gullThe balloon leaves for a symbolic journey of 80 days until the inauguration of the Jules Verne Center in Forest.
Thus, Michel Dircken intends to inaugurate what he imagines as “a cultural center based on Jules Verne”. This will be located on Chaussée de Neerstalle, near Place Saint-Denis, in the former Roma cinema. “I bought it privately,” explains the man who is also the curator of the Saint-Gilles Museum of Fantasy Art. The unusual institution on American Street is known, among other things, for its famous Halloween parade. “The place had been operated since 1933 by the Rham brothers, owners of several rooms in Brussels. It had 500 seats. It closed in 1960. Very little is known about this history even if I found a few posters attesting to its existence. But there is no photo of the interior. The idea is to recreate this neighborhood cinema atmosphere because people move less towards the center than a few years ago.
“Nothing to do with punk”
But cinema will not resurface like the Nautilus returning from twenty thousand leagues under the sea. “There will be no armchairs,” emphasizes Michel Dircken. “It will be more of a cultural room, organized like a cabaret, where shows and screenings will be held, with tables for having a drink during thematic sessions.” During the inauguration in March 2025, there will be an exhibition dedicated to Alice Guy, the first female film director. “It will be the biggest exhibition ever mounted on this precursor, with photos, archives…”
The next Steampunk Festival will also be held there, which brings together costumed fans in a style combining Victorian fashion and science fiction. The event centers on this cultural movement postulating that steam technology, central to the works of Jules Verne, has never been surpassed. “But it will be renamed ‘Verne Feest’. Because people don’t really understand the term ‘steampunk’, which is difficult to catch. It scares a little the curious people who still believe that there are going to be rock bands: but, It has nothing to do with punk.”
The first hot air balloon
On March 24, the balloon surreptitiously unveiled on January 4 in Saint-Gilles will also land on the Neerstalle road to mark the occasion. “It’s a replica of the Montgolfier brothers’ first aircraft for their flight in 1783,” explains its pilot Philippe Nieuwland. “It was designed by Patrick Libert in Court-Saint-Étienne. It is a prestigious balloon for our club, which allows us to be invited to meetings. Its shape is finer than that of a usual hot air balloon, resembling competition balloons which rise and fall more quickly. It’s a small machine of 2100m2, but its envelope is relatively heavy”, explains the Etterbeek resident. “She weighs 160kg, for 80 to 90 in general. This is due to the decorations which are sewn on her blue canvas”. And teleport her to the 18th century.
gullTo fly to Brussels, you need an authorization issued by air traffic control. It requires a transponder to be detectable at any time from Zaventem.
The basket balloon obviously has a special place in Vernian aesthetics. “The French Aerostation Federation has also published a thick publication concerning the links between Jules Verne and the hot air balloon,” informs the pilot. Who won’t take off anymore for the inauguration in Forest. “To fly to Brussels, you need an authorization issued by air traffic control. It requires a transponder to be detectable at any time from Zaventem, as well as a radio to be reachable by Skeyes.” An extremely rare sesame. “We obtained it in 2015 to mark the birth of our balloon in the national colors. The idea was to take off from the Royal Park. With instructions to fly to Waterloo. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing towards Koekelberg. So we never took off.”
Quite the opposite of Phileas Fogg, iconic Vernian hero of “Around the World in 80 Days”.
