TXT

SITUATION
For more than a century, the very centre of Brussels has been the concrete subject (and victim according to many) of radical architectural and urban speculation. Regardless of the success or failure of these grand projects, we cannot negate the concrete impact of a bold believe in modernity and progress in the city of Brussels. Among the many speculations and built ideas the ‘Jonction Nord-Midi’ can rightly be named the project of the century. The construction of the underground connection between the former northern and southern terminal railway stations through the historical pentagon is the project that best symbolizes the early ambitions of Belgium as a nation-state. The supposedly ‘derelict’ medieval quarters on the trajectory have been demolished to allow a dramatic modernization of the city centre. (see ‘Brussels a Manifesto - Towards the Capital of Europe’. Berlage Institute, 2007)

Taking a closer look on the scar dividing the upper from the lower city one finds besides the monumental building projects a series of urban leftovers. Fragments of demolished houses on the edge of the erased strip forming odd lots - lacking use and being the by-product of a greater plan; the train stations Congress and Chapel with hardly any passenger frequencies and trains stopping; crossings of the railtracks managed by tunnels for cars and pedestrians as well as connections between the upper and the lower city in form of stairways bypassing the height-distinction generated through the railroad tunnels. Still being present within the contemporary image of the city, those places witness an uneraseable past and are an integral part of history. Several walks along the trajectory led to a documentation of those 2nd rate places and give an idea of the spatial configurations generated through this radical urban cut. More than 50 years after the completition of the north-south-axis it is time to regard the silent remainders of a contradictional and impactful project for the city of brussels in a new light.


GENERAL VISION
Light can be an essential component of the urban development and expression of a city. Besides the functional lightening of streets, squares, parks and waterways, light is used to stage architectural heritage and promote commercial goods. In order to reflect the image of a city it is necessary to understand its history and structure. Light plans deal with those functional needs of the night but also propose a global vision for a city. Taking a look at the light plan of other belgian cities this often stops at the very surface, focusing on tourist attractions and dealing mainly with the facade of a built structure. What might work and fit to a certain kind of flemish towns could be an insult in a city like Brussels. Light is often used to romantisize and stage the beautiful. While doing so a certain image of a city is constructed that more or less deals with it`s urban history. Brussels is in many terms different to other Belgium cities but also to other european cities of the same size. Its history of radical urban interventions made it the fragmented and colorful city it is today. One might say Brussels is a mess, a bricolage of pieces stiched together to an urban fabric. If that is the case the question is what that means if it comes to consider a nocturnal image of the city. How can this certain characteristics be translated in an illuminated cityscape? Can light participate to a more honest understanding of a city and its history?

What shall be proposed here is a vision for such a szenario. Taking the north-south connection as an example to reflect about alternatives in city lightening and shifting the focus from capitalist and tourist needs to a broader understanding of the night. Fragmented pieces or urban leftovers generated through this radical cut-out of an urban fabric shall form an assemblage of light artefacts along this axis. Light as a phenomenological appearance could deal with another kind of history. With places and buildings that vanished or fell into oblivion. With an urban intervention that eventually marked the biggest change in the cities structure of the past century. If one wanders along or crosses the trajectory of the N-S connection, sudden light flashes will ask for attention of the passer-by. Hidden structures will appear for a short time before they fall into darkness again but what stays is another kind of view - another understanding of the city and its components that goes beyond the night.


LIGHT AS METASTRUCTURE - permanent use

FOLLOWING THE IDEA OF LIGHTENING AS A STRUCTURAL EXTENSION OF OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT THE LIGHT OBJECT AS SUCH SHALL FULLFILL SEVERAL CRITERIA:

- LOW IMPACT
integrating the light object into the existing structure as good as possible or choosing a lightening system that merges with a given situation.
- REDRAWING AND ENFORCING SPATIAL ELEMENTS
adjusting the lightening to a certain spatial setting
- CHANGE OVER TIME
proposing a flexible system that can adjust itself (or can be ad- justed) to changes of its surrounding and requirments that might occur.
- SUSTAINABILITY
a durable and low energy consuming solution that has a mini mum impact on its physical surroundings
- SECURITY
protection from vandalism

using led curtains:
a led curtain consist of a grid of led lights connected by wires. Its available in various dimensions and densities and can be combined element-wise to bigger surfaces. This allows to use such elements like a flexible fabric. Perfectly adjusting to various spatial situations a led curtain can match a great variety of needs. The single light points can be programmed and switched on or off individually - furthermore it is possible the produce any color within the RGB color spectrum. This makes it possible to achieve various lightening situations at one place while using the same system for many differnt places at a time.


LIGHT AS INFRASTRUCTURE - temporary use
Using the LED grid as a screen a variety of possibilities open up. The different LED curtain arrangments along the north south axis can be used by the city authorities to promote cultural events. Festivals or events within the city can make use of the infrastructure or even new Events might be started. Media artists can be invited to make use of the screens and at the same time reflect about the locations and their surroundings. The migrated places along the junction could get a new temporary function and give an extra value to those areas and spatial configurations. Brussels DC proposes a new tool for the city and it’s inhabitants that encourages and stimulates new thoughts about the future of Brussels.

cubes

dimensions: 800x800 mm
LED: 800*800 / 100 mm pitch = 8x8 each face

materials costs (each):

5 plexi panels
5 8x8 led grid
concrete
pc unit
speakers
sensors