What should I imagine a visit to 'Het Kunstuur' to be like?

'Het Kunstuur' is a unique concept that wants to bring people in touch with Belgian paintings from the period of 1850 to 1950. At 'Het Kunstuur', we do this in a different manner than your usual museum. In literally one hour, you guided through the exhibition by an audioguide. This means that you start your visit exactly at the time of your chosen timeslot and you will return to the entrance hall exactly one hour later. 

You should arrive about 15 minutes before your visit starts and register at the counter where one of our employees will greet you. There, you will receive headphones and an audioguide. You can also hand over your large purses, bags and backpacks so you can ensure your own comfort. If you do this, you will be handed a keychain to make sure the right bags will be returned to you. If you would like to hang up your coat or jacket, there are coathangers avalaible opposite the front desk. 

Put on the headphones in the entrance hall to check that everything works well. You can adjust the volume to your liking. If you prefer to use your own headphones, you can, however, make sure they have an audio-jack connection. Tell the clerk at the front desk you have your own and they will help you. 

Before you enter the exhibition, you will be given some practical information through the audioguides, which also gives you the chance to adjust the volume and check if it is in the right language (you can ask the employee to put it in Dutch, French, or English). Should you experience any trouble or notice that something is not right, please ask one of our employees for help. 

The entrance to the exhibition is at the left side of the front desk. A clock is counting down every twenty mintues and lets you know how much time is left before you may enter. When the door opens, everyone for that timeslot can calmly enter together. Next to the door, there are small museum chairs, take one with you for some extra comfort!

You then enter the first exhibition room. When everyone is present, there is a maximum of eight people and an usher. The door will close and the lights will be dimmed. From this moment on, your hour of art begins. 

Each painting will be lit one at a time. A person will be projected onto one of the walls whilst they talk about the painting (mind you: the projection usually is on a different wall than the painting). This person's explanation also happens through the audioguide.

You can stand or sit (on your chair) wherever you want in the space, as long as you do not touch the paintings. However, one of our ushers may ask you not to stand too close to the artworks. During the visit, you can keep sitting on your chair and turn around to each painting, but you are also allowed to go and stand or sit somewhere else in the room. Make yourself comfortable, and be mindful of the visitors, there is enough room for everyone.

Guided from painting to painting, it is a little bit like moving through a film. This is nice as you hear and see a lot of and about the works. Sometimes, it may be an annoyance that you are viewing one painting for too long or not long enough. For this reason, when every painting in a room has been discussed, you get the chance to view your preferred paintings again for a minute or two when they are all lit at once.

Following this, you will be guided to the next room via instructions that every visitor hears simultaneously through their headphones. 

In total, there are three rooms, with about 8 paintings in each of them. The last room (in Mechelen this is the Holy Ghost Chapel), is the largest and houses the largest and most impressive works of art. There the same system is used as the two room before it, though there is one single narrator and no projections on the walls.

At the end of your visit, you will be asked to leave the last room along the same route you entered it. This way, you will return to the entrance hall. 

During the visit, there is always an usher present and walking along with the visitors. In case you want to leave the room or if you experience any trouble, tell the usher and they will help you. 

Afterwards, back in the entrance hall, you will be asked to put your headphones and audioguide in a white bin (keep your headphones if they are yours), put your jacket on again and ask for your bags to be returned to you at the front desk.

Then, your visit is over. You return outside, through the same door as when you entered an hour earlier. In the entrance hall, you can buy a brochure, postcards, a poster, or bags in the museumshop. 'Het Kunstuur Café' is just on the other side of the street, for those who would like to enjoy a beverage.