On the power of ornament

Debating Chambers serve as the public forum of the Département des Pièges. During discussions in the exhibition space, speakers are encouraged to draw inspiration from the objects, paintings and artworks on display. These conversations aim to loosen rigid systems of classification and expand the limits of contextual information. Four sessions are held during the exhibition. At each session, two speakers explore a specific theme, followed by an open discussion with the public. 
 
Clémentine Deliss, director of the Metabolic Museum-University who created the Département des Pièges, moderates the discussions. 
 
Seating is limited, but recordings of each Debating Chamber are available to watch online.  

About the exhibition 

With a wink to Brussels artist Marcel Broodthaers, Clémentine Deliss invites you to enter the Département des Pièges. Here, you will find a selection of unexpected artefacts and paintings from eleven Brussels museums, as well as works by contemporary artists. From elaborate fishnets to hunting decoys, psychiatric tests and trompe l’oeil paintings, each exhibit relates to the concept of the trap. You are invited to study these diverse traps and participate in this "museum-university".