Tongeren, Gallo-Romeins Museum

Press conferences are always terrible, but press conferences in museums exceptionally so. The only way to survive them is to play buzzword bingo: the architect will of course speak about his “concept”, the designer mentions “my art”, the director is “grateful to the sponsors”, and the game is over – all participants win – when the curator speaks about the “interdisciplinary approach”.

Press Conference

So here I am, on a sunny morning, listening to a press conference about the reopening of the Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren, which has been closed for three years. I would have declined to go if I hadn’t heard the director, Carmen Willems, before, when she took part in a debate in my favorite pub, De Brakke Grond.

Things don't start well. Among the speakers is a politician who wants us to t