Ars Moderna

Having lived away from bubbly metropolitan hipster cities for a few years, being back in Ghent has been a rather amusing experience. I myself am a considerably "unhip" person in the sense that am not even remotely up to date with the fashion and decorative trends that are in style at this very moment. (Quite purposefully so ;-)). I am generally spotted wearing jeans and T's, and the only decorative features in my room are a bunch of stacked old wine crates serving as bookcases, sided by my lovely green plants.

So when I'm invited round the flats, rooms or houses of friends who have lived the trend for years, I always feel like I've been taken out on a fieldtrip. I am utterly incapable of making decent conversation with my host until my curiosity has been allowed to drag me off on a grand tour of the place. Minimalisitic interiors, stylish baths raised in the centre of spacious and otherwise very empty rooms. Tones of blue, orange and fluorescent lighting in highly unconventional places. Chairs that are meant to be the centrepiece of the room, artwork that takes ages to figure out... it's all spectacularly entertaining.

The ultimate proof of my "out of towner" status came the other night,however, when I asked my friend when he was planning to unpack the boxes and bundles that were piled up in the centre of his living room, and why on earth there was a plastic crow perched on top of it. He looked at me incredulously for a few moments and said: "it's art!". I grinned apologetically stating it was very pretty art indeed, if not very confusing art :-)