Bara/ke

Something that reminds of a treehouse, yet standing on elevation platform at a height of about 10 meters. Here for a duration of two weeks Benjamin Verdonck found his home. He was invited by City Mine(d) to the Bara square in Brussels, after they saw a similar construction of his in an empty building the year before. This was Verdonck’s first performance in public space. In 1999 the square was renewed, and with its close proximity to the (international) train station, well equipped for traffic and trans-passengers. However the local community seemed to be forgotten in the urban planning. With various events (from breakfast to his daily press conferences) Verdonck created communal ground. Locals passed by with problems or simply to have a chat. Simultaneously Verdonck made notes about what he witnessed. In the naming of the project the location is mentioned, yet it also relates to the wish of Verdonck to make his audience as wide as possible since ‘Baraka’ is the Arab word for happiness and ‘Baraque’ the french for a wooden shelter.