituto Italiano di Cultura, rue de Livourne 38, 1000 Bruxelles . 4 March at 7pm. Reply by 1 March by calling 02 533 2720 or emailing iicbruxelles@esteri.it

6 Cultural Diaryeuro Culture6

CompetitionThe Alliance Française is run-ning competitions for non-Francophone adults learning French and for non-Franco-phone future French teachers. The competition is called ‘Les 10 mots de la francophonie 2010: « Dis-moi dix mots, dans tous les sens ». To enter, you need to make up and record a song (rap music or ‘slam’ po-etry [in which poets are given marks by a jury as they go head to head] using at least five of the ten following words:

BaladeurCheval de Troie CrescendoEscagasser Galère Mentor Mobile Remue-méninges Variante Zapper

The audio or video recordings have to be sent in by 30 April 2010. Prizes on offer include lessons at the Alliance Fran-çaise, a week-long trip to Paris, DVDs, CDs and books.

U Contact: les10mots@alliancefr.be

Debates | Conferences

Conflict prevention and resolution: a new role for cultural relations?A conference organised by the Brit-ish Council, NATO and the Security and Defence Agenda think tank on 2 March. The conference will look at three case studies in particular: Af-ghanistan, Africa and the Balkans

Clashes of culture, related to reli-gious beliefs, ethnicity or different values often lie at the root of security

problems. Can a better understand-ing of these fundamental issues hold the key to conflict prevention, as well as peacemaking and peacekeeping?

U Bibliothèque SolvayOn 2 March from 9.30am until 2pmEmail (to register): sda5@securitydefenceagenda.org

Europe’s Muslim Women: under cover and under pressure?A debate, organised by the British Council in partnership with the Euro-pean Policy Centre and the European Muslim Network, and chaired by Sha-da Islam, Senior Programme Executive at the European Policy Centre (EPC).

Speakers: • Malika Hamidi, Director General,

European Muslim Network• Wassyla Tamzali, Author and

Former Director Women’s Rights at UNESCO

• Sajjad Karim. Member of the European Parliament

• Lorella Zanardo, Producer and Director of ‘Il Corpe delle donne’

U 16 March from 10am until 12 noon. Hotel Stanhope, Rue du Com-merce 9, B1000, BrusselsFor further information please con-tact: osedebate@britishcouncil.be

Business without money - An introduction to com-plementary currencies and the link with social entrepreneurshipThe Hub, which describes itself as an incubator for social innovation, is organising a conference about how to do business without mon-ey. Jean-Luc Roux will explain his take on the link between creativity and the brain and teach you how to make your skills benefit your proj-ects. This is the first of a series of

three conferences hosted by Jean-Luc Roux.

U 11 March from 7pm until 9.30pm10 euro for Hub members, 15 euro for non members. For more information: www.brussels.wordpress.the-hub.net/hub-conferences

Why read Federico Garcia Lorca’s poetry?The Spanish Presidency of the EU is holding a debate about Lorca’s poetry.

U Istituto Cervantes18 March at 7pm Free

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Rue César Franck, 44a, BE - 1050 Bruxelles Tel: +32 (0)2 218 24 84 Fax: +32 (0)2 218 24 88info@insolites.be

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77Socialising 7

‘Astérix dans la marmite des tra-ducteurs’ [Asterix in the transla-tors’ cauldron’] makes you think of the magic potion made by the druid Getafix. Translating all those jokes and cultural references cannot be an easy task. So why not come and ask the translators how they do it? The event is on Sunday 7 March at 6pm.

Cartoons on a big screen and jazzStaying with the cartoon theme, look out for a big event on Friday 5 March at 8pm. A number of car-toonists will draw cartoons on a big screen with jazz music playing in the background. Cartoonists in-clude François Schuiten, Catel, Eric Warnauts, Renaud De Heyn, Rich-ard Bannister, Christophe Bertschy, Olivier Grenson and Sylvain Savoia. Straight after that, there’ll be an auction of 15 comics by Olivier Grenson, Joe G Pinelli, Karo, Jean-Luc Cornette, Olivier Saive, Fabrizio Borrini, Gihef, Jampur Fraize, Gof, Thierry Bouüaert, Frank Pé and Yves Budin.

Manga cartoon paradeThere’ll also be two chances to see people dress up as Manga cartoon characters, on Friday 5 March at 8pm and on Saturday 6 March at 2pm. The costumes must be hand made so nothing can be bought in a shop. Prizes will be awarded based on the costumes and how the people act in character. Belgian cartoon-ist Philippe Geluck will present his book ‘Le Chat en bruxellois’ so there’s a chance to pick up a bit more Brussels dialect. If you’re a ‘Gelucko-

phile’, then make sure you’re free to watch the film ‘Le chat & Co’ on Sat-urday 6 March at 11am.

Spanish parodyAnother highlight is an appear-ance by the Spanish author Andrés Trapiello, from Leon, who will talk about his parody of a thriller called ‘Los amigos del crimen perfecto’ [Friends of the Perfect Crime]. The book is based on the failed coup d’etat in Madrid in 1981. The event is on Thursday 4 March at 8pm.

Euro electionsThere will also be a debate about why the European elections gener-ate such little interest among vot-ers and the media when the Euro-pean Parliament has actually seen its powers increased. Questions such as: ‘Are we seeing the growing emergence of eurosceptic parties’ will be discussed. Two books will soon be appearing on the European elections and the European politi-cal system. The event is on Sunday 7 March at 11am.

Another debate on Saturday 6 March at 1pm will look at the use of

the internet by politicians. ‘Inter-net, outil de propagande politique?’ will look out how politicians are using the internet to address a big audience in a very short amount of time. This is of course something that traditional media (radio, TV and written press) does not allow them to do as it will nuance what they say, put it in context and com-ment on what they say.

In this social networking crazy age that we live in, you can come and watch a young award-winning au-thor, Nicolas Ancion, finish writing a book. Equipped with a digital pen and shut away in the ‘L@b’, he’ll be writing live and you can fol-low him via Twitter and Facebook. The 24-hour marathon starts on Wednesday 3 March at 9pm and ends on Thursday 4 March at 9pm. He’ll be back on Saturday too and you can follow the rereading and final changes made to his novel then on a big screen. The novel will be downloadable free of charge on Sunday 7 March. Ancion won the Rossel prize for young authors with his novel ‘L’homme qui valait 35 milliards’ [‘The man who was worth 35 billon’].

Facts about the book fair• Over 1,000 publishers will be present

• 1,000 authors and illustrators will be there for debates and book signings

• Some 70,000 visitors are expected

• There will be around 320 meetings and debates

Arcadia kicks off series of guided tours with ‘Museum Night Fever’The asbl Arcadia will be orga-nising a whole series of trendy and fun guided tours in 2010, starting with one called ‘Mu-seum Night Fever’ on the first Saturday in March.

‘Museum Night Fever’ has be-come one of the major Brussels cultural nights out. Arcadia will take you on a group outing in-cluding concerts, dance classes and theatre workshops. The evening will end with a special party in the prestigious Palais des Beaux-Arts.

To make a booking for this or any other Arcadia tour, call 02 563 6153 from Monday to Fri-day between 9am and 1pm or email info@asbl-arkadia.be

U For more information: www.asbl-arkadia.beMeeting point: Musée des Instruments de Musique, Saturday 6 March at 7.30pm (In French and English / 1 hour 30 minutes)Price: 13 euro (including entry to the museums and the tour)

‘Bruxelles Insolite’A guided tour of Brussels cul-tural heritage when you can see places that you might well not have noticed, such as old build-ings that are part of modern buildings. The tour takes yoyu from Place Royale to the rue de Flandre.

U Meeting point: In front of the Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg church, Place Royale in1000 BruxellesSaturday 20 March at 2pm (In French or in English / Two hours)Price: 12 euro

‘Piknikmusik’ tourA tour of the Institut National de Radiodiffusion [National Ra-dio broadcasting Institute] that will take you back to the time of announcers, when programmes were made “live from studio 4”. After the tour, there will be some form of musical ‘discov-ery’: perhaps a public rehearsal or a concert even.

U Meeting point: Place Flagey, 18 in 1050 IxellesSaturday 26 March at 11am (In French / 2.5 hours (lunch included))Price: 15 euro (including tour, concert and picnic)

Brussels book fair: Translating Asterix – how do they do it?

Don’t miss this year’s Brussels book fair, la Foire du Livre, which runs from 4 to 8 March at Tour et Taxis. We’ve picked out some of the European highlights but there’s lots more to do so check out www.flb.be to get the full programme. Entry costs 7 euro per day, for which you can attend any or all of the events taking place that day.

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8 Cultural DiaryReal estate8

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Pas de réelle reprise en vue g Les agents immobiliers flamands ne prévoient pas d’évolution des prix pour 2010.

2010 sera-t-elle synonyme d’une véritable re-prise sur le marché immobilier belge ? A en cro-ire les agents immobiliers flamands, la réponse est plutôt “non”. “Une majorité des agents im-mobiliers flamands craint que tant les acheteurs que les vendeurs continuent à faire montre de pru-dence”, soulignait, il y a quelques jours, un com-muniqué de Hebbes.be et de l’éditeur Kluwer qui ont réalisé, entre le 8 décembre 2009 et le 12 janvier 2010, un sondage auprès de 200 agences immobilières flamandes. Ce baromètre immo-bilier est le deuxième du genre.

Pourtant, certains signes traduisent une timide amélioration. Ainsi en 2009, les agents immo-biliers tablaient encore sur une chute des prix des maisons et appartements de 11 %. Cette an-née, 60 % d’entre eux prévoient une stabilisation des prix. Autre chiffre qui traduit ce léger regain de confiance : le nombre d’agents immobiliers qui prévoient des délais de vente plus courts augmente de 10%, passant de 32 % en 2009 à 42% en 2010.

“Les acheteurs semblent également être plus dis-posés à acheter : 22,5 % des agents immobiliers

estiment que les acheteurs potentiels se décideront plus rapidement. Inversement, 74 % craignent que la période de réflexion s’accroisse. Le taux d’intérêt ne jouera pas de rôle majeur dans la mesure où, selon la majorité des agents immo-biliers (62 %), il devrait rester stable”, souligne encore le communiqué de Hebbes.be et de Klu-wer. Selon les agents immobiliers, les apparte-ments se vendront cette année 13 jours plus vite que l’année dernière, soit en 118 jours au lieu de 131. Les maisons connaîtront la même tendance: de 128 jours en 2009 à 110 en 2010.

Autre constat: une majorité des agents immo-biliers prévoit une stabilisation des prix des mai-sons et des appartements en 2010. Seuls 30,5 % d’entre eux s’attendent à une diminution des prix affichés des maisons. L’année dernière, ce chiffre atteignait encore les 56,5 %. Quant aux prix des appartements, 34,5 % tablent cette an-née sur une diminution, contre 63 % en 2009. Selon les agents immobiliers du nord du pays, la différence entre le prix affiché et le prix réel payé s’élèvera cette année à 8,2 % pour les maisons et 8,7 % pour les appartements.

Enfin, un an après l’introduction du certificat de presta-tion énergétique, la majorité des agents immobiliers flaman-ds ne constate aucun effet sur les ventes de logements. Selon 54,5% des répon-dants, une habitation de faible niveau E ne se vendra pas néces-sairement plus rapidement qu’une de niveau E élevé. Selon les agents immobiliers, les acheteurs ne sont pas toujours au fait de ce certificat ou n’y accordent que peu de valeur.

U www.hebbes.be ; www.kluwer.be

Une majorité des agents immobiliers du nord du pays prévoit une stabilisation des prix des maisons et des appartements en 2010. (Photo Bernard Demoulin)

9Real estate 9

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Zoom sur l’usufruit L’usufruit est le droit de jouir des choses dont un autre a la propriété. Cela signifie que le droit de propriété est divisé entre deux personnes : l’une est propriétaire du bien, mais ne peut pas en prof-iter (le nu-propriétaire), tandis que l’autre en profite sans en être propriétaire (l’usufruitier).

L’usufruitier d’une maison peut “utiliser” le bien. Il pourra l’occuper sans devoir payer de loyer; s’il le préfère, il pourra en retirer les “fruits”, et donc louer l’immeuble (pour une période maximale de neuf ans). La division du droit de propriété entre l’usufruitier et le nu-propriétaire peut provenir d’une convention ou d’une situation prévue par la loi. Ainsi, un pro-priétaire peut vendre la nue-propriété de son bien en se réservant un droit d’usufruit viager pour pouvoir continuer à habiter sa maison

jusqu’au jour de son décès. Des parents peuvent aussi donner la nue-propriété d’un bien à leurs enfants en conservant l’usufruit. Quant aux situations prévues par la loi, il s’agit essentiel-lement des situations résultant d’un décès lié à l’usufruit du conjoint survivant.

Le droit d’usufruit prend automatiquement fin par le décès de l’usufruitier. L’usufruit peut également prendre fin lors de l’expiration du dé-lai éventuellement prévu, ou lors de la réunion par la même personne du droit de nue-proprié-té et d’usufruit. L’usufruitier pourra utiliser ou louer la maison, et, à l’extinction de son droit, il devra la rendre dans l’état dans laquelle elle se trouvait le jour où il est devenu usufruitier. Toutefois, il ne pourra pas exiger d’indemnité pour toutes les améliorations qu’il aurait ap-portées à la maison. Toutes les grosses répara-tions resteront à la charge du nu-propriétaire. L’usufruitier a le revenu de la maison. C’est

donc lui qui devra déclarer le revenu cadastral, et payer le précompte immobilier.

U Consultez votre notaire pour des conseils sur mesure ou rendez-vous sur www.notaire.be.

INFO:

MINI-STORAGELOOKING FOR SPACE ?

En bref

10 Cultural DiaryReal estate10

ETTERBEEK – Cette splendide maison d’environ 320m² est idéale-ment située à proximité des CE. Séjour & salle à manger avec baievitrée vers le jardin, 5 chambres & 2 salles de bains tout confort.Au 3e étage, un studio peut être loué (escalier de service). Réf.22030

650.000 €

réf 20423

QUARTIER LOUISE

5 appartementsloft

bureauxdans rénovation

d’un belHôtel de Maître

Prix :350.000 - 650.000 €Av. de l’Observatoire, 112/7 B

1180 Bruxelles

0474/ 92 64 0302/ 374 74 15

www.horizons.be

BRUXELLES – CINQUANTENAIRE –For sale - Near the european insti-tutions, in a quiet street, attrac-tive townhouse 3 façades, 450m²living space + cellar.On a nice 520 sqm ground.Very spacious reception areaswith wood floor, fireplace, diningroom, fully equiped kitchen, 7bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, largeplayroom, garage. Lovely garden.

Réf 2655

02/ 644 05 050475/ 555 953 – 0475/ 62 25 98

www.louiseproperties.be

The shortest wayto your new home

in Brussels !

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without cost for you.

Chée deWaterloo 6311050 Bruxelles T. 02 344 44 22 www.noa-re.be

Alone sweet home : the property market is going soloIn the wake of demographic, social and urban changes in recent years, the idea of housing for single people is gaining some traction.

HOW ABOUT BREAKING WITH WHAT HAS BECOME THE NORM? Rather than building a house for a nuclear family with children, the sac-rosanct architectural norm for our societies, we could build houses for single people. A potty idea you might think and yet it’s far from potty. More and more people are living alone a (long) part of

their lives: after studying, after a divorce, after the death of a spouse, as an expat or quite simply out of choice. Since 2006, there have been more US female citizens living without a husband than with one…. In the UK, four times as many people live alone as forty years ago. The country is ex-pecting 37% of owners to be individuals by the

2020s. In the Netherlands, that figure has been 35% since 2007. Nothing is more normal, at the beginning of this century, than to live alone. In terms of the property market, the huge increase in the number of single houses could be good for business for property developers.

Active singletons are nomadic and often highly paid, are reluctant to become owners and often change where they live. It’s an opportunity that can be seized, provided that you can offer him/her a property that is tailored to his/her life-style – basically something smaller (three or four rooms) but all the comforts of a tradition fam-ily house. But, according to the designers of the ‘Singletown’ exhibition, which took place dur-ing the Venice 2008 biennial on architecture, “the authorities and entrepreneurs are still be-having as if the average owner had not changed in 50 years”. There are exceptions though. In Switzerland, Roth Bautechnik has created a villa especially designed for singletons (see photo). Made of modules and cube-shaped, it provides 80m² of living space. Here, the leitmotiv is “flex-ibility”. If he/she gets married, the singleton can

One person, one bit of housing: this equation, which is becoming more and more common, is part and parcel of the erosion of the single family dwelling.

SCHAERBEEK - DAILLY7minutes walk from the EE- neighbourhoodNice house town in quite street with char-ming character and modern comfort . Ex-tensively renovated Large bathroom withtek ground. Shower room 5 bedrooms + of-fice, 45m² livingroom. Well fitted kitchen (blue stone ) opening to lovely adapted yard.Nice oak floors throughout the groundfloor.Nice Wooden floors in each room upstairs.Phone network on each floor. Large attic.Roof in good state. Insulation, electricity,heating, windows frame ok.

immobilièremarguerite oostens

0475/ 243 002

11Real estate 11add a prefabricated module for his/her partner so that they feel at home too… Even if that means, of course, putting away the module if the love af-fair comes to end. That looks a bit like the single bed that never goes out of fashion that becomes a double bed but expanded to the whole of the house… In Alstätten, still in Switzerland, the 17 flats in a block of flats reserved for singletons were quickly snapped up. The concept works. The demand is there.

A matter of flexibilityArchitecture for singletons is a matter of flexibil-ity. What can be more temporary, often, than the status of being single? The same goes for single parent families. When the children flee the nest, why not divide up the house and rent part of it? That is the essence of a project being put together by the Swiss bureau EM2N: five flats, each one with a fixed frame, namely the external walls and a central hearth. The rest of it is made up of detachable partitions that you can arrange as you wish depending on the number of bedrooms that you need. The high level of current demand for “partitioned” housing is leading to real de-mographic headaches: for a long time, people thought that it was enough to build housing in the same proportions at the estimated popula-tion growth. This is where singletons have now messed up the forcasts a bit by contributing to a fragmentation of households and a huge demand for “small” living spaces.

One example is the Tower Hamlets area east of London. Nearly 80% of the 762 flats located in this area are occupied by singletons. In capitals,

where the types of singletons are as varied as their number, people are trying to search for hous-ing based on making every square metre count. The London architect Stephen Taylor has looked into making houses for the City profitable. The renovation needs to “anticipate changes in the way rooms are used”, which may include a suc-cession of different tenants. In Amsterdam, the office of Droog design aims to completely review the interior: furniture, accessories, decoration, everything is thought up “all by myself”. One Amsterdam house in two is occupied by a single

person… You can find a little bit of originality, such as a light that follows you everywhere (so that you don’t have to put the lights on in all the rooms…) or a book that is room embedded into the table of the kitchen, for those eating alone.

Olivier Standaert

12 Cultural DiaryShopping12

1 Fini l’opaque, vive la transparence ! Rue Blanche, Cardigan Como 110€.

2 On s’habille de bijoux, avec le Bronze Necklace de Fiona Paxton chez Cachemire Coton & Soie, 255€.

3 Buissonnière lance en mars 2010 son nouvel e-shop. De quoi faire le bonheur des adeptes de la marque qui se déplacent

des quatre coins du pays pour aller jusque Wavre. Buissonnière, boulevard de l’Europe, 143 - 1300 Wavre. 010 40 03 93. www.buissonniere.com. Cardigan courtes manches ¾. Encolure dégagée petits plis. Fermeture pression invisible et nouette. 100% coton. 22€.

4 On veut le printemps, on veut le meilleur, on s’offre le chocolat Sans Sucre de Marcolini, décliné en deux tablettes: le chocolat noir

(78% cacao) et le chocolat au lait (50% cacao).Le sucre est remplacé par du SweetPearl (maltitol), un glucide au goût naturellement sucré issu de matières premières agricoles renouvelables comme le blé et le maïs. La plaquette, 6,90€.

5 Tendance phare du printemps, la combi-pantalon c’est chic et décontracté. Chez Bensimon, soie etcoton, 135€.

6 La Flat de Palladium et les couleurs s’installent, 45 €.

7 T. Leclerc s’amuse avec sa nouvelle collection make-up. Le must have : les ombres à paupières crème nacrées avec

click-pen et embout pinceau: champagne, taupe ou rose, 25€. Et on fond pour les poudres libres de riz déclinées en deux teintes fraiches, banane et orchidée : 35€.

8 La maison Le Tanneur s’associe au jeune créateur Raphaël Young ... Ca donne quoi ? Des merveilles

belles, solides, durables et fonctionnelles comme ce “Batbag”, un sac hobo en veau africa lux noir accessoire canon de fusil, 690 €. A noter que depuis novembre, Le Tanneur a ouvert au 2 Boulevard de Waterloo.

9 Sarah Pacini se la joue rose poudré et on adore la délicatesse de ce gilet sans manche, 147€.

10 Aleksandra Paszkowska, c’est juste une créatrice... trop forte ! Ses rbes sont multi-usages, intelligentes et sexy.

A l’image de cette jupe “zip skirt” viscose jersey avec imprimé d’une photo à accompagner d’un top kiwi ou noir (elastic silk

crépe and satin). www.ydress.com (c Bernard Néve).

11 Nous aussi on se fait un caprice printanier : Gigue robe Kapris, 129 € + cardigan Filiz, 79€. www.gigue.com

12 Oui oui oui, on veut retrouver notre vitality ! Tao Vitality, c’est les antioxydants du thé vert, les vertus

revitalisantes du ginkgo biloba et les bienfaits de la vitamine C et de la biotine dans une boisson tout fraîche.

13 Revival des eighties ! Pour marcher de manière survitaminée grâce à ces super baskets Mer du Nord,85 €.

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ANDERLECHT TEL. 02/527.23.00RHODE SAINT GENÈSE TEL. 02/358.24.82ZAVENTEMTEL. 02/721.76.80EUPEN TEL. 087/56.00.42 MESSANCYTEL. 063/38.90.20

BINCHETEL. 064/36.72.29GOSSELIES TEL. 071/35.69.80 AWANSTEL. 04/247.42.80NAMURTEL. 081/73.81.28TOURNAITEL. 069/58.09.00

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BRUGESTEL. 050/61.00.21IZEGEM TEL. 051/31.76.70

1414 Cultural DiaryCultural DiaryAfterwork14

A cellar that’s making its markg More a cellar where you can eat than a wine bar, the Sablon Wine Bar is the latest place to get tongues wagging

The Sablon Wine Bar has just opened on the spot where the first Brussels wine bar was locat-ed. And we’ve come a long way from those days. The first wave of wine bars drew inspiration from the British and offered no more than a wonderful array of bottles and wines by the glass. It was pretty reasonable but it lacked that friendly and cosy ‘je ne sais quoi’. The second wave of wine bars accompanied the wine with little nibbles.

The current third wave has moved on leaps and bounds on the basis that, if a place wants to be in line with the times, it needs to push the boundaries a bit further by offering food that has a bit more substance to it. In France, this kind of bar has been around for quite a while and is known as a ‘cave à manger’ [cellar where you can eat].

A great timeWith the Sablon Wine Bar – a heading that is very much part of British ‘understatement’ – Brus-sels has its first ‘cave à manger’ [cellar where you can eat] both in a figurative and literal sense in that the place is housed in some old 16th century cellars with a rustic feel. It’s a great location apart from one drawback: the

smell of damp that may upset the most sensitive noses. That is the only criticism that one could have of this spot. The rest is re-ally great. The place is the perfect combination of one of the Thom-aes brothers (Vincent the wine taster from the two star ‘Le Châ-teau du Mylord’) and Yoth Ond-ara, a chef from the much missed ‘Yoma’ restaurant.

To be brief, you would say that on your right you have a great selec-tion of wines that have plenty of flair and arouse plenty of curios-ity. We ordered a Fleurie from chez Yvon Métras (45 euro), a great wine. On your left, the range of entrées says it all about passion for food: Iberian pork (from six to eighteen euro), ham sprinkled with chopped parsley, parmesan cheese, eggs and mushrooms.

We’ll keep til last the dishes cooked by Yoth, which come on a relatively short menu. He heads off to the market and comes back with a delicious piece of fish wrapped in a fine layer of Colon-nata streaky bacon along with vegetables (20 euro). There is no doubt about it. This is a spot which will appear as a ‘must’ on a Brussels foodlover’s itinerary.

Wasabi

U Le Wine Bar Sablon, Rue des Pigeons, 9 - 1000 Brussels. Open every evening from 6pm until 11pm. Closed on Sundays. Tel: 02 503 62 50.

Profession: Taster In 2010, Côte d’Or is launching an invitation to all those chocolate mad

people out there to become ‘official tasters’. The aim is to meet consum-ers and encourage them to give their opinion and exchange their views

about various types of chocolate. The website will thus become a real platform for exchange between the brand and consumers. Every month, three types from the range will be offered with a cou-pon to buy one’s favourite(s) and test them. You will then need

to give your view on the official tasters’ page. You’ll find lots of bo-nuses and exclusive things on the coupon. You’ll be sent new products, can take part in

chocolate workshops, competitions etc.

U Tempted? You just need to sign up at: www.cotedor.be

The Brussels Tribune - Rue des Francs, 79 1040 Bruxelles - www.tribunedebruxelles.beREDACTION: Tél.: 02 211 30 51- TheBrusselsTribune@tbx.be. Coordination : Elodie Weymeels . Ont collaboré à ce numéro: Julian Hale, Michèle Schoonjans, Sally Pidgeon,Wasabi, Elodie Weymeels. - COMMERCIALISATION : Julie Veriter (0470 63 99 42 & 02 211 28 39. Hatim Elmajd (0498.629.237) - IMMO : Véronique Le Clercq, Sales Manager, vero.leclercq@rgp.be - Tél: 02 211 27 64 - 0475.57.62.35. - EDITEUR RESPONSABLE : François le Hodey - MISE EN PAGE: Azur Graphic, Daphné De Ridder - IMPRESSION : Sodimco . The Brussels Tribune est imprimé sur du papier recyclé. Vous aussi respectez l’environnement en glissant votre magazine dans un sac ad hoc après sa lecture !

1515Books 15Generation ADouglas Coupland /Arrow Book / 320 p / 17,35 €Eighteen years on from “Generation X” with its display of disaffected slackers with uncertain futures, Douglas Coupland is delivering a new brilliant social observation surfing between op-timism about the future and everyday, apocalyp-tic paranoïa.

A few years from now, bees are extinct. No pol-lination, no flowers, no food chains, until five unconnected people, located in different parts of the world, are stung. Instantly abducted by unap-pealing suited scientists, interrogated separately in neutral chambers, they are soon released as next to be forgotten celebrities in a world ruled by the internet. Being brought together by a charismatic scientist, they then unite by sharing their experiences in a way they could never have imagined.

“Generation A” unfolds as a postmodern fable turned into an awkward sci-fi thriller with exhilarating dia-logues, masterfully told and often hi-larious.”

Anne-Lise Brevers

Un paysagiste pour mon jardinChris Young / Editions Marabout / 32,55€Vous n’en pouvez plus de la neige, du froid et de la grisaille ? Allez, courage, le printemps est bientôt là ! Si, si, je vous assure et pour le prouver, je vous propose un grand rayon de soleil, une véritable bouffée d’air frais ! Car qui dit printemps dit …jardin ! (les balcons, terrasses et autres espaces extérieurs de moins de 2 m² comptent aussi) Et donc, sécateur à la main, vous voilà devant votre petit espace vert et là, perplexité… Qu’allez-vous faire de cette jungle informe et inextricable ? Miracle….Marabout y a pensé, et vous propose un ouvrage on ne peut plus pratique : 350 pages de conseils d’aménagements, plus de 500 varié-tés de plantes présentées et 400 schémas et dessins pour vous aider à réaliser votre paradis ! Comment utiliser l’éclairage pour faire paraître l’espace plus grand, quelles plantes utiliser pour vous isoler de vos voisins, que planter à l’ombre, toutes vos questions trouveront réponse dans

cet ouvrage r i c h e m e n t illustré. Fer-mez les yeux… Vous enten-dez les petits oiseaux ?

Samantha Hoggart

Les femmes du braconnierClaude Pujade-Renaud / Actes Sud / 22,55€ Claude Pujade-Renaud ressuscite le couple mythique de Sylvia Plath et Ted Hugues dans son dernier roman Les femmes du braconnier. Tous les deux sont poètes, elle est américaine et lui an-glais, ils se rencontrent à Cambridge en 1956. Leur premier baiser reflète la passion animale qui les dévorera. Comment un couple d’écrivain peut-il partager le quotidien? Comment articuler passion amoureuse et écriture? Comment s’aimer sans se perdre? Ces questions, qui ponctuent notre lec-ture, titillaient Claude Pujade-Renaud depuis un certain temps. Ces dernières étaient déjà au cœur de Chers disparus, précédent roman, qui donnait la parole aux femmes d’écrivains célèbres. D’une écriture exigeante et précise, l’auteur nous em-porte dans les méandres de leur vie de couple. Elle articule son roman autour des lettres et poèmes des protagonistes, nous permettant de rencon-trer les deux artistes sous un jour différent, nous offrant plus qu’une énième biographie du couple. Les voix fictives ou rée-lles – mère, voisin, amis, médecin – se croisent et s’entrecroisent, pour former un portrait de l’intimité de Sylvia et de Ted. Ce roman est étour-dissant et magistral. C’est une magnifique invitation à (re)décou-vrir les œuvres des deux poètes, disponibles chez Gallimard.

Aurélie Cauchie

En partenariat avec la librairie Filigranes, 39 avenue des Arts - 1000 Bruxelles. Ouvert 7j/7. www.filigranes.be

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