WHEN: 06 – 12.10.2025
WHERE: Wechelderzande, Belgium
FOCUS: Art festival production
Summary of the programme
The exchange programme will take place during De Grond Die We Delen / The Ground We Share, a week-long participatory art festival held at the protected monument Kasteel Hof d’Intere in Wechelderzande. The festival is free and open to all public and works with local residents, regional artists, and cultural professionals in hands-on workshops such as lino printing, kintsugi ceramics, and collaborative artmaking. It also includes participatory dinners, empathy benches for dialogue, live demonstrations, and exhibitions that connect contemporary practice with the area's Impressionist heritage. This exchange fosters practical knowledge sharing, social inclusion, and community-building in a semi-rural context, testing innovative formats for cultural participation and contributing to sustainable creative sector development. The festival brings more art in the daily lives and surroundings.
Activities will include:
- Explore the art exhibition "Heymans expo" and discuss curatorial choices and community relevance
- Join the Spazio Nour team in setting up festival spaces, discussing logistical and artistic challenges
- Co-creation session with the local community
- Workshops on lino making and kintsugi
Exchange period
The peer exchange with Spazio Nour will take place between 06-12 October 2025. The exact 5-day period can be determined in coordination with the Host.
Description of the Host organisation
Spazio Nour is an independent artistic and cultural organisation founded by artist Mahmoud Saleh Mohammadi in Milan in 2014 and currently active in its second location in Belgium at Kasteel Hof d’Intere, Wechelderzande. It creates inclusive, participatory art experiences that connect people across cultures, generations, and communities in urban and non-urban areas. Using contemporary art to engage public and this historic space, it develops site-specific projects rooted in local histories. Its current project, De Grond die We Delen/The Ground We Share, transforms this 17th-century castle into a cultural platform exploring belonging, memory, and regeneration through art.
Spazio Nour | Milano | Spazio espositivo | Residenza D'artista
Spazio Nour
What makes Spazio Nour an Ambassador of Good Practice?
Spazio Nour is directly involved in cultural and creative-led regeneration in Wechelderzande by reactivating Kasteel Hof d’Intere—a 17th-century heritage site—as a living space for art, community, and shared memory. Through the project De Grond die We Delen/The Ground We Share, it engages locals—organisations, youth, elders, and newcomers—in workshops, rituals, and festivals with the aim to create belonging, identity, and heritage. Rooted in social imagination rather than infrastructure, its participatory, site-specific, and low-threshold approach fosters deep connection to place. Acting as a bridge between local and European networks, Spazio Nour offers a grounded and adaptable model for using art as a catalyst for cultural regeneration in urban and non-urban areas, prioritising care, collaboration, and long-term cultural sustainability over spectacle.
What does Spazio Nour hope to gain from the P2P exchange?
Through this exchange, Spazio Nour aims to expand its European network by connecting with cultural organisations, artists, and policymakers to foster lasting collaborations. We seek to learn and test innovative participatory art models that effectively engage rural and urban communities. The exchange will also help us develop sustainable cultural entrepreneurship by exploring funding strategies, intellectual property management, and innovative financial practices. Furthermore, we want to enhance our impact by improving community engagement methods that empower participants and build social cohesion. Finally, we aim to contribute practical insights to cultural policy development and strengthen our organisational capacity for managing cross-sector projects.
Facilities for the Visitor
- The programme will be hosted primarily at Kasteel Hof d’Intere, a historic 17th-century castle. Multiple indoor rooms are available for workshops, presentations, and group discussions as well as outdoor spaces for site-specific interventions, performances, and walking tours.
- Access to local partner ateliers. Workshops led by skilled local artists and craftspeople (textile artists, ceramists, painters) with materials supplied for participants. Exhibition and display areas to showcase collaborative artworks, including the felt carpet created during the programme.
- Facilities for informal networking, meals, and community gatherings.
- Digital documentation tools for capturing the learning process. Basic technical equipment such as projectors, audio systems, tables, and chairs to support presentations and creative workshops.
The Open Call for Visitors will be open until
07 September 2025!
Apply here
