Matrimoine Days 2024: Celebrating Women and Gender Minorities in Brussels
The cultural re-entry of Brussels in September 2024 offers an unmissable event: Matrimoine Days. From September 27th to 29th, attendees are invited to discover, understand, and celebrate a heritage that is often overlooked – that of women and gender minorities. This sixth edition promises a rich program full of discoveries, exchanges, and reflections, all from a resolutely feminist perspective.
Why Attend Matrimoine Days 2024?
Matrimoine Days have become an essential event since their inception in 2019, providing a platform to explore a heritage that is often obscured. Unlike Heritage Days, which focus on well-documented and visible aspects, Matrimoine Days unveil what has been rendered invisible: the contributions of women and gender minorities to the architectural, artistic, social, and political history of Brussels. This year, the emphasis is on the collective dimension of women’s rights struggles, highlighting five historical feminist collectives.
Diverse and Engaging Program
The program for Matrimoine Days 2024 promises to be diverse and engaging, featuring guided tours, workshops, walks, conferences, and even artistic performances. Attendees will have the opportunity to discover pioneering female figures in architecture, such as Simone Guillissen-Hoa and Odette Filippone, through visits to modernist houses in Uccle. The event dives into the history of artists and intellectuals often overshadowed by their male counterparts, like Maria Sèthe, the creator of Villa Bloemenwerf alongside her husband, Henry van de Velde.
In addition to these highlights, the event also offers practical workshops such as “Whose City Is It?” where gender norms in public spaces are questioned in collaboration with Periferia and the Maison des Femmes de Molenbeek. Attendees are not just spectators – they are encouraged to participate, debate, and exchange ideas.
For those interested in reliving history, urban walks allow participants to revisit the feminist struggles that have marked the Belgian capital, passing through iconic locations such as Place Poelaert or the Maison des Femmes.
Participate in Matrimoine Days to gain a new perspective on history, inclusive of the crucial contributions of women and gender minorities. Engage actively in reflecting on our current society, its challenges, and potential evolutions. Attend to share, exchange, and intellectually nourish oneself, while being part of a collective movement striving to transform the present into a more egalitarian future.
Summary of the Program
Here is a summary of the program for Matrimoine Days 2024, taking place in Brussels from September 27th to 29th:
Friday, September 27, 2024
• Workshop “Whose City Is It?”: A workshop on gender norms in public spaces, in collaboration with Periferia and the Maison des Femmes de Molenbeek.
• Guided tour at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts: Exploration of the history and contributions of women in the visual arts.
Saturday, September 28, 2024
• Tour of modernist villas in Uccle: Focus on the first female architects in Belgium.
• Visit to Villa Bloemenwerf: Highlights the contribution of Maria Sèthe, often overshadowed by her husband Henry van de Velde’s career.
• Tour “Inscribing Feminist Struggles in Urban Space”: Exploration of emblematic locations of feminist struggles in Brussels.
• Conference “Boulevard Jacqmain” by Irène Hamoir: Critical analysis of Brussels surrealism.
• Visit to Maison Cauchie: Dedicated to Lina Cauchie, co-creator of this Art Nouveau work.
• Feminist and Decolonial Walk: Exploration of the connections between Belgian Art Nouveau and the colonization of Congo.
Sunday, September 29, 2024
• Roundtable on archiving Afro-feminist activist actions: Organized by Fatsabbats.
• Walk “Brussels Beyond Gender Walls”: Discussion on gender-sensitive urban planning.
• Bilingual show “Extimity.s”: Performance in French and Belgian Sign Language.
• Participatory gardening workshop: Inspired by Simone Kroll.
• Visit to the future LGBTQ+ community center in Grand Carmes: Discussion on heritage restoration from a queer perspective.
How to Register
All activities are free, but online reservations are mandatory. Registrations open on September 2, 2024, at 6:00 pm. Reservations can be made through the official website: www.matrimonydays.be/en.
Matrimoine Days are more than just a cultural event – they are a form of activism, a way to rebalance narratives and embed equality in our common heritage. Join us on September 27th, 28th, and 29th to celebrate our matrimoine together, because this heritage belongs to all of us.