Free Saturday Workshop #1 — False Start

FREE SATURDAY WORKSHOPS AT KUNSTINSTITUUT MELLY

EDUCATION & PARTICIPATION SPACE

Since the opening of our Education & Participation Space, Kunstinstituut Melly has become a vibrant place for workshops, lectures, and collective learning experiences. Every Saturday, we organize free workshops open to everyone, where creativity, connection, and personal expression are at the heart of the experience.

WORKSHOP SERIES - THE ART OF LOSING

Kunstinstituut Melly will host in June 2026 a special workshop series led by Thijmen Burgerhout.

Failure is the new winning! During the workshops in June, participants will create race numbers, banners, medals and trophies that celebrate non-performance – something of great value, particularly in our results-oriented society, where speed, productivity and visibility take centre stage.

In a playful, sporty setting, the pressure to perform is turned on its head, creating space for doubt, calm and the rediscovery of one’s own value and meaning.

The workshops constitute a playful and critical exploration of failure, loss and the pressure to perform within contemporary society. In a setting reminiscent of the world of (elite) sport, participants are invited to focus precisely on what is normally avoided: not being able to do something, stopping, doubting or failing.

Through three creative activities, participants redefine what success can mean. They create race numbers for a competition they would never win, design banners that encourage failure, and create prizes for small achievements or failures. This shift creates space to view yourself and your actions differently.

The workshops are accessible and sensory, with an emphasis on doing, making and experiencing rather than verbal explanation. A temporary environment is created in which the pressure to perform is released, making way for kindness, humour and a re-evaluation of losing.

Workshop #1 — False Start

During this workshop, participants reflect on something they are completely unable to do, have never tried, or would actually prefer to avoid. They translate this into their own ‘competition’ with no clear outcome, in which the idea of failure is present from the very start. Participants create a race number for a competition they would never win. The questions asked relate to past experiences where people wanted to avoid certain situations, what they find particularly nerve-wracking or difficult to do, or what they actually really want to confront themselves with.