Belgium identifies it with Borinage, the dreary coal-mining district encircling it. And according to The Guardian, the people of Mons are more eager to see the local Ikea make its grand entrance than its recent cultural accolade. For Mons, with less than 100 000 residents, the opening was a lavish display with Town Mayor Elio di Rupo leading the way for King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium.
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An overzealous Mayor
Almost 100 000 people attended the launch. Elio di Rupo commented: “Mons 2015 has won its first bet”. The town hopes to attract two million people over the course of the year and make €400 million. Mons’ slogan “Where Technology Meets Culture” was the catchphrase that beat other European hopefuls to first place. Why? Because the town mayor has great economic plans for the town which closed its mines in the 60s. A page is turning; culture and technology are the driving forces behind the new identity. The Digital Valley lured in Google, IBM, Microsoft and HP, hopefully providing a breath of fresh air. Architects such as Santiago Calatrava, responsible for the new railway station, and Daniel Libeskind, designer of the convention centre have further rejuvenated the town. Both architects also worked on Ground Zero.
The exhibition “Mons Superstar” is held in the former abattoirs, introducing the audience to leading figures from women’s rights to botanical experiments. The second exhibition entitled “Van Gogh In The Borinage – The Birth of An Artist”, reminding us of a young Van Gogh as a preacher in the Borinage, where he began drawing miners and their families upon his arrival in 1878.
Highlights across Mons include the fire-lit installation by Compagnie Carabosse at Place du Parc; the hundreds of robots attached to the facades of the Marché aux Herbes; Dirty Monitor’s spectacular 360° futuristic projections at the Cour du Carré des Art; as well as the highly-attended installation Envolée Chromatique by Aerosculpture, Quidams and Nano at the Grand Place.
So far, the new European Capital of Culture has proved itself a worthy winner of its bid with these festivities; the year ahead also looks promising with the opening of five new museums in April.
Mons braces itself
Although the local Ikea is the main talk of the town, The Guardian also reported on Mons’ central piece that lasted less than a week in the town square. The enormous €400 000 sculpture Neon nest… was supposed to welcome visitors at the station for the next five years, but has been dismantled due to its instability!
Mons, The European Capital of Culture in figures:
- Budget: €68 million
- Goal: two million visitors expected throughout the year (that’s as many as Marseille, The European Capital of Culture in 2013)
- Goal: €400 million in turnover
- 300 artistic projects
- 5.000 artists (including 1.500 regional artists)
- More than 80 % “free” events
- 5 newly-inaugurated museums
