iii is proud to announce the outline of its program for 2017.
Since 2014, iii has run an annual program of activities supporting radical interdisciplinary practices that engage with image, sound, space and the body. iii’s program combines activities in the area of research, production and presentation, following the development of artistic trajectories from conception to completion. It facilitates cooperation and exchange between artists, striving to connect the visions of artists with financing and presentation partners and with all kinds of audiences.
In 2016, over 50 artists and researchers developed and presented new work through iii’s program in over 50 presentations in the Netherlands and abroad. 250 artists published their work in iii’s publication audio-DH. Presentations reached a total audience of over 30,000 people with over 100,000 contacts online, generating a total income over €150,000, of which 90% was spent on program activities and 10% on organising the program.
For 2017 iii has an exciting program lined up. Under the thematic focus “prototyping new rituals” iii will host a guest residency program in cooperation with DCR guest studios, inviting artists to The Hague to develop and present new work. iii will continue hosting the performance series No Patent Pending and the discussion series The Reading Room, within a broader program of presentations in collaboration with partners including Stroom Den Haag, Quartair and Sounds of Silence Festival in The Hague, November Music in Den Bosch, Tetem in Enschede, Transmediale and Spektrum in Berlin.
Confirmed guest residents for the first half of 2017 are: Dmitry Morozov (::VTOL::), Jenny Pickett and Julien Ottavi (APO 33), Leslie García and Paloma López (Interspecifics) and Yuri Landman. More will be announced for the second half of the year.
Thematic Focus: “prototyping new rituals”
Rituals are fundamental in giving meaning to experience. The seemingly most trivial detail in a ritual context can be a matter of life or death. We associate rituals with highly codified traditions: Christian mass, Japanese tea ceremonies, Italian opera, etc. An informed observer knows exactly how to interpret every single gesture within these sacred arenas. In a society obsessed with innovation, these kinds of rituals seem to be out of touch with the present. How do rituals come to be codified in the first place?
The maker movement and its fablabs have brought together traditional arts and crafts with electronic circuits, computer programming and industrial automation. This has empowered artists and makers to engage with materials that used to belong to the domain of big corporations but are now an important part of our everyday life. But how do we move from creating “gadgets” to meaningful experiences? Here is where it seems necessary not only to create prototypes for new machines, but to think of these machines within a ritual context. “Prototyping new rituals” then is a proposal for a shift away from technology towards creating meaningful new experiences. Just like we don’t necessarily need big corporations to design our future, perhaps sacred rituals don’t need to be determined by the past. How do we create rituals responding to our own personal aspirations, and how do we involve others?
Regular updates on program activities will be issued throughout the year, stay in touch to know more!
The annual program of iii is supported by the Creative Industries Fund NL and Stroom Den Haag.
images: top, ::vtol::, pzr-10; centre, Patrizia Ruthensteiner and Dewi de Vree, Magnetoceptia; bottom, Yolanda Uriz, Submerged
