About

Border Buda is a three-year cultural project focusing on the Buda area, an industrial zone spanning Machelen, Vilvoorde and Brussels. Buda is rife with roaring trucks, deafening airplanes, disorganised architecture and rampant weeds. It is an industrial zone, with a rich history and a great potential. Unfortunately, the area is a blind spot for many residents of the three neighbouring municipalities. The project wants to take a first step towards exploring this area with the aim of turning the gaze back on Buda to make it a meeting place once again.

Border Buda was launched with the inauguration of the artwork Landmarks by Ilke Gers in October 2023. The first edition of the project focused on artistic installations in public space. The exhibition Speed Equals Distance over Time, that ran from 26 April to 26 May 2024, was the result of a close collaboration between 13 artists and the curators Anna Laganovska and Koi Persyn. Some works were temporary, others permanent. Border Buda’s local partners, firma and Buda Bxl, also realised an intervention linked to their venue. Many of the artworks still linger on in the area and are still worth a visit.

The first edition also launched the sociocultural trajectory Het Be(h)lang van Buda, which focuses on the fascinating heritage and history of the area.

The second and final edition, The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet, is curated by Els Silvrants-Barclay and will take place in the weekend of 20-22 June 2025.

Border Buda is supported by the Flemish Government and the municipalities of Vilvoorde, Brussels and Machelen.

TEAM

2025 curator: Els Silvrants-Barclay
Project coordinator: Sarah Demoen
Production: Lara Claes
Assistant-curators: Anouk Roosen and Tijana Petrovic
2024 curators: Koi Persyn and Anna Laganovska
Technical team: .The Workshop
Graphic design: Victor Verhelst
Web development: Studio Colibri