'Lappendeken van sociaal werk in Aalst' (working title)
Long-term trajectory in Aalst, 2023-2024
Together with Leontien Allemeersch
Within the research Dorpsdramaturgie by Kunstenplatform Plan B, supported by NW Aalst
In Aalst and its many boroughs, we are working together on this long-term project. Through interviews and observations, we are currently mapping "the patchwork of social work" in Aalst. Social workers shared their experiences about the local Aalst social field. Phenomena that we see happening all over Belgium (or wider) were also often discussed here locally. They told us how the big abstract notions of marketization, privatization, erosion, crumbling and reduction of social work become visible in day-to-day work. The obviousness of a strong social safety net with many midfield players is diminishing, social structures are slowly being cut back. And these federal, Flemish and local political decisions are having an impact on the daily lives of Aalst residents. For example, in Aalst, some organizations that had built up a lot of experience over the years disappeared because they were played off against each other. In the coming months, we will work with the many obstacles social workers face. The patchwork with all its (in)visible connections will become the starting point for a visual work, event or action that will take place in the course of 2024.