During the darkest days of the year when the coldest wind is sneaking through your clothing and the humidity is conquering territory until it reaches your bones, and the grey rain is invading your gloves… During those days the city normally builds up to a spectacular light show, that together with glühwein and strange sausages creates an alienating epicenter of togetherness.

What also appears is an immense shadowland where already forgotten streets seem to disappear into depressive darkness. In that shadowland we will float sublimely and silent. And leave undefined traces up to each of you to decodify.

A gesture of pure enchantment that is both funny and phantasmagorical, a humble and absurd performance that conveys good mood and empathy. This winter, Micha Goldberg offers you a gift: light and hospitality, the great invariants of the last festivities of the season, be they religious or pagan.

This Mobile Light Poem is a festive surprise for Brussels’ inhabitants, passers-by, children, young and old. It is also a caress and a provocation, a poetic diversion from a period of materialistic overconsumption. It is an artful intervention in the city, one that plays with the urban environment and recreates mysticism.

Despite the difficulties of the present times, a shared memory and a secret hope become a public message: poetry and humour will win.

Maybe you will spot the luminous flottila around the corner of your street?

Departure meeting point

The meeting is given just before the departure of the scooters, at 16:45 in front of La Bellone (Rue de Flandre 46, 1000 Brussels) to share a hot apple juice, and form a guard of honour for the departure of the scooter drivers.

The scooters will have a GPS tracker with them to allow us to find out their route and eventually find them.

Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice marks a major turning point: the longest night of the year. Literally and figuratively, the Winter Solstice exalts the triumph of light over darkness, the hope of a better year and better times; it’s the return of the victorious Sun. Let's start the countdown to this transition together.

On 21 December, we will celebrate with a festive walk linking La Bellone to the Abattoirs Market where will warm up with a meal cooked by Cultureghem.

The walk will be punctuated with various poetic surprises, curated by Micha Goldberg: poems written and read by poet and slammer Joëlle Sambi (BE/CG), a sweet football juggling show by Cultureghem volunteer Hamza (BE/MA), bengal fires creating poetic confusion near the canal with Micha Goldberg himself, a hilarious dance in traffic by Sophie Melis (FR/BE), rap by Dada (Cultureghem). On arrival at the Abattoirs, an party in partnership with Cultureghem awaits, under Les Halles, where Micha will read his final poem Vincent Kompany. We have also invited DJ Sahra (Antwerp) for a festive dance party.

To know more → read Anna Czapski's text in the dossier Cifas-Arts vivants dans l'espace public in Alternatives Théâtrales number 148.

Credits

Design: Micha Goldberg

Luminous flotilla: Mohamed Amine Benâzzou, Gabriel Camtigi, Mustapha Chafi, Daniel Dashi, Aïcha Nedzmie Haskoli, Melissa Haskoli, Aïmane Karroua, Chahinaz Karroua, Kato Van Hoof

With Joëlle Sambi, Hamza, Sophie Melis, Dada, DJ Sahra and other poetic surprises

Costumes: Frederik Willems

Production: Cifas

Partnership: Cultureghem

Support from the City of Brussels and the Municipality of Anderlecht

Thank you to all the communes of Brussels-Capital, to La Bellone, to Kunstenfestivaldesarts, to all the enchanted eyes and to all the elves that make up the city.

Photos: Matias Mattéo & Bea Borgers