Bar Bricolage - Chinastraat - Houtdok

On this former industrial site, you will find the event location of the Chinastraat. In addition to being an event location, the place is, according to its founders, a “platform for creation and a cross-pollination between various temporary and permanent residents.” In the film studios, film or theater productions are developed, and in the studios and rehearsal rooms, numerous artists are housed. From musicians to visual artists and woodworkers; many find their place to create in the Chinastraat. Their work and that of others is exhibited in the exhibition space “Ignition.”

In the summer, you can also visit Bar Bricolage. Here you can eat and drink something, but there is also a lot on the cultural agenda. In addition to numerous concerts, flea markets, workshops, and exhibitions are organized.

Houtdok

The Houtdok was excavated in 1881 as an extension of the Handelsdok. The construction of the Handelsdok was carried out together with the digging of the sea canal Gent-Terneuzen in 1827, an important step in the industrial development of northern Ghent. Today, the Houtdok no longer serves an industrial function, but its pollution is still present. The Flemish Waterway has therefore prohibited swimming in the Houtdok. Some local residents want this to change. They are working together with the non-profit organization Waterland, which advocates for clean water and more open swimming areas in Belgium. The issue of the Houtdok symbolizes water as commons. Water represents an important diversity of common functions and collective destinations, not only in terms of recreation.

Sources:

- The Chinastraat. Accessed on 31.03.2022. https://chinastraat.be/overons/ 

- Bar Bricolage - Chinastraat. Accessed on 31.03.2022. https://chinastraat.be/bar-bricolage/ 

- Van Aerschot-Van Haeverbeeck, Suzanne. Building through the Ages: Inventory of Cultural Heritage in Belgium. Architecture. Part 4nc: City of Ghent, 19th and 20th Century Urban Expansion. Ghent: Snoeck-Ducaju & Zoon n.v., 1983.

- “Still legal swimming in the Houtdok this summer? ‘The permits have been applied for,’” Het Nieuwsblad, 16.07.2021. Waterland. Accessed 31.03.2022. https://www.waterlandvzw.be/ 

Ishka DS