Comic Arts in Brussels

Independence

Trip price

Trip duration

Second and third year BA Comic Arts students enrolled on COCO2001 and COCO3001 and second and third year animation students are eligible to participate on this opportunity. There is a maximum of 25 places available, with a minimum of 15 participants required for this opportunity to take place. Students are recommended to check the eligibility criteria before applying.

Trip description

This trip to Brussels will help broaden students understanding of the rich heritage of Bandes Dessinées (European Comics) centred on Brussels. Belgium has a higher percentage of comics artists per capita than any other country in the world and is home to a number of significant cultural sites featuring comics art.

This opportunity to travel to heart of Europe will allow students to explore the links between their course at DMU and the Belgium comics scene, through visits to a range of key cultural sites within the city. As part of the trip students will…

• Visit the Hergé Museum in Louvain La-Neuve, which is dedicated to the life and work of the Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé, creator of the series of comic albums, The Adventures of Tintin.
• Explore the Comics Art Museum Brussels, which showcases a range of comic artists and characters including Tintin, Spirou, Bob and Bobette, the Smurfs, Lucky Luke, Blake and Mortimer, and Marsupilami.
• Visit the Marc Sleen Museum, dedicated to the work of Belgian comics artist Marc Sleen, who is known for his series The Adventures of Nero, Piet Fluwijn en Bolleke and De Lustige Kapoentjes
• Take part in a Comic Walking Route around the city of Brussels

Learning objectives

Students will be able to experience comics culture in an environment where – unlike the UK – comics are an important part of cultural life, with an extensive supportive network of museums, specialist stores, publishers, artists collectives and historical heritage. This relates directly to their studies, particularly the Contextual studies modules (which cover comics history, including Bandes Dessinées.

The objectives of this trip to Brussels are:

• To develop knowledge of European Comics Art history and culture
• To support developing specialist knowledge for the final year dissertation module.
• To enhance knowledge and understanding of contemporary comic culture and industry beyond the dominant Anglo-American/mainstream

Before the trip to Brussels, students will participate in a pre-trip lectures series on European Comics history. There will also be post-trip seminars that will support dissertation writing related to the topic.

Skill development

This opportunity has been designed to help develop the following DMU Graduate Attributes:

Creativity

Confidence

Agility & Adaptability

Collaboration & Communication

Cultural activities

Brussels is a thriving cultural centre with more events per capita than New York. It is the Capital of Europe, and has a fantastically varied cuisine, a vibrant cafe culture, great bars, nightlife, art galleries and more. Whilst in Brussels students are recommended to La Grand-Place, a UNESCO heritage site, as well as Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, prime examples of the stunning 17th and 18th Century architecture in the city.

Students will also have time to visit the seminal art galleries such as the BOZAR, where works by Bruegel, Rubens and the surrealist Magritte can be found. Brussels also Europe’s most LGBTQIA+ friendly city.