Persons waiting by the Bourseduring three weeks in October 2012

This is the final documentation for the MAKE AN AGREEMENT # 8 project agreed during the opening of Beursschouwburg's 'I Fail Good' programme on 5 October 2012.

The project entailed taking a picture each day between 5 and 25 October 2012 of different person(s) who for one reason or another are waiting by the Bourse/Beurs building in Brussels. Each of the pictures are accompanied by a real or fictional story. Some of the persons depicted are friends who volunteered to participate as objects, but most of them are strangers.

The project is summarised on: http://makeanagreement.wordpress.com

I had great fun doing this.

Brussels, 22 November 2012Tomas Grönberg

Friday evening 5 October: Hungry!

THE STORY: My name is Philippe and I am sick and tired of always having to wait for Tomas. No matter what, he is always late. Of course also this evening when we had made plans to go for dinner at the Fin de Siècle on Rue des Chartreux. To make things even worse, he insisted that we first make a detour by the Bourse because he had to take some pictures. I am not amused. I am hungry!

THE PICTURES: The main photo is very much arranged. Always a good sport, my friend Philippe immediately agreed to pose for some shots when I, indeed slightly late, called and told him about the new project I had just embarked on. Knowing that I would have to take most of the remaining photos of strangers, I took the opportunity to take a close up including also the Bourse sign. Philippe actually enjoyed being a model, and volunteered again for a second shot when we passed by a vintage clothes shop window on the nearby Rue des Chartreux after the dinner.

Saturday afternoon 6 October: Two projects in one

THE TRUE STORY: We are a group Erasmus students at the University of Leuven on a day trip to Brussels engaged in a contest with other foreign students. Our challenge is to ask complete strangers to sing a song – that we teach – in one of our languages. We record the singing and the group that has most recordings will get free beer at the bar where we will all meet at the end of the day. We wait by the Bourse since so many persons pass by on a Saturday afternoon.

THE PICTURES: I was of course happy to volunteer to sing (La Cucaracha in Spanish) if the students agreed to take part in my photo challenge. The two Spanish girls in the main picture were actually rather embarrassed about being photographed when they were teaching me their song. I selected this shot because of the slightly bewildered expression on the face of man who accidentally passed by and probably wandered what was going on. The entire group consisted of students from Spain, Mexico, the US and Algeria. A nice group of kids! I hope they got the free beer (despite my rather bad singing performance).

Sunday afternoon 7 October: Preparing for a TV debate

THE STORY: I have been working hard in- and outside the Bourse since early this morning to prepare for this evening's broadcast of a debate between the political parties fighting for seats in the upcoming local elections. Not only to organise the debate podium inside, but also fix a cool entrance up the stairs.But I am getting tired of all the people who get annoyed since they cannot sit on the stairs and enjoy the sun. Everything has to be tip top by the time the emission starts - in just a couple of hours! And right now, I have to wait on the steps to check that everything is OK. It seems as if a light has ceased to function and needs to be replaced. Do we have any spare ones? Hope so, otherwise my boss will get rather annoyed. But, at least we finally got the big camera crane in place. There will be some nice shots of the people arriving. Almost like a film festival!

THE PICTURES: Arriving to the Bourse I had no clue what the frantic action was all about. It turned out to be members of a RTL TV channel team preparing for a TV broadcast debate later that evening. A guard was annoyed that I took pictures, but I explained to him that it was for a very serious project so he grudgingly allowed me to continue. I enjoyed the distinct shadows made by the sharp afternoon sun.

Monday 8 October: Beginning-of-the-week morning blues

THE STORY: Monday mornings are never fun. For anyone. I started working already at seven and it was a MESS all over around the Bourse. Something special must have taken place last night. I feel good about keeping our city tidy, but it is sad that hardly anyone takes notice of me and my colleagues and what we are doing. It is almost as if we are invisible for other people in the street.But, there is someone taking a picture of me. I'll wait for a while and maybe he will take a photo of me!?

THE PICTURES: It was a challenge to find a motif this Monday morning en route to work. Luckily, a street cleaner came by with his very colourful uniform and shining green vacuum cleaner. He was a jolly good fellow who spontaneously greeted me. An impromptu shot. I like the visual impact of the long tube. Pity, though, that I did not notice that the concrete block got into the forefront of the main picture.

Early Tuesday morning 9 October: Desolate but sunny

THE TRUE STORY: No-one around this morning. But the morning sun was bright so I found a way of getting myself in a picture in the form of my own shadow.The other person in the picture, i.e. the woman on the magazine billboard, used to be my neighbour on Rue des Chartreux. She eventually moved out to marry a Dutch prince who got seriously injured in a skiing accident last winter. The magazine cover story reports that there is a slight degree of hope with regards to his recuperation. Hence the smile on her face. But I suspect that she is waiting very hard and impatiently for a complete recovery.

THE PICTURES: Almost desolate around the Bourse. I tried in vain to convince the woman in the newspaper stand to have her photograph taken. At least she did not mind that I took one of her kiosk.The third person in the main picture, the guy on the motor bike (who technically also is by the Bourse) luckily stopped for a red light just when I took the photograph. Always nice to have something else than cars in the streets!

Wednesday morning 10 October: The Bourse as a point of departure

THE TRUE STORY: I have been walking around in circles. This city is really difficult to get the grips of, even with the help of a map.Where the heck is the Central Station? At the hotel they told me that it was just a five minute walk, but the streets go in all sorts of directions and now I am back again at this big building by the big boulevard. But, now I wait here until someone shows up who can help me. Luckily, my train is not until 45 minutes so I should be able to make it.

THE PICTURES: I often see tourists with maps by the Bourse. I asked this woman (in English) whether I could help her and if I then could take a photo. I gave her the directions to the Central Station and then she posed – hence the possibility of taking a close up with the map. We got a good laugh when she eventually told me that she is from my native Sweden!I like the many red and white stripes in the main photo.

Thursday morning 11 October: A real need to stop by the Bourse

THE STORY: I should not have had so much coffee for breakfast. And, on the top of that I forgot to use the toilet before leaving, and there were no cafés or restaurants open along the Anspach.So, what a relief that I stumbled into this establishment just behind the Bourse. Finally the Brussels commune has used tax money for something useful. And, wow, a toilet where you do not even have to pay to enter! A small little space to wait in to do what you have to do.I will definitely vote for the party that took the initiative to this!

THE PICTURES: I wanted to take a photo of the urinoar behind the Bourse, one of the new ones recently placed out in the city. I like the design but all my visitors from abroad always laugh when they stumble upon them. Sometimes the locations render further comments, particularly when they are placed next to churches which is often the case.I took several pictures of the person in the photos, but decided to include only shots where his face was not visible.

Friday 12 October: Armless

THE TRUE STORY: Approaching this young woman from behind, it looked as if she had no arms at all. It turned out that she, like me, had a camera and kept it tightly pressed to her eyes waiting for the right moment to take a shot of the Bourse.

THE PICTURES: This Russian architect student liked my project and did not mind at all becoming part of it. But she thought I should get a better camera.

Saturday 13 October: Rain rain rain!

THE TRUE STORY: This afternoon was perfect for catching people waiting for the rain to stop under the shelter of the covered Le Cirio terrace by the Bourse. In daytime this old fashioned bar is a favourite hangout for elderly ladies, but this afternoon lots of youngsters were having their beers there as well. I was glad to be able to get different kinds of clients and the spiffily dressed waiter in the same shot.

THE PICTURES: The wet asphalt provided a mirror reflection. And I liked the many different colours of both the clothes and the many umbrellas.

Sunday 14 October: Music by the Bourse

THE STORY: The two of us are travelling around Europe financing the trip by playing in the public.This is a good place to perform at since so many person are waiting by the building and on the stairs. And they give us money. Maybe because we play so well, or perhaps they feel pity for us . . .

THE PICTURES: The two cheerful guys from Cologne drew a lot of attention. Probably because they seemed to have so much fun playing, even though the traffic noise was a disturbance. Also, it is quite unusual to see a double bass – the largest and lowest pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra – in the streets.

Monday 15 October: No night bus, but night people

THE STORY: It's close to midnight and I want to go home. There is a bus stop, but strangely no busses that pass by here on a regular basis. How long will I have to wait?

THE PICTURES: Another set up photo with my Swedish visitor Christina acting as model. The two funnily dressed hard metal music fans had just been to a concert in nearby Ancienne Belgique and were hanging out on the Bourse steps. They observed us with interest. It turned out that the guy was a big fan of the Swedish hard metal band Sabaton, whose fan club sweater he was wearing very proudly and gladly showed show off.

Tuesday 16 October: No hard feelings despite the loss!

THE TRUE STORY: We have just seen our Scottish team lose against Belgium in the World Cup qualifying game. But, nevertheless we are having a great time here in Brussels. Probably we would not be greeted with such friendly smiles had the result been different. While we are waiting for the rest of the Scottish supporters to show up, lots of people want to take pictures of and with us!

THE PICTURES: I was really pleased to be able to include a shot of the Brussels ritual of celebrating a sports victory by the Bourse. Lots of policemen around, but not a single aggressive incident. Just happy people, notably the Belgian supporter proudly waiving the flag at the top of the stairs.

Wednesday 17 October: Bourse logistics

THE TRUE STORY: The old days of stock brokers screaming out their orders in the exchange hall is long gone. Nowadays the trading is silent and electronic, but still housed in the building. It is part of the Euronext Exchange formed by the previous Brussels, Paris and Amsterdam Stock Exchanges. The Bourse is nevertheless very much in use for receptions, exhibitions and other public events and requires logistical support and maintenance.This morning drinking water was to be delivered and the water company guys were waiting to get access to a service entrance below the main stairs.

THE PICTURES: I had not until now noted that the two monumental lions (sculpted by the two Antwerp brothers Jean-Joseph and Jacques Jacquet) on each side of the main stairs have different postures. One lifts its head and the other has a curved back with the head down – reflecting the way the stocks can fluctuate up and down. With some kind of imagination one can compare them with the famous bear and bull statue on Wall Street in New York.

Thursday morning 18 October: The mail box

THE STORY: It seems as if the Belgian postal service believes that no one uses snail mail anymore since there are hardly any mail boxes to be found in the centre! But, lo and behold, a shining red box is prominently placed at the back of the Bourse building. Now I only have to wait until 13.45 until the mail is collected. Strange that this guy wants my picture. But why not? He may be a fashion model scout!?

THE PICTURES: Indeed, the young woman was slighty suprised when I asked to take a picture; but she smiled and accepted I include the picture with the three police officers, since there are quite a few of them around (possibly because the central city main police office is just around the corner on Rue du Midi). Actually, one morning two bike patrolling polices showed up in no time whatsoever when a slightly drunk man started yelling at me when I was walking around taking pictures.

Friday 19 October: Neither kinky nor cosy!

THE STORY: Ever since the Bourse was inaugurated 139 years ago, I have been subject to stupid comments from passers-by. I can do nothing about it. I am simply bound to remain here waiting for an eternity, wearing my silly hat!And, I do not like the fact that an alternative street sign was put up just next to me. I am definitely neither kinky nor cosy!

THE PICTURES: The sculpture by Guillame de Groot is intended to represent labour personified by a blacksmith and is part of a series of four in each corner of the building. The additional "unofficial" white street sign was put up in 2007 in honour of the two very mischievous Belgian comic strip figures Kinky and Cosy, whose portraits are visible in the left hand corner. The artist, NIX, won that year the Belgian Comic Strip award.

Saturday 20 October: Urban birdingTHE TRUE STORY: This Saturday my friend and colleague András, who is an avid and astute ornithologists, guided the members of the Swedish Club at a highly interesting ornithology excursion in the Ardennes. Upon returning back to Brussels rather late in the evening, I asked András if he could pose for some pictures pretending taking part of the latest bird watching craze: urban birding. Urban birding entails looking for birds in the midst of a city. But, of course, one has ever so often to wait quite a while for a species to show up. Notably when it is dark!

THE PICTURES: Despite the fact that András looked quite strange and slightly suspicious when posing on the Bourse steps late Saturday evening no-one around paid any attention whatsoever. I really like his spectacular Swarovski binoculars – top notch for a professional bird watcher!

Sunday 21 October: Demonstration

THE TRUE STORY: The Bourse is often used for manifestations and demonstrators. Sometimes the place is jam packed with protesters with police nearby ready to interact if violence or too much disruption emerge. This Sunday a Belgian NGO wanted to gain attention to the plight of the Mapuches, a group of indigenous peoples mainly in south-central Chile but also in Argentina, who have been deprived of their natural lands. But, not that many people stopped by. The main onlookers were those who were waiting on the top of the Bourse steps to catch the late afternoon sun.

THE PICTURES: I was glad to get the opportunity to also take a photo of a demonstration. The NGO representatives were really happy that I photo documented their protest.

Monday 22 October: Frites

THE STORY: Being a tourist in Brussels, I have of course to try the Belgian frites. Served with mayonnaise of course. Strange, but maybe it is a good combination!? This place is obviously popular given the large number of people waiting to be served.

THE PICTURES: Walking behind the Bourse in the evenings one cannot miss the unmistaken smell of frites from the friterie just around the corner with Rue du Midi. The tall guy was rather amused when I asked to take a photo of his cone.

Tuesday 23 October: Diversity

THE TRUE STORY: The major charm of Brussels is the fact that the city is so diverse and often very care free. You are allowed to be who you are and dress the way you want. No fuss! As represented by the contrasting persons in this picture. Two Muslim women passing by two already rather drunk men waiting on the steps with no other intention but to finish their bottles.

THE PICTURES: I was observing the guys on the stairs and was lucky to be able to take a shot just as the two women in burqas walked by.

Wednesday 24 October: Craving for a burger

THE STORY: I am so hungry and am craving for a burger. It was sort of acceptable to be placed on the top of the Bourse façade for the first hundred years or so. But, it became a torture when the McDonald's opened up across the street. Now I am forced to wait here and look straight into the hamburger joint, which quite often is open until five in the mornings. And to make things even worse, I am not the highest statue in the centre – that honour goes to a man: St Michael on the top of the City Hall tower behind me.

THE PICTURES: To see the statues on the top, also sculpted by the Jacquet brothers, one cannot be too close to the building. Walking by the stairs, hardly anyone seem to notice them. These days the inner city skyline is dominated by the big crane, rather than the sculptures.

Thursday 25 October: Waiting, waiting, waiting . . .

THE STORY: Why doesn't she show up? What if something has happened? Or, has she dumped me for something else tonight? Or even worse, for somebody else? How long do I have to wait?

THE PICTURES: The Bourse is the waiting place par excellence in the centre of Brussels. People hang out on and around the steps almost round the clock, particularly in the evenings. I liked the street light casting a long shadow of the guy with the white jacket who looked really worried. Hopefully his girlfriend showed up shortly after I had taken this final photo!