4/7/2014
Art Festival Watou
Different venues, Poperinge
34th edition. Watou is the setting of poets and visual artists, upcoming talent and established values, works of art from Belgium and abroad.
This summer the Art Festival Watou sets up camp for the 34th time in the art village Watou, near the French border.
Poets and visual artists, upcoming talent and established values, works of art from Belgium and abroad all find their place on our exceptional art trail. The village is the setting and this offers about ten characteristic locations as exposition rooms: a former monastery, an old farm or the cellar of a brewery. The interaction between these surprising, nostalgic rooms and the contemporary art and poetry each time creates a unique experience. Enjoying a piece of summer in Watou is exciting as well as unwinding. Brief moments of pure bliss.
About small happiness in times of abundance
During its 34th edition the Art Festival Watou may consider itself lucky. The collected stories of artists, writers and poets all embody the human search for happiness in times of great abundance. About how we all want to be happy and how this does not necessarily lead to becoming truly happy. About how we humans always seem to be searching for something better, as dictated by the condition humaine. With this edition, “Collected stories #6”, the Art Festival Watou wants to offer a moment of rest in hectic times: an artful reflection on our pursuit of happiness.
Image: © Pascale Marthine Tayou, Many Many (people), 2011. Courtesy of Fondazione lettera27 Onlus & Galleria Continua, San Gimignano / Beijing / Les Moulins. CC BY-SA.
PRACTICAL
The Art Festival Watou 2014 can be visited from 5th July until 31st August.
Open
Wednesday - Friday: 2pm to 7pm
Saturday - Sunday: 11am - 7pm
Monday - Tuesday: closed
Prices
€10 adults
€7 children age 6 to 12
free entrance for children under 6
Address
Information desk:
Watouplein 12
8978 Watou
Poperinge (Belgium)
Guided visit
If you want to discover the Art Festival and its small happiness in group, you can book a guided tour. A professional guide takes you on a customized tour and provides more information on the participating artists, poets and their work.
Duration: about 2,5 hours
Price: €85 (entrance tickets not included)
Maximum 20 persons per guide
Bookings can be done at least 5 days in advance on the following address: info@kunstenfestivalwatou.be
Accessibility
All locations are within walking distance of the marketplace of Watou. You can visit the locations in the order you choose. The total distance of the art trail is about 2 km. Because of the specific character of the exposition rooms some of the locations are not (or only partially) accessible for people in wheelchairs. A list of the locations with difficult accessibility will be posted on the website, as soon as the festival opens.
WEEKENDHAPPENINGS
Every weekend the Art Festival organises extra activities. Check our website or our facebook page to find out when your favourite writer, poet, illustrator or actor will visit us in Watou.
YOUNG VISITORS
During the Art Festival Watou 2014 our youngest visitors can count themselves truly lucky. Especially for them illustrator Korneel Detailleur made a booklet that will guide them on the art trail. True fortune-hunters can try their luck and take the booklet with them on a treasure hunt. The treasure is hidden somewhere in a small corner, but Korneel’s treasure map will help you find it!