Unfamiliarities

Unfamiliarities is a space for artists of various disciplines to present their work in progress and to create a conversation subsequently. The project finds its genesis in the desire to design a space, where fragile, unfinished, and perhaps unfunded works can be witnessed and nourished. The aim is to create a momentum for artists, that stimulates their artistic processes by means of exchange. The event can be a potential meeting space, supporting the artists’ work process in addition to the institutional, educational or academic contexts. Each session hosts a maximum of 4 artists + an audience that can stimulate the creation process of the presented works by engaging into conversation. After each artists’ shared proposal, there is the possibility of feedback, in a manner chosen by the artists.The first editions followed a "pay-what-you-want/can" policy, with the sales going to the artist. There were small contribution of warm soup and drinks, that the audience could purchase during breaks, which supported the space/host. Unfamiliarities happened first in late 2019 at QRU Amsterdam, organised completely on volunteering basis. Its second edition was prepared together with Subbacultcha but had to be postponed because of Covid-19. The third edition is in its development.

Photo credit: Ricardo van Heuvel

Credits:

Unfamiliarities #1, collaboration in between Toni Steffens and QRU Amsterdam, October 2019

Participating Artists:

Annelieke Holland

Stefa Govaart

Eva Pel

Wietske Joan

Ellen Ogawa

Attending/attendees
Attending describes the process and attempt of overcoming binary modes of experiencing, typically when subobjects, strangers, “formerly known (entities) as x” cross paths, while they are also in complicated, transitional states. Not only linked to subobjective realties, the process can further be observed within ecosystems, that appear to deal with a temporal or lasting tension, like the state of reconfiguration of crisis, healing, imbalance and chaos, Often times, those localities deal with strong emotionally charged confusion or hopelessness and are at the verge of “giving up”. Attending operates mostly as a mobiliser of a potential 3rd space, challenging the binary process of identity-making. It aspires to dissolve the phallic crisis by materialising agents beyond their self-proclaimed defined boundaries and deliberately attune to the procedures of space from “within between” the present entities. Colloquial called “attendees”, these spaces operate as mediators, that allow for cross-interference,-information and mutual regulation. Attending offers ways to operate within disquiet but leave entities, subobjects and localities usually permanently altered.

Weaving Passages for the momentous

An Attendee

Orange Rest/Sacrifice

Spinner

Metamotion for 270degrees

Hope, Test

Night Flying Project

Movement

delineations

Unfamiliarities

DATES/ NEWS

2-3/09/2023: "Line,lo0sing line", Research Presentation at Oldenaller, commissioned by Fransien van der Putt, working with the archive of painter Claartje Berger
3-5/07/2023: Research residency at Oldenaller, commissioned by Fransien van der Putt, working with the archive of painter Claartje Berger
23/06/2023: "THE FATE CAST / IN THE SEARCH / OF FOUR PETALS", during " Even in the dark I know I am sleeping with myself" at Perdu Amsterdam, Collaboration with Mercedes Azpilicueta
24/05/2023: "SPRING WOUNDS" as part of the warp, a shared evening at KUNSTKAPEL, AMSTERDAM
14/04/2023: "ORANGE REST/ SACRIFICE", ATELIERS PACT ZOLLVEREIN, ESSEN
30/03/2023: "WEAVING PASSAGES FOR THE MOMENTOUS", Extra Intra Reader #2 :A SLIGHT BREATH, editors HARRIET FOYSTER, ROSIE HAWARD, NELL SCHWAN, editorial board for  intercurricular Programmes, GERRIT RIETVELD ACADEMY, SAN SERIFFE, AMSTERDAM 2023
10/11/2022:  "HOPE,TEST- A STRATEGY OF PERFORMATIVE MEMORIES", PUBLISHER: 4BID GALLERY AMSTERDAM
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022: "SPINAL CATASTROPHE" RESEARCH PROJECT, SUPPORTED BY NEUSTART KULTUR, #TAKE HEART, PACT ZOLLVEREIN, BERLIN/AMSTERDAM, RESEARCH
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022: DRAMATURGY FOR ELVAN TEKIN, TANZFABRIK BERLIN
08/07/2022: "THE FATE CAST / IN THE SEARCH / OF FOUR PETALS", DURING "CHANGE FEELING" , COLLABORATION WITH MERCEDES AZPILICUETA, VANABBE MUSEUM EINDHOVEN  
02+03/07/2022: "ON J0YFUL MILITANCY", PERFORMING FOR MERCEDES AZPILICUETA, ROZENSTRAAT, AMSTERDAM
19/05/2022: "SPINNER" PREMIER AT FLAM FESTIVAL AMSTERDAM
08/05/2022: "AN ATTENDEE" MANDALA FESTIVAL, WROCLAV
14/03-04/04: RESIDENCY AT WORKSPACE BRUSSELS