This Wednesday evening (15 May) our friends at the Arts Society Brussels will be investigating the aesthetics of athletics with writer and historian Simon Inglis. The venue is Woluwe St. Lambert town hall at 2 avenue Paul Hymans, 1200 Brussels and the event starts at 19h30

The start of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is drawing close. But Simon will talk about everything except sport! He will concentrate on the heritage, art, architecture, and design of the Olympics.

Whilst most onlookers will focus on sport, art and design also play a part in the Olympics, as they have since the games began at Olympia nearly three thousand years ago. Greek art is replete with representations of athletes on vases, plates and bronzes. Every four years modern day hosts unveil dazzling new architecture, in the form of stadia, arenas, velodromes and swimming pools. The athletes themselves act as torch bearers for ever changing ideals of physical perfection. From nudity to Nike, from sand to synthetics, the Olympic story offers art lovers pure gold.

Writer and historian Simon Inglis specialises in the architecture and heritage of sport and recreation. Since 2004 he has edited the Played in Britain series for English Heritage. Although sport and recreation might seem an unlikely subject for The Arts Society, non-sporty types need have no fear. Simon’s themes are architecture, design, heritage and popular culture.

More information here.