Upstream: Music x Design – 8 projects selected

29 June 2023

general impression

In terms of subject matter in this round, themes such as the influence of technology, mental state, spirituality and reflection continue to recur unchanged. Notable this round is that a number of projects with the theme of mourning are being supported, with a personal motivation as driving force and inspiration, and where the surrounding rituals play a central role. A number of projects are also concerned with creating multimedia moments and spaces to escape from busy lives, the delusion of the day and all the stimuli a person has to cope with.

Omen Wapta – User18364528 vs user9374638
DJ Woody ’s-Gravemade and fashion designer Armia Yousefi are collaborating on the project User18364528 vs user9374638, born from a shared fascination with rituals and customs from the Middle Ages. They link knights, symbolism, aesthetics, functionality and design of the clothing with contemporary influences in fashion. The result is a performance that merges fashion and music and symbolically expresses resistance to modern society. The performance is based on medieval knightly combats cloaked in modern designs. Woody ’s-Gravemade composed the music specially for this performance. The project will have its premiere at ADE 2023, and this will be organized by Het HEM and Horst Arts & Music Festival.

Rapati Studio – SOUND OF LIGHT
SOUND OF LIGHT is a 70-minute interactive performance in which saxophonist Ben Wendel and dancer Alice Godfrey play an immersive space, in search of a source of intimacy between body, light and sound. The project explores the relationship between humans, nature and technology through interactive stage lighting and two characters on stage. By working with laser light, a LiDAR interface and architectural mapping, a spatial instrument is designed. The team includes interactive designer Tiemen Rapati, musician Ben Wendel, choreographer Lukas Timulak, dancer Alice Godfrey, filmmaker and scenographer Ruben van Leer and light and sound artist Wes Broersen. For this project, they are working with partners such as music venue Bimhuis, dance and design research platform Make Move Think, booking agency Good Music Company (Mike Bindraban) and Birds of Paradise Festival. In 2023, the project will premiere at Bimhuis Amsterdam.

Mulas Hybrid Haus – MOURN
In 2019, musician Mila van der Linden and designer Jessica van Halteren both lost a parent. This prompted the project Mourn: an electronic opera about death, loss and mourning. By carrying out research into these themes, the duo – with the help of an EP, visuals and a projected clothing collection – aims to give the opera its form. The story is being developed in collaboration with choreographer and theatre maker Joanne Purperhart and set designer Desiree Brands. Central here is the translation to the audience. In addition, Van der Linden and Van Halteren are exploring the possibilities of ‘projection mapping’, in collaboration with scenographer Stefan Prokop, to merge clothing, performers and set.

You can see the entire selection here.

numbers

Of the 16 subsidy applications taken into consideration, 8 are receiving grants. This brings the percentage of applications receiving grants to 50%. A total of € 210,700 of the € 225,000 budget was spent in this round. The next round of the Upstream: Music x Design Grant Scheme closes on 6 September 2023.

Photo above: Siba Sahabi – Pavlopetri