MECHELEN — The former Heilig Hartkerk opened its doors as the sociocultural center 'mARTa' on Thursday and immediately began a continuous 900-hour program of concerts, expositions and workshops that will not pause for sleep, meals or the scheduled maintenance of the building's new heating system.
«We calculated that if every association in Mechelen gets a slot, and every slot lasts exactly one hour, we can keep going until the end of next month without repeating a single act», said alderman of Culture Kristof Calvo, standing beside a timetable that covers three walls of the nave and has already been extended twice. «The price is so reasonable that some groups have booked themselves twice under different names».
The renovation took two years and produced a hall that can host a choir, a photography expo and a pottery workshop simultaneously, with the pottery kiln positioned directly beneath the choir loft. Organizers say the acoustics are excellent, particularly for the workshop on experimental percussion, which has been scheduled for every night at 3 a.m. because that was the only remaining slot.
By Friday morning, the queue of associations waiting to register stretched past the old church gate and around the block. A local theater group arrived with its own folding chairs. A ukulele orchestra offered to play during the queue itself. Calvo confirmed that the center has already received requests to extend the 900-hour program by another 900 hours, and that he is considering it, provided someone can find a place to store the kiln.