Walter's Wanderings: Weekly Dispatch (34)

Summer halfway gone.
Big hairy holiday goals once again not achieved – episode 37.
Worked too little. Worked too much.
Too little vacation. Too much vacation.
Too hot. Too cold. Too wet, too dry, too far, too long.

So that third week is known for the wondrous mix of mild panic, unexpected surges of resolve and action and… new writing gear!

Yet another new notebook.
That poor copy under the rubble was badly in need of replacement. Right?

We sharpen our pencils and brace ourselves for the moment of the year when we once again get the chance to do everything better.
Septemmmmmmberrrrrrrr!

And Walter?

Walter listens and writes. Perks up his ears when an artist wanders through his spaces. Sharpens his pencils. Catches visitors’ sighs before they turn into wishes.

Catch of the day, a glimpse from a weekday site visit:

“I’ve switched studios more times in the past five years than you can imagine.”

or:

“Painting in a ski suit – the charm wears off after yet another winter in an unheated warehouse.”

and also:

“We gathered with sixteen artists to transform an empty depot into a shared studio. Six months later the owner casually told us he was selling the building.”

There must be another way.

Walter searches for other ways. Rather crash test than model. An attempt to acquire and manage (affordable) workspaces for artists, in shared ownership and opened up to (a broader layer of) users and visitors, (with long-term) (security).

Stray golf balls whizz past Walter’s ears. Many words remain (temporarily) in brackets. But he is patient and keeps walking steadily forward. Not at the speed of a souped-up golf cart, but at the pace of an Austrian mountain hiker.

Langsam, aber sicher, Walter!

Walter won’t be ready in October.
But he longs for presence: artists, musicians, makers, designers, audiences.
On Friday 10 and Saturday 11 October, he will let your and his mind wander freely in his ateliers.
Maybe you should note it in your shiny new notebook?

And between to-do’s and action plans, Walter weaves photos and words into that notebook. Warm memories of encounters on strange crossroads. Fried sole at the Vismet. A boat with a grandfather and grandsons. Albert Ayler and two kids from Cureghem together in a wall of fame. Confused barflies who want to order coffee and a cookie and art. Eternal fire for improvisation, here and now, trying, finishing. Forever now: untouchable.

Walter Swennen
1946 – 2025

P.S. No time today to join Walter on a mission, but you do have a sharp pencil and a new agenda? Ultra-short: Walter reopens and you’re welcome on 10 and 11 October. Time to write!