ACalmPlace event during Living Reine : Sensory Walk

The sensory walk was developed by the urban collective OURB and guided by KU Leuven alumni, and local artist Desislava Petkova. The goal of the walk was to build a deeper spatial awareness, paying attention to sounds, smells and the texture of materials they touched. The walk started at ‘Place de la Reine’, where the participants made themselves acquainted with the sensorial techniques. The participants were then led through selected locations of the neighbourhood, each time reflecting on the calmness or lack of in the different places. The walk ended in the garden of the Maison des Arts, to introduce a new calm place. They were asked to partner up and take turns being guided with eyes shut by their partner, giving more focus to their other senses. The walk ended in the garden where the participants were encouraged to reflect on their walk and the feelings associated with their sensorial experience. As a reflective practice, they were asked to write their thoughts on individual red ribbons and to then place them on a stick in the ground, creating a collective art installation.