Echoes collective kicks-off!
House of European History launches participative project with young people from Brussels.
by Annelies van Rijen, Outreach Coordinator
After months of preparing and promoting the call for participation, and two weeks of interviews with shortlisted candidates, Echoes has finally kicked-off! On Saturday 28 September, 15 young adults from Brussels joined the first workshop of Echoes, the first long-term participative project specifically for young people by the House of European History.
The members of the Echoes collective have different ages, are from different communes in Brussels, have different origins, and do different things in life, but they all have one thing in common: they are highly motivated to shed light on the ‘invisible’ histories in the permanent exhibition of the House of European History. Over the coming year, the collective will meet on a regular basis with inspiring professionals, to co-create content around these missing narratives that will be exhibited on the 6th floor of the museum.
Multi-perspectivity is a core aspect of our work in the House of European History, underpinning the narratives and exhibitions. It also directly led to the idea behind Echoes. With a population from 184 nationalities, Brussels is the home of people of many different origins and histories. With Echoes, the museum team wants to learn from and with young adults that are born and raised in this diverse setting and understand what their perspective is on European history and Europe’s future. Together we will explore who is being represented in the museum, how and why, and to what extent this speaks to them.
So far, the collective participated in three workshops. During the first workshop on 28 September, organised in collaboration with co-facilitators Emma Perez, recent graduate in social innovation design at ESA Saint-Luc Bruxelles and Astrid Begenyeza, project manager for co-creation for the Molenbeek for Brussels 2030 project, participants met and got to know each other and the planning for the year. They also exchanged some initial thoughts on statements such as:
"Museums are open to everyone"
"I feel represented in history”
"Museum should be neutral in the face of current affairs"
The collective met again on Tuesday 1 October for a special tour of the permanent exhibition organised by House of European History curators Christine Dupont, Libera Picchianti and Jitka Mlsova Chmelikova. Participants learned about the narrative of the permanent exhibition, the accompanying choices, missing narratives and the work of different departments in the museum. During the workshop of 8 October, everyone reflected on the visit and shared their thoughts, feedback and suggestions for the museum, through the so-called ‘KISS’ exercise, on what to Keep, Improve, Stop and Start in the permanent exhibition.
If you wish you to be kept informed about Echoes, register for our newsletter, as more news will follow soon, and follow our social media accounts. If you have any questions about the project, contact Annelies van Rijen, the project manager of Echoes.
Meet the Echoes collective
Adrian
I'm Adrian Guevara Uribe, a student of political science, more specifically international relations. I'm Belgian, of Colombian and Salvadorian origin, a cultural mix that has helped shape my ideas, values and so on. I'm taking part in the echoes project to give meaning to my studies and interests.
Alessia
Hi I am Alessia! I’m a 22-year-old Maltese girl. I grew up and attended school here in Brussels and have lived here practically my whole life. I am taking some time off from my studies of Fashion Design, in Milan. This is why I was hugely intrigued and motivated to work on a project like Echoes, it’s a mixture of academic, artistic and emotional skills and values which I hold dear, most importantly happening in the city which I grew up in!
Amal
I am Amal Olayan a 19-year-old from Brussels. I am studying social work at Erasmus University. I am keen and interested to work on Echoes. I am active in the refugee sector. My goal is to give the story of migration/refugees a different perspective. I hope Echoes will be a way to achieve the goal.
Colm
I’m Colm, 26 years of age and originally from Ireland. Delighted to be taking part in the Echoes project with such a wonderful group. Having grown up in Brussels, I have a keen interest in the various aspects of the city, its identity, and its place in Europe as a whole, which I feel lies at the heart of Echoes. Over the course of my classical studies I’ve tried to consider competing visions of the past, and now hope to be able to play my part over the coming year.
Emma
My name is Emma, I'm 19 and I'm studying communications. I wanted to take part in the Echoes project because it would give me experience in research and journalism (my field of study). What's more, I like the idea of being able to work as part of a team and bring our ideas together to make the museum more inclusive and to represent Brussels as it is.
Firdaws
Hi, I’m Firdaws, born and raised in Brussels. I'm participating in Echoes to uncover and share the hidden stories of my city and all its peoples. As a master's student in graphic storytelling, I combine illustration and writing to bring narratives to life.
Ines
I’m Ines, I’m 26 and I’m a writer. My academic background is in Philosophy and Creative Writing which allowed me to explore the complexity and deep nuance of human experience in a scholastic and creative setting. In my own writing practice, though, I find myself mostly writing poems about leaves on the ground that are given to me as presents by the children in the school I work at. Or my mosaic-ed sense of national identity. Or about St. Xenia of St Petersburg.
In participating in Echoes I want to shine light on the untold, idiosyncratic side of Brussels, but also the folkloric, essentially everything in this city that doesn’t fit with the image that has been presented to the rest of the world. In this respect I’m reminded of Matonge & Annik Honoré & the Abattoir at Anderlecht & my family’s crazy history of métissage & the list goes on.
Loïk
I am Loïk De Clerck, 21 years old and a student of history at the Free University of Brussels. My passions are history and Ultimate Frisbee-a sport that is not only incredibly fun, but also about fair play. I grew up in the Brussels region, where I received a bilingual upbringing: at home I spoke Dutch and, thanks to my ‘mamy’, French as well. I completed my secondary studies in Latin-Modern Languages at Sint-Jan Berchmans College. In my spare time, I coach the youth of my Ultimate Frisbee club, in Uccle, take walks with my doggies and volunteer at Debateville to work with young people on their critical thinking and communication skills. Why am I taking part in Echoes? I really want to gain experience in a museum, put my academic knowledge into practice and meet new people. I am very much looking forward to it!
Louis
Hi, I’m Louis Corthout, I’m 22 years old and study arts in Brussels. My main focus is movies and painting. I participate in Echoes project because I would like to meet many different people and share ideas. The fact that this project builds up to an exposition makes me very curious.
Manu
My name is Manu, I'm 26 and I work for a European organisation for the protection of cultural heritage. I'm delighted to be able to take part in the Echoes project with a group of great people who are interested, curious and critical, so that together we can rethink the museum setting of the House of European History and make it more inclusive and representative of our contemporary society.
Neslihan
My name is Neslihan Akyol, I'm Belgian-Turkish and I'm 25 years old. I'm a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist by training. I love everything to do with people, learning, contemplating and writing. I took part in Echoes because, for me, making the invisible visible is a way of bringing all people into existence and giving a voice to those who aren't heard enough. And what could be better than to be surrounded by people who think and want to share? I love sharing and learning from others! So I can't wait to get started and add our two cents to this museum that explains our history:)
Panagiota
An actress with a Master's degree from the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles in drama and the spoken word, I'm currently doing a second Master's in film and screenwriting at ULB. Passionate about writing, opera singing and acting, I also love leading groups (young people or adults) in drama and oral expression. I'm active in the social sector as an external facilitator of radio broadcasts, democratic debates and youth groups on various artistic and civic themes. I believe in the power of art, empathy and sharing. I'm a multi-faceted artist, not just in terms of my disciplines, but also in terms of my aesthetic and identity influences at the crossroads of different communities.
Pierre-Alexis
My name is Pierre-Alexis, I'm 26 and I was born in Etterbeek. I graduated from ULB with a Master's degree in history and went on to study in the Netherlands and Greece, where I obtained an additional Master's degree specialising in the history of science and technology. I'm particularly interested in the development of administrative techniques in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Echoes project is very appealing to me, both because I'm interested in the processes involved in museography and because I'm increasingly interested in the creation of public history. On the side, I'm a great sailing and cycling enthusiast!
Tessa
Hello I’m Tessa. I’m 20 years old and I study history at the VUB. I like writing and I participate in the university student magazine (de Moeial). I grew up with my parents Leuven, but now I share an apartment with two friends in Brussels. In my free time I enjoy exploring the city, going to museums, cultural events,… etc. Through participating in the Echoes project I hope to learn about how a museum works, meet new people and understand Brussels, often still a mystery to me, a bit better.
Thalya
Hello, hello, my name is Thalya 🌸
I'm very passionate about art and I love Brussels and its diversity! These are the two reasons why I decided to join the Echoes project. Thanks to this adventure, I hope to be able to help people discover the diverse and varied, but also forgotten, stories of Brussels' communities...