Rosapark and Thalys Create Living Statues to Promote Brussels Tourism

Brussels is situated at the centre of some of the world’s most popular tourist destinations – Paris, London and Amsterdam. With the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, Paris is the number one European destination for tourists. Not far behind, in 3rd place, sits London, with big Ben and the London Eye, and Amsterdam, with its canals and cannabis, comes in 12th. Brussels, which welcomes 3 million visitors a year, doesn’t come close to rivalling the popularity of its neighbours. The past few years’ tragic events haven’t helped, further lowering tourism, and the city has had trouble making a comeback.

But Brussels is worth visiting and it has something the other cities don’t: the warmth and openness of its residents. To pump some life back into the city’s tourism, train company Thalys and its agency Rosapark sought to promote the welcoming atmosphere… by putting its residents on a pedestal.

Introducing Human Monuments

To do so, Thalys and Rosapark set up a “Holobooth” on the Mont des Arts in the heart of Brussels, a futuristic photo booth that was capable of capturing the 360 likeness of a person and rendering a hologram in only two minutes. The holograms were then projected onto a stele, creating a giant, 5-meter high silhouette. Written on the stele was “In Brussels, the real monuments are its people”.

The result was impressive. Not just the technical aspects, but the pride of Brussels’ residents, of being ambassadors for their city. There was an incredible emotion that evening, this symbolism in the city that was more alive than ever,” explained Jean-Francois Sacco, co-founder of Rosapark.

Over 3,000 visitors came to see the nearly 500 holograms created - projections of the city’s residents, each of whom became, for one night, a living monument and a part of Brussels history.