

Upstream: Music x Design – 8 projects selected
In the last round of the Upstream: Music x Design scheme, the Creative Industries Fund NL has selected eight collaborative projects between pop artists and creative industry makers. The grant scheme aims to encourage innovative applications of design, image and technology within the pop-music sector. For example, we previously supported Hadra Immersive by Arion de Munck, a total experience of centuries-old music and water sound images, and a project by Lieselot Elzinga with Baby's Berserk in which light-sensitive stage clothing and live music came together.
3 February 2025
innovation, identity and interdisciplinarity
Several themes were visible in the selected projects. For instance, a critical look was taken into the role of technology in the arts, exploring both the opportunities offered by AI and the value of physical, analogue elements. There is also a strong focus on representation and identity, with projects that concentrate on gender equality and cultural heritage. The interdisciplinary approach plays a central role, blurring boundaries between music, visual arts, architecture and performance. It is also notable that many projects explicitly commit to reaching new audience groups and increasing accessibility.

humanity in technology
One of the projects receiving subsidy is Woman as a Hero, a collaboration between musician Sevdaliza and designer collective fORMATS aND mECHANISMS. They explore themes such as female strength, vulnerability and the role of technology in artistic expression. The project was born out of Sevdaliza’s confrontations with unrealistic beauty and performance standards as a woman in the music industry. Using innovative technologies and AI alter ego Dahlia, they create a unique live performance that transforms the relationship between artist and audience. The project combines music, performance and interventions with PillCam, gyroscope and advanced technology such as AI, lasers and 3D motion tracking. Dahlia interacts in real time with Sevdaliza’s movements and vocals in a multidimensional performance.

physical experience as counterpart to digitalisation
At a time when a great deal of work consists of AI-generated input, studio Thomas & Jurgen and musician/composer Mark Schilders have deliberately opted for a physical approach. For the project Tracks – Traces, they are working on an installation in which visual work and music form a single expression. Building on previous collaborations and a shared interest in improvisation, they go through a making process in three studio sessions. Here, while improvising, they work towards a self-operating installation, where the collective process of the makers becomes palpable. Unlike a live performance, the audience can enter and exit the installation at a self-chosen moment, which means they can view and listen to the compositions from different points of seeing and hearing.
numbers
A total of 33 applications were processed, of which 15 received a positive recommendation. The total amount applied for was € 1,075,276, of which € 351,584 could ultimately be awarded for eight projects. Seven projects that did receive positive recommendations could unfortunately not be awarded subsidy due to budget constraints.
end of the grant scheme
This round marks the end of the Upstream: Music x Design Grant Scheme after six years. Since its launch in 2019 as a three-year pilot, the grant scheme has been achieving greater alignment with the field and expanding its reach. The character of the grant scheme, which through the crossover provided for specific needs for which there were hardly any opportunities elsewhere, was greatly appreciated by the field.
Projects that received a starting grant in this or previous rounds may be able to apply for follow-up funding from the Fund’s other grant schemes, such as Digital Culture or Design.