Upstream: Music x Design – 4 projects selected

Four proposals have been selected in Upstream: Music x Design. Coordinator Ibrahim Alaoui Chrifi reflects on the second round of this year.

9 December 2021

general impression

Although the number of applications this round was relatively small, there was great diversity within the proposals. Some of the applications are aimed at developing lighting installations and scenographies for different types of audiences, such as museums, theatres, clubs or festivals. As in previous rounds, a variety of genres are represented: ranging from Dutch rap to techno and singer-songwriter. Mental health and neurodiversity play a role in several projects. But there is also attention for non-human perspectives and stories in the context of climate and nature.

The theme mentioned above is strongly emphasized in the following two projects:

WAVES
– Stichting Anthropologists in Art (AiArt)
In collaboration with spatial designer and visual artist Yani (aka Hans Verschuuren) and motion designer and graphic designer Paul Postma, singer/pianist Ruben Hein is developing the audiovisual installation WAVES. Light, motion graphics and design come together in this. With WAVES, Ruben Hein wants to draw attention to climate issues and nature conservation. The starting point is a journey that Hein made to Antarctica and the music that came out of it. In collaboration with Mojo Concerts, a tour will be set up under the name OCEANS that takes in clubs, theaters and festivals. Together with Natuurmonumenten, performances will be organized at natural locations.

Hunger
– iETWORKS
Hunger
is a musical, visual and spatial performance by musician iET, designer Rich Dust and writer Marianne Clason. The basis of the performance is iET’s album of the same name, which tells both a personal and a social story. The performance is aimed at art and/or music lovers and anyone who needs inspiration to break out of a bubble. Various art forms, such as visualizations and live music, are brought together in nine rooms in one of the Kunsthal’s spaces. Each room has its own sound and character and represents one of the nine tracks on the album. The visitor goes on a musical journey through the rooms and is given a unique experience that appeals to all the senses. The project is included in the programme of the Kunsthal, where it will be presented from 19 June to 28 August 2022.

Also these two projects were selected:
- Adem In - S10 (Stien den Hollander) and Sander Hagelaar (photo above)
- Dada Data - Sebastiaan van de Venne, Luis Francisco Bento Ferreira and Dada (Daan Rijkers)

numbers

The budget available for this round was € 165,000. Of the six subsidy applications taken into consideration, four are receiving grants. This brings the percentage of applications receiving grants to 67%.

Upstream: Music x Design. Video: Robbie van Zoggel

follow-up procedure

Upstream: Music x Design launched in 2019 as a pilot to support the career development of pop and urban artists and enable innovative artistic formats and collaborations of these artists with designers and makers. The pilot project lasted for three years and came to an end after this round. The grant scheme has been evaluated and found to be successful and will therefore be continued in 2022. More information on budgets and closing dates will follow.