An Uninhibited Process

Decoratelier is a scenography studio led by scenographer Jozef Wouters. From their base in Molenbeek, Decoratelier forms a multidisciplinary platform where artists, architects, artisans, and local communities collaborate on projects that explore the boundaries between art and architecture. A key feature of the organization is its emphasis on the building process as a narrative, which leaves room for experimentation, mistakes, and unexpected results. This practice is in line with Jozef Wouters' vision: architecture and scenography are not static objects, but constantly evolving processes that form in interaction with their users and environment. Something he describes as, “Building Out Loud,” an impossible desire for a way of building in which making and conversation coincide.

Projects such as Flow (i.c.w. Pool is Cool) and the Olevodrome (i.c.w. non-profit Erat), are emblematic of the idea of “architecture as process. They emerge from a dialogue with a diverse group of collaborators, where the design is only one aspect of the project. In Wouters' practice, an architectural design is never “finished”; it remains in conversation with its creators, users and the environment that gives it its meaning. The unforeseen-including mistakes and failures-are not only inevitable, but necessary. Wouters approaches them as opportunities for new forms of creativity and collaborations and embraces them as a creative engine. This translates into spatial, often temporary, designs with a unique style of their own.