Visual Disruption Day is intentionally designed across domains. It brings together makers and thinkers from wildly different worlds. It’s in this vibrant mix that fresh perspectives spark and unexpected insights emerge. By challenging and inspiring one another, creative disciplines can disrupt each other’s ways of thinking. Because real visual disruption doesn’t happen within the comfort zone of a single field, it happens where different practices and beliefs collide.
10:00
Enter the Frame. Leave the outside world behind.
From here on, new visual perspectives take over.
10:30
Act One.
Shift the scene.
A sensory, rhythmic blend of image, language and vision. Each speaker is given the space to surprise, provoke and disrupt with boldness and even greater visual power.
A sensory, rhythmic blend of image, language and vision. Each speaker is given the space to surprise, provoke and disrupt with boldness and even greater visual power.
Sarah Vandeursen
is a singer, actress and television creator known for her quirky humor and creative versatility. She rose to fame as one half of the electropop duo Kenji Minogue and appeared in shows like Geubels en de Idioten and De Ideale Wereld, where she became known for her sharp satire and unconventional wit. In 2023, she presented the two-part documentary Sarah in Genderland on Canvas, in which she explores gender identity and societal norms.
Stijn Gansemans
is a no-nonsense Creative Consultant with 30 years of experience in the marcom industry. He learned the craft as a creative at independent agencies and eventually became Creative Director at Duval Guillaume Antwerp. In 2005, he co-founded Openhere, which later became Dallas. Stijn is a creative strategist / strategic creative who firmly believes in creativity as a business driver, not an awards driver. Just like new technology is a means, not an end. Building real brand value is the goal. Always in a no-nonsense way.
Nona Demey Gallagher
is a theatre maker, director and performer. She co-founded the collective Krapp and is developing her own theatrical practice, where female perspectives and deconstructions of power, sexuality and gender take center stage. She gained wide acclaim with Up Your Ass (2023), a raw, satirical adaptation of Valerie Solanas’ feminist cult text, created in collaboration with Lieselot Siddiki and Detheatermaker. The production was staged in Europe for the first time and received rave reviews.
Her work moves along the edge of social critique and subversive humor, often drawing inspiration from historical figures and (forgotten) female voices. Alongside her artistic practice, she studied Flemish Sign Language for three years with Doof Vlaanderen. Together with Imke Mol, she created E R O T I C A, a performance translating erotic poetry by female authors into Flemish Sign Language. In 2023, she was awarded the PrixFintroPrijs in the dance/theatre category and also won the audience award.
Frederik Vercruysse
is a photographer known for his minimalist and graphic visual language. His work, spanning architecture, interior and still life photography, is defined by a subtle interplay of light, shadow, and composition, combined with a keen eye for detail. This distinctive approach has earned him commissions from renowned brands such as Hermès, Delvaux, Zara Home and Molteni&C, as well as features in publications like Architectural Digest, The Wall Street Journal Magazine and Wallpaper*.
Joris Van de Moortel
is a multidisciplinary artist whose body of work spans painting, sculpture, installation, performance, music, and film. These elements often converge in large-scale, immersive installations that challenge artistic boundaries and break with convention. In 2024, S.M.A.K. in Ghent hosted his solo exhibition HELL ON EARTH, in search of PUR, NUR and FUR, a total esoteric experience where paintings, sculptures, tarot cards, music, and performances came together as one.
12:00
Act Two.
ICONOCLASH 2025 –
VISUAL DISRUPTION
IMAGE 2025
What image disrupted our thinking, tilted our perspective? During the Visual Disruption Image 2025 award ceremony, we celebrate the most powerful image of the year, selected for its impact, originality, and disruptive force. One winner will be crowned, the visual statement of 2025, as chosen by both the jury and the public.
Jury Chair is Bouke Zoete. As a copywriter and creative director, Bouke has worked with agencies such as LDV United, Saatchi & Saatchi, Design is Dead, Havas, De Persgroep, Boondoggle, and Bigtrees. He has chosen James Kruger, Creative Director at Fcklck Studio, and Marc Ferrer, Artistic Director at Arts Facilities / Friends of Decimal, as fellow jury members.
12:30
LUNCH.
LIGHT.
LOOKING
DIFFERENTLY.
Let the images stir your thoughts, the ideas keep simmering. Grab a seat, lock eyes, dive into a conversation.
Tip: don’t stop here, wander through FOMU and see how the image speaks there too.
13:30
Act Three.
MIND’S EYE.
The Future of Visual Identity
A roundtable with creatives and brand strategists on how to stand out in an overcrowded visual world. What makes a (brand) image stick in a world flooded with endless visual stimuli every second? In this roundtable, we explore the future of visual identity. How can a brand remain recognizable and adaptable, without becoming predictable?
Klaartje Galle
brings over 20 years of experience in the advertising and design world. Since 2023, she has served as Chief Creative Officer at VML Belgium (formerly Wunderman Thompson), where she leads creative campaigns that fuse aesthetics, impact and social relevance.
Her career began in 2003 as an art director at Direct BBDO Belgium, eventually rising to Creative Director at BBDO and later Executive Creative Director and Head of Design at Accenture Song Belux. Her work has been recognized with over 100 (inter)national awards, including Cannes Lions, D&AD, Eurobest and Clio.
Usman Abdul
is a Director and former Creative Director who seamlessly blends craft, humor and cinema in his work. A sports aficionado with a passion for experimentation. He combines in-camera tricks, 3D graphics and emerging digital techniques to craft visually striking films. Refusing to be pigeonholed, he moves between fashion, lifestyle and advertising, infusing each project with a distinct aesthetic. His collaborations with brands like Nike and Visa showcase his ability to embed cultural authenticity while leveraging new cinematic tools to create bold and addictive visuals.
Stijn Cox
is CEO of Havas Belgium and leads Boondoggle Havas, the creative and customer experience agency within the Havas network. With a background at VVL BBDO and Omnicom Media Group, he brings deep expertise in brand strategy.
Under his leadership, Boondoggle has grown into a leading digital agency in Belgium. Since merging with Havas Creative Brussels in 2023, he has led the integrated team with a focus on innovation, collaboration and meaningful brand experiences.
The Brand Guys
Yuri Vandenbogaerde and Dries Henau launched the successful WASBAR in 2012, a blend of laundromat and café, which they sold three years later to Top Brands. In 2018, they introduced Chez Claire, a patisserie brand specializing in luxury éclairs, later acquired by La Lorraine.
Today, as The Brand Guys, they help international brands, from Match Group to African hotel chains, stand out through bold brand identity and customer experience. In their new book Fight The Average, they challenge companies to break free from the grey mass.
Sara Geris
Sara Geris is an experienced communications professional currently working as Corporate Communications Director at Beaulieu International Group, a Belgium-based supplier of material and flooring solutions headquartered in Waregem. In this role, she designs and executes strategic communications, media relations and brand storytelling for both internal and external audiences in a global context. Sara has over 20 years of professional experience in the MarCom domain, mostly at larger family-run companies.
14:15
Act Four.
WIRED FOR VISION.
How our brain processes, remembers and makes sense of images.
What sparks emotion, grabs attention, or triggers action? In this keynote and extended Q&A, we delve into the neuroscience of visual experience. How does the brain function as both a receiver and a filter of visual input? And what does that mean for creators aiming to make visual impact?
Johan Wagemans
is Professor of Experimental Psychology at KU Leuven and a leading expert in visual perception. He studies how people organize and interpret visual information. As the lead researcher of the Methusalem and GRAPPA projects, he focuses on the relationship between visual perception and aesthetic appreciation of images and artworks. His work builds a bridge between classical Gestalt psychology and contemporary cognitive neuroscience.
15:15
Act Five.
AI VERSUS HUMAN CREATIVITY
A debate on the future of creativity, strategy and the role of AI. AI creates at lightning speed, but what does that mean for the creative process itself? Is AI a co-creator or a competitor? This debate explores the shifting boundary between human and machine imagination. Not a black-and-white discussion, but a deep dive into the tension where intuition meets algorithm, emotion meets code, and randomness meets training.
Otis Verhoeve
is a Belgian graphic and type designer. After studying graphic design at LUCA School of Arts and typography at the Plantin-Moretus Institute, he developed a distinctive style that blends historical typography with contemporary aesthetics. He designed typefaces such as LD Display and has worked with foundries like Wise Type. Active in the music scene, he also designed the book 30YRS Fuse and visuals for C12 Brussels. In 2024, he was named one of Flanders DC’s ‘20 to Watch’.
Dennis Lippens
is an entrepreneur and lecturer at HOGENT. He co-founded Lean Mean Learning Machine (LMLM), a company that creates interactive AI experiences for exhibitions, public spaces, and cultural projects. Using conversational AI, he enables people to engage in dialogue with artworks, objects, characters—or even talking cacti. His work merges technology, education, and storytelling to drive engagement and learning.
Frederik De Bosschere
is a technology expert. As a strategist at In The Pocket, he helps companies navigate digital transformation, often powered by AI, and always with a strong focus on user experience. He is also the host of Computer Club, a podcast, newsletter and community dedicated to technology.
AiCandy
AiCandy is an AI video agency from Ghent, founded in 2025 by Jan De Loore and Hans Buyse. They combine their experience in visual storytelling and motion design with smart AI tools to create images and videos that stand out and touch.
16:15
AFTERIMAGE
& COFFEE
What lingers after a day full of images, ideas and disruption? Join us for an informal coffee moment. Share that one image you just can’t shake.