Stimuleringsfonds

In the largest round of the Design Grant Scheme ever, the second round of 2024, 42 applications were selected. Tibor Bijl, Design coordinator, reflects on the round.

21 August 2024

general impression

The number of applications under the Creative Industries Fund NL’s Design Grant Scheme increases every round, and this second round was exceptionally large as a result. Never before did so many applications come in. After a check on the formal criteria and completeness, 98 applications were taken into consideration and submitted to the advisory committee. Of these, 58 applications were for starting grants. A total of 42 projects were awarded grants.

There were some recurring themes this round, such as the relationship between humans and nature, with some applications based on site-specific design research. There were also several design projects framed from a feminist perspective, with topics such as ecofeminism and hydrofeminism. In addition, there were once again some projects related to health and death – a theme the advisory committee also noted in the previous round. This involved both dealing with death and the rituals and objects associated with it.

The committee has noticed for several rounds that there are many ‘hermetic’ applications among those submitted. This refers to applications that are framed from a very internal perspective or personal fascination, but make little connection with the outside world. The committee notes the lack of applications that reflect on major current issues. The committee would also like to see applicants explain more concretely why they are applying specifically to the Design Grant Scheme, especially for large public events, festivals and projects with a social-design approach that primarily have a social objective.

selection

A few notable projects in this round were:

Okra Agency – Okra: Afro-Europese perspectieven in design
Okra: Afro-Europese perspectieven in design is a digital publication that focuses on the work of Afro-European makers and thinkers. The project is an initiative by Okra Agency and is a follow-up to a preliminary study that showed that the African diaspora is barely represented in the Dutch design sector. The Okra digital publication contains research results, images, articles and interviews that come together in two main sections: a catalogue and editorial content. The catalogue serves to provide information and education and includes an overview of contemporary black designers and their work, practices and sources of inspiration. The editorial content provides inspiration and motivation by highlighting black designers and important topics within design and architecture. The publication will be filled with content in collaboration with various researchers, writers, curators and designers. In addition, a series of live talks will be organised at Metro54 in Amsterdam with national and international guests. The aim of the publication and programming is to identify and make visible the contemporary Afro-European design identity and in so doing promote the recognition and participation of the next generation of Afro-European makers and thinkers in the creative industries.

n.stijns - Mesmerizing... een warme en gezellige relatie met de belastingdienst
The research project Mesmerizing... een warme en gezellige relatie met de belastingdienst stems from an urgency felt by Nadine Stijns to think more broadly about the role of the cultural and creative sector in relation to social justice. Using a non-wearable collection and installation, Stijns explores how to visualise and materialise the child-benefits scandal and underlying themes of institutional racism. The aim of the installation is to keep the child-benefits scandal on the agenda and bring it to the attention of not only a wide audience, but the creative industry in particular. In the start-up phase and the continuation of the project, Stijns is working with Metro54 in Amsterdam to find a suitable stage and partner to organise a major event about the benefits scandal, problems with debt and data-driven welfare policing in Amsterdam.

stichting Platform DIS – Fruiting bodies
Platform DIS’s project Fruiting bodies centres on how humans can coexist differently with ecosystems on this planet. Life on earth is increasingly being stifled by human activity and the importance of other forms of coexistence is becoming more urgent by the day, according to the platform. Fruiting bodies will be a network of residencies where art and regenerative agriculture jointly explore the research question. With the starting grant, Platform DIS aims to grow an ecosystem of farms, designers, local residents and partners that provides valuable knowledge and inspiration on regenerative living through residencies. Partners involved in the project include Kleverland regenerative country estate in Erlecom and regenerative farms Bodemzicht in Lochem and Eetmeerbosch in Nijmegen. Artists Christine Hvidt and Masha Ru have been invited for a demo residency during the project’s start-up phase. In the long term, work will take place on content-based programming and possible expansion of the network in Europe, in collaboration with Borderland Residencies.

Nova Illustration - Graphic novel over Zuid-Afrikaanse sekswerkers
Comic artist Nova de Hoo is working on a graphic novel about the multi-perspective story of South African sex workers. In the start-up phase, she conducts interviews, carries out literature and image research and creates a storyboard. In this process, De Hoo works with the South African organisation Sex Workers Education & Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT), which has put her in touch with several sex workers. De Hoo is convinced that comics are an appropriate medium for giving a human face to a stigmatised profession such as sex work. In her view, using a dynamic depiction of scenes in line and colour makes a story tangible and personal. With this project, De Hoo aims to learn more about creating social graphic novels, and become more skilled at combining journalism and pictorial storytelling. The final book will be published by Uitgeverij Oogachtend in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Click here for all the projects selected under the Design Grant Scheme in 2024.

numbers

Of the 98 applications taken into consideration, 46 are receiving grants. The budget for this round was increased from € 575,000 to € 633,666, due to a supplement from an underspend from this policy period. This available budget was not sufficient to award a grant to all positively assessed applications and as a result the advisory committee had to prioritise. The procedure used is described in the Design Grant Scheme. With 42 positively approved projects, the percentage of applications receiving grants this round comes to 43%.