Bram Kerkhofs . Lore Baeyens . photos: © JEROEN VERRECHT
About one year ago Bram Kerkhofs (object designer) and Lore Baeyens (network architect) were able to obtain a unique brutalist house in the outskirts of Leuven, a 20 minutes’ drive from Brussels, designed by Architectenburo Vanderbiest & Reynaert from Leuven and until recently the home of artist and philosopher Jef Stuyven. They reshaped their newly achieved house to combine living and working and to facilitate dialogue with artists and other creatives to open this gem to the public.
The duo renovated the house with care and attention to the original architecture and arranged it to attract artistic collaborations. As part of the complex, Bram housed his studio there and together they aspire to collaborate with art & design institutes and facilitate exchange to let the place inspire others in their artistic journey. To achieve this the studio area in the house is arranged as a fully equipped guest room, offered to artists who’re looking for some distance to focus or to get inspired for a certain period. In collaboration with Cas-co, a house for artistic practice and presentation, every summer they’ll organize a summer residency in which they welcome an artist who enters into dialogue with the building and can work there in peace and freedom. Other activities, both public and private (temporary gallery, exposition, movie set, …) are being tried out since.
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