The Horta House makes a statement about the future.
"What kind of cities we want and indeed, what kind of cities we need! The Horta House revival is much more than the heritage, the bygone era and how to preserve it.
And certainly, much more than owning a house.
This in Brussels that has undergone multiple and erratic iterations of the future, each time adding a layer haphazardly on top of the ones that were there before minting the term “Brusselisation” as a token for confused and rushed city planning.
And as such a symbol for what goes on pretty much everywhere else in our modern cities: a rushed future leaving the habitants behind.
Resuscitating the Horta House is therefore more than just salvaging its parts or reciting its captivating history.
By scraping the white paint off the underlying frescoes, the walls bloom again, albeit bruised and battered, unearthing a certain take on humanism that will only grow in importance as automation, mechanical & digital prowess spread to all corners of our lives.
It is not about opposing technological and human progress, it is about finding balance and sequence, of who serves who in which order and to which ends.
Welcome to our common world.
Let’s make it better, more human.
" Where? Commission of Regions (CoR) Foyer 5 5th floor of JDE-Bâtiment Jacques Delors Rue Belliard 99-101, B-1040, Brussels