Tell me what

Another train journey... this time from Brussels to Cologne then Dusseldorf.

Yesterday was a most interesting day... Two visits: WPZimmer in Antwerp and the Vooruit in Ghent. In a sense, there couldn't be a greater contrast between the two. Zimmer is in a funky old building (that they just bought after years of renting it!) with a single studio/theatre/workspace (15m X 17m) and a staff of four. The Vooruit is an impressive old building (the socialist meeting hall from a bygone era) with a number of rooms that can accommodate anywhere from 1000 people down to small studio spaces dedicated to visual art exhibits. Their staff of 80 (yes, that's eight - zero!) includes a core artistic staff of 5 whose various programs are fulfilled by a "marketing team", "production team", etc.

Two things stand out for me with both organisations: first, they are each resolutely committed to "l'accompagnement d'artiste" (the idea that working with artists - especially emerging ones - demands a heightened level of commitment; that organisations with experience need share it); second, they each organise communal meals in which their staff and artists in residence eat together. I experienced this latter detail in person when, arriving 15 minutes early to my meeting at Zimmer, I was invited to join them for lunch. Arriving at Zimmer you walk through a gated court yard before entering their primary building; this entrance hall is at the same time a reception room, dining room, and kitchen. Their artists-in-residence receive lodging onsite and this means access to the kitchen. Patrick and Ilsa, my hosts, tell me it is not unusual for the Zimmer team to trickle in in the morning to find the artists sitting down to their morning coffee. The informality of these encounters - small talk may begin with the weather or last night's football score (Congratulations Alouettes, 2009 Grey Cup Champions!!!) before evolving into some challenge the artist is facing - reinforces something Suzanne Miller said when in Halifax last May: "Work gets done hanging out". It's so true. Both WPZimmer and the Vooruit are flexing their muscles in this direction by creating "hanging out" time around food.

Not surprising to learn that, even though their scales of operation are at different points on the spectrum, they are currently working together (with other like-minded organisations) to develop a new network dedicated to l'accompagnement des artistes.

A final thought (before sitting back to enjoy the delightful scenery)... The following comment was repeated to me following the incredible performances offered by BJM Danse when they were in Halifax: "We need to work harder!" I'll leave it up to you to interpret the meaning behind this comment, but ask: What can we do (collectively in the performing arts in Nova Scotia/Atlantic Canada) to work harder, and more importantly, what do we wish to achieve?