The course Interiors, This is Belgium introduces international exchange students to both contemporary and historical Belgian interior architecture. Guided by a tutor, or working on their own initiative, students visit a selection of interiors and architectural projects across Belgium. Through sketching, observation, and design research, they explore the specific qualities, histories, and contexts of each interior.
Whenever possible, students have the opportunity to meet the designers or inhabitants of the spaces they visit. These encounters allow them to discuss the projects on site with the people who designed, use, or inhabit them, adding a personal and experiential dimension to their research.
The aim of the design assignment is to establish a creative yet critical dialogue with a chosen interior through the design and making of an intervention. The intervention becomes a kind of “conversation piece”—a means of responding to, questioning, interpreting, or transforming the interior.
The intervention can take many forms: a sketch or drawing, an object or artefact, a spatial intervention, a modification of the interior, or even a depiction of an imaginary figure who inhabits the space. It may resonate with the existing interior, fit within it, contrast with it, or deliberately challenge its qualities and meanings.
The resulting intervention is presented and discussed collectively. Through this process, students are encouraged to articulate their observations, reflect on their design decisions, and engage in a creative and critical dialogue with both the chosen interior and their peers
(photo above: Architect Marie-Josee Van Hee showing the students around in her internationally acclaimed private home, Ghent.)