
Joëlle Bacchetta, 1981
Writer and visual artist
Describe yourself, your background and what you do today.
I was born and raised in Geneva and moved to Brussels to live and work a decade ago. I work mainly with video, photography and writing in literature and in contemporary dance and art fields, with a focus on feminist and LGBTQI issues.
How has Brussels shaped you as an individual as well as your professional activities?
Brussels is truly the city where I feel like home. The city belongs to everybody, including me. It’s very multicultural and socially mixed; I don’t feel the same normative social pressure I would elsewhere. It’s also complex, messy and full of contradictions, so you never feel completely comfortable here. It’s probably more exhausting, but it’s also inspiring and stimulating.
List three things you like the most about Brussels.
- Its parks and gardens.
- Its beautifully chaotic and unruly urban life.
- Its inhabitants.
Brussels belongs to everybody, including me.
List three deciding factors that converted you to bicyle use.
- Personal pleasure
- Reducing air pollution
- Velocity
List three favourite bike routes in Brussels.
- The Sonian Forest.
- Speeding down to reach the centre on any route without cobblestones.
- Any recently refurbished roads where you feel like you’re floating.