© Photo: Photo from SOKL, edition in Antwerp (Fallon Mayanja and Anne Reijners (photographe) en Collectif Faire-Part)
Beyond the Statue: Rethinking Public Space Through a Feminist Lens (EN)
Public spaces carry stories and memories, yet often these places tell gendered stories. Who and what are remembered in our collective memory, and whose stories are left out? How do gendered narratives shape the public spaces we share? And why do some stories last while others disappear? On Thursday, 13 November, Nele Maes, Fien Van Rosendaal, and Camille Van Petegehem – curators selected through our open call – invite you to Beyond the Statue: Rethinking Public Space Through a Feminist Lens, an evening exploring how public space tells a gendered story. Joining the conversation are Léone Drew Drapeaud (Traumnovelle) and Stephanie Collingwoode Williams (Collectif Faire-Part).
Monuments and statues often reflect a predominantly white, male, colonial, and patriarchal narrative, shaping not only how we remember the past but also how we inhabit the present. How can these narratives be deconstructed or even rewritten?
We will explore public space as a tool for societal storytelling, asking: Who and what are remembered in our collective memory? Why these stories? And how do they shape the spaces we share? We explore the tension between traditional monumental representation and alternative logics rooted in relational values, care, and collectivity. From there, we examine strategies to actively rewrite dominant narratives—whether by questioning and deconstructing them or by reconstructing new stories through artistic, ritual, or participatory practices that foster alternative forms of memory and presence.
The second part of the evening will consist of interactive discussions with the audience in smal groups, providing a hands-on opportunity to explore intersectional feminist futures for public space.
Program
19:00 – 19:30 Walk-in with coffee and tea
19:30 – 19:45 Introduction
19:45 – 21:00 Conversation with the speakers
21:00 – 21:30 Small group conversations
21:30 – 21:45 Reflections and collective closing
21:45 Drinks and aftertalk
The event will be held in English, but you are welcome to join the conversation in Dutch or French. We will do our best to offer ad hoc (whisper) translations if needed.
About the speakers
Stephanie Collingwoode Williams (she/they)
is an anthropologist, former social worker, trainer, curator, person of trust, and consultant. She specializes in anti-racism, decolonization, intersectionality, climate justice, feminism, queerness, conflict-resolution and biraciality. For over five years, she has trained companies and collectives (big and small) on these topics, both locally and internationally. They are a co-curator for SOKL which is a project of Collectif Faire-Part, a Congolese-Belgian filmmakers collective. SOKL focuses on decolonizing public space and has recreated the pedestal on which Leopold II stands (Place Trone in Brussels) but this time without the king. The project invites decolonial artists and thinkers to reclaim space as well as express their views on Belgium's colonial past.
Léone Drapeaud
is an architect trained at ULB in Brussels, with a focus on feminist approaches to architecture and urban planning. She has worked in Brussels, Paris, and Beijing, and since 2020 has been part of the Territorial Strategy department at perspective.brussels, advancing gender-inclusive planning. As co-founder of the practice Traumnovelle, she explores the political dimensions of space through critical projects that provoke debate and imagine new possibilities for the built environment.
Photo: © Leslie Artamonow
About the curators
This evening takes place as part of the Open Call launched by PAF in spring 2025, to curate a discussion evening, with a special invitation to young and less-heard voices. This proposal was one of the two selected proposals.
Camille Van Peteghem
is a legal researcher at KU Leuven. Her doctoral research focuses on the critical analysis of social power relations in legal discourse, with an emphasis on cultural identity and gender.
Fien Van Rosendaal
is a cultural sociologist who explores how culture and inequality intersect. With a background in education, she seeks to create spaces of connection and nuance through research and dialogue.
Nele Maes
is co-founder and independent urban planner and researcher at Titaantjes Collectief and founder and director of herbronnen.ressources vzw.
Tickets
Free / €5 / €10 / €15 (pay what you can)
Please choose the ticket price that suits your situation best.
Pre-registration is required via the button below.
Everyone is welcome to join this conversation. No prior knowledge is needed. As always at PAF, we create a warm, open space where every voice is welcome.