An exhibition which reveals the secrets and architectural splendour of Brussels stations is open until October 2 at TrainWorld, next to Schaerbeek station.
‘Belgian Station Secrets’ features the work of Brussels amateur photographer Joost Fonteyn who explores the hidden crooks and crannies of Brussels stations and shows rooms where a station master could live in almost aristocratic splendour. Also on display are images of two royal lodges, gigantic abandoned halls and worn-out wooden counters.
A "hobby that got out of hand" is how IT consultant Fonteyn describes his very first photo exhibition, at the age of 58. It all began after he worked as a consultant for the SNCB, in which he visited many stations and discovered much of the infrastructure passengers rarely or never get to see.
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This stirred his interest and after seeing articles and other exhibitions in a similar vein, he decided to put the skills he had learned in evening photography classes to good use and become a 'station archaeologist'. Train World Heritage, the heritage service of the SNCB, agreed to open all closed doors for Fonteyn, on condition that they would also have access to the photos afterwards.
"I wanted to show the unknown architectural splendour that passengers don't see," he says. "In addition, I wanted to record things that are doomed to disappear. My photos in Brussels-South, for example, were mainly taken in the former mail sorting centre on Avenue Fonsny, which will soon be completely emptied to house the new headquarters of the SNCB."
More than just railways
Born and raised in Brussels, Fonteyn would start with the capital and then expand to Flanders and Wallonia. "But in Brussels alone, there was so much to see and photograph that we limited ourselves to that for this exhibition... Of course, I would also like to show the wealth of stations in Flanders and Wallonia, but that also requires a significant time investment."
In the meantime, Fonteyn is in contact with the municipality of Hoeilaart, in order to be able to photograph Groenendael station. The project has aroused an interest in the "invisible transience" of other buildings too.
As a former Belgacom employee, Fonteyn wants to contact Proximus to be able to take pictures of their infrastructure as well. "And certainly, also Bpost, the post service has a lot of high-quality architecture," he says.
The exhibition 'Belgian Station Secrets' is open until October 2 in the TrainWorld museum in Schaerbeek station and is included in the price of a normal museum ticket. More info can be found at trainworld.be.
