The paradigm shift in home culture exhibitions in Flanders during the second half of the twentieth century

In 1964, the Provincial Committee for Home Culture of West-Flanders (Belgium) questioned the format of its competitions for the best arranged, furnished and maintained home. They were wondering if that formula was still up-to-date. Was it still pedagogically acceptable to judge people’s homes, based on one snapshot of reality? Did they reach with that instrument the right people, namely the youngsters who want to buy or rent a house and create an own home? Was another formula not more appropriate? Those questions voice exactly the shift that was taking place during the last third of the twentieth century. It encompasses a transition from education to ‘edu-tainment’, a shift from rather traditional exhibitions on housing and home culture to a kind of show houses avant-la-lettre, a specialization from houses for the masses to houses for certain target groups, and a focus from a “good” home with all necessary domestic equipment to an ecologically sustainable home made from durable materials. By drawing on numerous sources of publications, catalogues, books, archival documents and websites produced by several governmental and socio-cultural organisations, this paper elucidates how a paradigm shift took place in home culture exhibitions in Flanders during the second half of the twentieth century. It demonstrates how home-related concepts, such as comfort, have shifted in meaning and how the relation with the public has altered. Eventually, the paper analyses some present-day initiatives in light of the twentieth century. For example, living labs are rooted in choices made during the 1970s and 1980s. Analysing current initiatives reveals again a shift in “exhibitions”, as the content, the stakeholders and the role of the government as initiator of housing exhibitions has changed again. Based on these insights we conclude with some reflections on possible positive future evolutions as well as critical ideas about the impact of the shift in roles.