Le Timbre des Objets highlights the rich landscape of everyday life. Each object has its own unique acoustic signature, which is not only part of its identification but also nourishes our sensory memory. At a time when many objects are disappearing and being replaced by silent technologies, this initiative underlines the importance of protecting this sound heritage and questions how sound is represented in comic strips.

This year, the Irène Heidebroek and Eliane van Duyse Fund, which is managed by the King Baudouin Foundation, has provided support for this project, which was sponsored by the Belgian Comic Strip Museum and the Museum of Musical Instruments (MIM). The first stage consisted of creating a catalogue of one hundred endangered objects. This was followed by sound and visual artists working on the sounds of the objects to develop a sound guide and explore the first part of the repertoire through recordings of stories imagined by sighted and visually impaired pupils, in the presence of musicians.

The recordings that were made encouraged the exploration of new types of inclusive and multisensory narratives, where sound becomes a vector of imagination, comprehension and creativity that is accessible to everyone.

The Irène Heidebroek and Eliane van Duyse Fund was created by Irène Heidebroek, a dedicated teacher and guide at the Royal Museums of Art & History in Brussels. The Fund aims to spark an interest for art and history among secondary school students and encourage them to visit a museum or some other site of artistic or historical interest in Belgium. The Fund launches an annual call for projects each September.