In the plural because it is a festival of the arts. Each element in the
programme is the result of an individual encounter with an artist. Each is free to choose Theatre,
music, dance, cinema, multimedia and/or visual arts or a combination of these, and each is free to
leave his or her usual discipline to try a new one.
Kunsten ET des Arts. Take a look at the street signs. Two languages can be seen all over Brussels,
our federal capital. As a truly international city we were duty-bound to bring together French and
Dutch-speaking artists and audiences and then to listen to the creative resonances of the many
communities now rooted in Brussels. It is a festival of both here and there.
Contemporary. In this instance we mean having a sensitivity towards the here and now. Nothing to
do with the old idea of the impenetrable avant-garde!
International. Inter is the idea of a reciprocal relationship, like intercontinental, intercommunity,
intercultural, interdisciplinary and interaction. Identity withers when not irrigated by exchange. For the
audience and artists to understand each other fully, the Festival is providing surtitles in French and
Dutch, as at the cinema, with each creation performed in its language of origin.
Creation. The Festival s focal point is the creation of exciting new projects that it initiates and follows,
produces or co-produces. In May 2000 it is offering premieres in Brussels of twenty creations from
Belgium and abroad.
1994/1995/1996/1998/2000/2001. Having started annually, the Festival is now offering its second
biennial event. The good news is that from 2001 the KunstenFESTIVALdesArts will be taking place
each spring.
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