“Brakke Grond must come up with new policy”

The French government has forced the Maison Descartes in Amsterdam to relocate from the Herengracht to an anonymous office district while the Dutch government has closed its Dutch Institute in Paris. The Flemish government, on the other hand, last week decided not to close De Brakke Grond, the Flemish cultural house in Amsterdam. Piet Menu, who was appointed director in February last year, is happy with the decision. Following an advice by a visitation commission to sell the premises, but the view that renting from other cultural institutions would not necessarily be less costly and that the Brakke Grond could do without the planned renovations to the premises made the Flemish government change its mind. “They forgot what we earned through the rental of our café-restaurant,” says Menu, who tried his best to convince Flemish members of parliament that the costs were better than expected. “Moreover we talked to many artists, which has renewed enthusiasm and created new ideas.” The  Flemish government wants a new cultural policy in return for the subsidy of one and a half million euros. The Brakke Grond will increase collaboration and extend its activities outside Amsterdam. Menu foresees no problem in this respect and has come up with a ten-point plan which includes more collaboration between museums, mounting Flemish exhibitions with Dutch curators and organizing Flemish-themed projects outside Amsterdam, including World War I, psychiatry and absurdity. In future the Brakke Grond will collaborate with the Dutch-Flemish cultural house De Buren in Brussels to encourage Flemish theatre-makers who have studied in the Netherlands and Dutch theatre makers who have studied in Flanders to establish a network in their own country.