Expo 58, vijftig jaar later

In 2008 it is precisely fifty years since Belgium made an international name for itself with Expo 58. This anniversary will be marked by many exhibitions and events. St Luke’s College of Higher Education in Brussels will contribute with a series of critically reflective talks. Is Expo 58 still artistically and socially relevant today?

Speakers from the college and also external experts will examine themes associated with the world exhibition and trace its impact. The role of moving pictures – film and television – is particularly important in this series.

The series of talks will be held on five consecutive Tuesdays in the Kaaitheater forum.

1. Johanna Kint will open the series with a critical contextualisation of Expo 58. Steven Jacobs will give a talk on Expo photography.
12/02/2008, 20:30, Kaaitheater

2. The Dutch philosophers René Boomkens and Hans Achterhuis elucidate the new consumer society that has grown up on the back of technology.
19/02/2008, 20:30, Kaaitheater

3. Roel Vande Winkel and Lieve Desmet examine the position of Expo '58 in the collective memory and the role film and television have played in it.
26/02/2008, 20:30, Kaaitheater

4. Edwin Carels and Pieter van Bogaert examine the significance of experimental film and media from the fifties to the present day.
04/03/2008, 20:30, Kaaitheater

5. Sven Sterken analyses the Philips pavilion as a unique location for Poème Electronique. The media artist Boris Debackere traces its impact on further developments in the field of image and sound.
11/03/2008, 20:30, Kaaitheater