Event: Belgium - Brugge

The Face of Lace

When:	11 Nov 2008 - 1 Mar 2009
Where:	Bruges
Costs:	€15 gives entry to all venues and includes catalogue; under 13s free
Opening Hours:	Various

The Face of Lace is a four-month long celebration of the delicate fabric across its hometown, Bruges. Four museums highlight different aspects of lacework while the city centre provides the backdrop for lace-based artworks and design objects.

At the Museum of Folklore, visitors can admire a display of modern works, created using the very latest techniques, such as laser cutting. The Gruuthuse Museum confronts its own historic lace collection with the works of today's fashion and design gurus.

Outdoor exhibition venues include Minnewater park, the Ghent gate and St John's House mill, creating a powerful dialogue between the intricacies of the fabric and those of the old city. Bruges' Concert Hall presents a musical programme in which weaves and repetitions play a central role.

Visitors are given a map to lead them through the lace route, and the English design magazine Frame is publishing a special edition just in time for the event, which will serve as a catalogue and later as a collector's item, no doubt.

An increasing number of artists and designers are using cutting-edge techniques and materials to give lace a new meaning and the event is the perfect opportunity to rediscover a fabric usually associated with your granny's dowdy tabletops. No longer. Far from being dusty, dated or derelict; lace is back and it's hip.

Please check the event's website for details on venues and opening hours.