Mission Statement

Flagey went up in 1938 and though it took some time for the building to be appreciated, it is now considered a masterpiece of Art Deco. Flagey’s reputation keeps us permanently on our toes, pushing us to take on more and more challenges. Our ambition is to make our cultural centre as famous as the building that shelters it.

Shortly after I took over its directorship in 2007, I said that that particular ambition takes time, but that we’ll take the time. We believe that the process is as exciting as our goal to turn Flagey into a leading European cultural centre. Our programme of activities shows the originality of our experiment.

In its long history, Flagey has hosted many a great name and we are continuing that tradition. Our predecessors did good work, and so do we. We know that we can’t afford everything we would like to put on, but we believe that our artistic choices are well-balanced and coherent.

Our series « More inside » evokes the unexpected things visitors will discover within our walls. We want to attract a large, diversified public by showing that Flagey is full of surprises. It isn’t easy, as too many people only have a very hazy idea of what Flagey is about.  They know the building but aren’t aware of the rich programme that takes place within its five studios.Our message to them all is There is more inside.

Our priority is music (jazz, classical, contemporary and world) and cinema (in collaboration with the Cinematek film archives), as well as festivals and special evening events. But we are also giving increasing time to literature, debate and analysis, as well as to activities for small children, the young and the neighbourhood. All of this within our own programmes or as part of festivals and collaborations.

Flagey is keen to put together projects with partners from various horizons: we felt this was necessary from the word go, although some naïve or prejudiced critics claim we rent out our space at high prices. All I can repeat is that Flagey is intent on creating its own voice through its choice of cultural projects, and that means inviting like-minded colleagues.

We strongly believe that our cultural centre will blossom through collaboration with like-minded partners, and not in an atmosphere of competition. A glance at our list of partners – and they are much more than simple guests – will make it obvious that we are working on a common programme in increasingly tighter work relationships.

Foremost among these is our work with the orchestra and choir in residence that have been linked to Flagey throughout their history. How do things actually work? We create a programme together, but we also implicate them in other Flagey initiatives within joint ventures like our new educational project. The same goes for Ars Musica, our lunchtime concerts (Piknikmusik), the Brussels XL FLAGEY Summer Festival and much more. The orchestra and choir have a faithful audience that we hope to increase through these collaborations.

Flagey is also a rare co-community actor on the Belgian scene. Over the last few years, we have worked constructively with various communities, including the French-language Community, the Flemish Community, Brussels-Capital Region and Ixelles commune, all of them represented in our board of directors. They have been solid supporters in these politically turbulent times, a fact reflected in our success. Their dynamism has been crucial to our survival, ensuring that our line of communication with the government always stays open, despite the vagaries of politics. We are only at the beginning of a new experiment in co-community collaboration but we are determined to make it work, particularly in the areas of books, debate, philosophy and discussions.

After recent renovations, the square in front of Flagey now resembles a stage and our artists in residence are increasingly keen to use it. The Klara Festival, for one, took it over last September and every year the Wallonia Festival uses it throughout June. This year for the first time Flagey will organise the Brussels XL FLAGEY Summer Festival inside and outside the building. We’ve been wanting to try this for a long time, and now that the square is no longer a worksite, we can actually do it.

Among our main objectives over the coming years is to transform our area into a cultural magnet, working with our close neighbours like Théâtre Marni, Ixelles Museum, Civa, La Cambre and our orchestra and choir. In 2009, we will maintain our current trajectory and in 2010 we hope to inaugurate, in close collaboration with the neighbourhood, Brussels’ foremost summer festival.

In mid-2008, we initiated various local schemes, including activities for young audiences and social projects. This season will see open rehearsals, initiation days to various disciplines, creative workshops and more. The highly successful “children’s day” we launched last year is already a classic and an established part of our programme.
The story of Flagey has developed over a succession of chapters. The last part of our chapter is planned for 2013, the year we will celebrate the 75th anniversary both of the building and the orchestra. 2013 will be the culmination of our tenure at the head of Flagey, and the beginning of its future.

We’ll tell you more in 2009-2010... « more inside » oblige !