Stimuleringsfonds

In the second period of the Experiment Grant Scheme in 2022, 27 projects were selected. Coordinator Carlijn Limburg reflects on the selection.

general impression

The Experiment Grant Scheme is open to small-scale, experiment-driven projects in the field of design, architecture or digital culture, and the crossovers between these disciplines. Applications can be submitted on an ongoing basis. As the subsidy ceiling was reached before the set end date of the second period, the grant scheme was closed earlier.

Before applications are taken into consideration, the Fund checks whether they meet the formal requirements of the Experiment Grant Scheme. A common reason for not taking applications into consideration is the large scale of the proposed project. Through own investment or co-financing through a collaboration partner, the costs of proposed experiments regularly exceed the set maximum amount of € 10,000. But the starting point for applications within the Experiment Grant Scheme is that all costs that are part of the described experiment must be included in the submitted budget and together do not exceed € 10,000. It is also striking that proposed projects regularly lack a clear/specific research question or do not explain the steps to be taken and the methodology being used to answer the research question. Those applications do not sufficiently conform to the Experiment Grant Scheme, either.

materials and technology

Looking at the content of the selection, it is noticeable that a large proportion of the selected applications are focused on material or technical research. For example, Jesse Visser explores the production possibilities of expanded metal with Expanded. The aim of the research is to realize sustainable, demountable, strong and lightweight designs. Loden Rietveld is exploring with intraconnection the use of analogue neural networks in a sound artwork. And with The fate of moving images, Dario di Paolantonio launches a material and technical exploration of alternative ways of making and properly preserving moving images, by printing frames on unconventional media.

crossovers

Several projects are aimed at interesting crossovers between several disciplines or on collaborations and new fields of activity. For example, Wieger Steenhuis’s project Low impact tracking technologies in performing artsinvestigates the use of AI-based video analysis and IMU motion sensors as an alternative real-time rendering technique in a live performing-arts production. Fashion designer Max Zara Sterck is collaborating with dancers for the experiment Taking up space and is exploring different draping techniques. And Antoine Peters, too, explores the magic of textiles with the project with Verstilling door beweging (Stillness through movement). With his textile sculptures and installations, he moves between the frameworks of art, fashion and architecture.

climate, ecology and sustainability

Attention being paid to issues relating to climate, ecology and sustainability is undiminished. Applications centred on this aspect come from a variety of disciplines. LoopLoop is developing plant-based alternative pigments to colour aluminium with Local Colours. Desiree Hammen’s experiment Haute Couture Borduurmaterialen pur sang explores the potential of bio-plastics as haute-couture embroidery materials. And Geezyre seeks ecological solutions for digital printing with The Ink Project – Between craft and technology, by connecting the traditional practice of making ink with modern printing techniques.

feminism, queer and non-human perspective

In several applications, feminist, queer or non-human perspectives also play a central role. Jewellery designer Jesler Muntendam, for instance, wants to use the experiment Vloeibaar to investigate whether she can design with nature, giving a voice to specific waters. With Reading My Panties: Queering Regulatins, Lu Lin Studio is developing a series of workshops and reading groups for queer communities, using underwear as a conversation starter for sharing stories about relationships, politics, dogmas and taboos related to bodily and cultural differences. And Sylvie van Wijk, with Unclouding the Myth: Hydro-common Computing is exploring an anarchist and feminist approach to online information sharing.

health, food and the public

Other themes that come up more often are physical and mental health, activities relating to food and involving taste or smell in the design process, and audience participation and the dialogue with the public. For instance, Sophia Bulgakova, Leo Scarin and Cemre Deniz Kara are organizing experimental events with Methaphysical Tastings, in which participants are submerged in an immersive digital environment while being served a variety of tastes. And with The age of dust, a project at the intersection of design and performance, Juliette Lizotte is developing a role play that integrates the perspective of the participating audience.

You can see all the projects selected in Experiment in 2022 here.

numbers

Of the 50 subsidy applications taken into consideration, 27 are receiving grants in the second period of 2022. This brings the percentage of applications receiving grants to 54%. The budget available was € 250,000. The second period of 2022 ran from 1 September until 15 November 2022. With the positive assessment of an application submitted on 30 October, the grant ceiling of € 250,000 was reached. Applications submitted later than this one were not taken into consideration.

new round

Once again in 2023, two periods will open in the Experiment Grant Scheme during which grant applications can be submitted for small-scale, experiment-driven projects. The first period of 2023 opens on 15 February. The budget available is € 250,000. If this subsidy ceiling is reached before the end of the period, applications can no longer be processed and the grant scheme will close earlier than the set end date of the period. So, do not wait until the last day of the period to submit your application. The second period of 2023 opens in the autumn.