09 October 2009

Belgian Smile: Hasselt'¨'¨

An entire Belgian city becomes a photography studio.

From the 26 September the Belgian city of Hasselt has been awash with smiles. The whole city has become a canvas for photographers, with images on buildings and in public spaces from a few metres high to façade-sized.

Some of the city’s most iconic buildings have been hijacked by photographers from Belgium and across Europe: Lieve Blancquaert, Fabienne Cresens, Oleg Dou, Frank Gielen, Michiel Hendrickx, Jimmy Kets, Ellen Kooi, Erwin Olaf, Birgit Stulens, Carlo Valkenborgh, Ruud van Empel, Philippe Vangelooven, Levi van Veluw, Marc Vonstein, and Kimiko Yoshida.

Taking the canvas out of the museum and onto the streets the aim of SMILE is to confront and engage the public – to help them “forget the daily grind, slow down [their] busy pace of life and simply make [them] smile”.

An initiative of creative agency Mooz and the cultural department of the city of Hasselt, the organisers say: “The same image acquires a different feeling, a different meaning in public spaces”.

Visitors to the city can pick up a walking route brochure and will find installations throughout the CBD and other public spaces.

smilehasselt.be