Goodbye note

After running 'Stone Soup' for seven consecutive years, in thirteen diverse iterations, each with their very own character, we decided a while ago to put the project temporarily on hold. What started off as a simple idea fueled by enthusiasm had slowly become a production focussed endeavor for ourselves, leaving us little time to fully connect with both the artist as well as our local community.

We decided to take a breather, rethink the project and be back within a year, ready to continue gathering our community around the lightbox and providing artists with a platform to present their work. One year became two, and next a pandemic arrived giving us even more time to reconsider what 'Stone Soup' is, how it fits into these times and how we want to continue.

As of today there is still no clear sign about when possibly we could physically gather around the big pot of soup again. On top of that we feel we lost the momentum of the image sequence which had slowly unfolded over these past years. So here we are, ready to close down the project officially, giving it a proper ending, clearing the canvas and creating space for something new to blossom.

In the mean time the lightbox has seen two small but important interventions: ‘Kunst = Solidair’ and ‘Defend Black Lives’, both stood independently in support of larger national and international social awareness. So much to say that with the end of 'Stone Soup' we are not turning off the lights! As we continue developing platforms for artistic practice, we also remain open to input and project proposals for the lightbox itself. There is no open call or other formal process at this point. Just talk to us if you have an itch.

We want to thank everyone who has been involved in the project throughout the years: the artists who accepted the carte blanche, everyone who lent us a big ladle, mixer or gas burner, all who chipped in a carrot, fennel or onion, the city of Ghent and the politicians who stuck out their neck for us. A special shout out to the musicians and performers of our 10th edition. Merci to those that took and shared photos with us. And last but not least thank you to everyone who showed up on the stoop, reclaiming public space for a few hours and sharing a cup of (luke)warm soup!