Transnatural Art & Design

__ In this chapter of the Transnatural blog, we decided to explore the condition of the waterways in our base city Amsterdam, the so-called Venice of the Northern countries. The connection between Amsterdam and the waterways that run through it goes back to many centuries ago when the city thrived and expanded as one of the most important harbors of Europe. But not all waters are created equal in Amsterdam. The Amstel is the freshwater river from which the city took its name. The other canals contain both saltwater and freshwater. The saltwater comes from the Noordzeekanaal, which connects Amsterdam to Ijmuiden. The freshwater, instead, enters the canals via the Amsterdam-Rhine canal that links up the city to the River Rhine. In the years the city has made many an effort to improve and maintain the state of its inner waterways by means of a series of legislations and infrastructural improvements. Up to the mid-19th century, all the waste produced by the city was released into the canals, as it was common at that time. As a result, the canals were stagnant, smelly and a threat to the public health of the city inhabitants. In 1879, a steam-powered engine able to pump clean water from the Zuiderzee resolved the issue of the unsanitary state of the canals. It wasn’t until the mid-’30s of the last century, though, that Amsterdam stop flushing the city’s human waste in the canals and the city was finally connected to a modern sewage system. As the contemporary age advances the pollution motives and modus of our waters change with it. One of today's biggest threats to the quality of freshwaters around the globe is the presence and deterioration of plastic and micro-plastic. The Amsterdam municipality has recently renewed its commitment to the cleanliness of the city’s canals. In 2016 the initiative Amsterdam Clean Water was created to spread more awareness of the problem through the population. Waternet (the water company for Amsterdam and surrounding area) dredges the channels periodically and still fishes out around 42 tonnes of litter every year. Unfortunately, the only dredging of the canals does not prevent a big quantity of litter to enter the North Sea. The municipality of Amsterdam has recently stepped up its game on the issue by announcing the installation of the first Bubble Barrier in the Westerdok, which is connected to through the IJ to the open sea. The Bubble Barrier consists of a curtain of air bubbles which is created by a perforated tube placed at the bottom of the canal. The bubbles create a barrier that contains plastic waste and prevent it to reach the open sea, furthermore the plastic waste is pushed up to the surface for collection. It functions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and most importantly can help manage the smaller plastic waste (1-20mm) which is often impossible to retrieve through other collection methods. The canals become closed tanks which make the control of plastic pollution much more effective. The virtuous goal set by the municipality is to make Amsterdam the first Plastic Smart City by the year 2050. Circular and sustainable solutions. From 2020 all the amenities used at public events will be eco-friendly including the confetti and the former plastic cups.    

Written by Stephanie Busuito

__  As often happens in nowadays world, most of us are unaware of the so-called real cost of what we consume, where real cost stands for the amount of energy, non-renewable resources and environmental impact linked to the production of a specific product. When we make ourselves a modestly sized cup of tea and we sip it, looking or not through the window where it might or not be raining at that moment, it is safe to say that hardly any of us would position that mundane act on the chessboard of a globalized web of socio-political relations. An installation created by Shaakira Jassat, a recent graduate of the Design Academy of Eindhoven, strives to help us in this realization by illustrating the socio-economical repercussions of water trades. ThirTEA exposes simply and effectively the fact that 30 liters of clean freshwater is needed to achieve the final product, a 150 ml cup of tea. What ThirTEA reveals is the virtual water that is needed to produce that seemingly small cup of tea. The tower of stacked teacups, as a reversed iceberg, points out to us the magnitude of that part of the process which we ignore. Every time a piece of technology is produced, a cow is farmed or an orange tree is cultivated a precise amount of water goes into these production processes. Let’s take the case of the orange, this crop is one that requires great quantities of water to be cultivated. More than 50 liters of water is spent to produce one single orange. When a single orange is imported from one country to another, then, the country that produced the fruit loses 50 liters of water with the orange that is given away, on the other side, the country that imports the orange gains 50 liters of, so-called, virtual water. This is water that has been saved and that can be put to use in other productions. Thus, exporting or importing one orange can have unexpected strategic implications, especially for those countries where water scarcity is an everyday problem. One way for water-scarce countries to save up on water is to avoid exporting water-intensive crops. This concept is known as the virtual water trade measure and it was introduced by Arjen Y. Hoekstra during his work for UNESCO-IHE (Institute for Water Education). The concept is very similar to one of embodied energy and it helps to highlight how in a globalized world our water is also a globalized element, that can and is traded from one country to another. A second concept introduced by Hoekstra is one of the water footprint, which is comparable to the ecological footprint. The water footprint is a consumption and pollution indicator that can tell how much water an individual, a community or a region consume directly or indirectly. The water footprint measures the water used to produce every single element from food to products present in our lives. To make a larger public aware of these issues, Professor Hoekstra founded in 2008 The Water Footprint Network. The association’s mission statement reads: “To use the water footprint concept to promote the transition toward sustainable, fair and efficient use of freshwater resources worldwide.” We encourage you to read more about this crucial issue. At this link, you can listen to the late prof. Hoekstra giving some insights into the concept of his creation; at this link, instead, you can discover more about Miss. Jassat's practice.  

Written by Stephanie Busuito

__ For archeologists, the presence or absence of sewers, as well as their efficiency and complexity, are elements that help determine the level of development of ancient societies. What could an analysis of our system tell about our society? The Western world is systematically wasting an unmeasurable quantity of clean fresh water to flush into dispersion their biological waste. Nobody, including government institutions, seems to be aware that other less wasteful and overall more convenient solutions are available. Is our squeamishness the cause of a systematic waste management failure? Or the cause lies at a deeper level in a lack of social discourse and a hypocritical distancing from the body and its functions? Furthermore, what do artists say about the issue? Can the contemporary bio-waste management issue be taken on by today's artistic discourse? Is there a place for bodily excretion in Art? Human Excreta are indeed being used to produce Art. Art has been looking at excreta for their symbolic meanings, for their power to shock and raise eyebrows as well as controversies. The most reverent example of this sort, in the history of contemporary Art, remains the Artist's Shit (in Italian, Merda d'artista), artwork created by Piero Manzoni in 1961. The work consists of 90 tin cans, each reportedly filled with 30 grams of feces. The label of the can reads: “Artist's Shit/Contents 30 gr net/Freshly preserved/Produced and tinned in May 1961”. The true content of the cans is unknown. Friends close to Manzoni have claimed that the cans are filled with plaster. Since opening one of the can would mean destroying the art-work and its value, no attempt has been made to ascertain the nature of the cans' content. Many have been the critical assessment of this somewhat controversial work of art, none can deny the sarcastic tint of the piece. Enrico Baj, a friend of the artist, has described the cans as "an act of defiant mockery of the art world, artists, and art criticism". In a panorama where artists have been engaging with human waste solely to create sensation and disarray, the work of Joep Van Lieshout is an interesting and isolated exception. Joep Van Lieshout rose to fame in the mid-nineties with his extraordinary re-interpretation of the mobile home, which he used to reflect on the themes of autonomy and autarky, and the relation between the person and the institutional power, as well as the dependence of the individual on society. Since then Van Lieshout has become one of the most exhibited and controversial among contemporary Dutch artists. Driven by the idea that Art should be part of people’s lives and of the world we live in, he has often confronted himself in reinterpreting the shape and the function of homes and furniture, elements which are present in the daily life of any individual. Another element that has always been present in Van Lieshout practice is the interest for complex mechanisms and especially for the machine that is the human body. Famous are his extrapolation of human organs which are magnified so that they can be explored, admired in their complexity and sometimes even inhabited. In Lieshout's view, the human body can be understood as a complex system for managing and recycling waste material through the processes of digestion and excretion. The artist has been fascinated by the themes of survival and self-sufficiency and consistently exploring parallel, possible worlds that combine utopistic and dystopian elements, it seems natural that Joep Van Lieshout became interested in the composting toilet solution. The composting toilet solution touches upon most of these themes. A composting toilet is a complex system that mirrors the excretion and digestion mechanism of the human body. The material is received, processed and then released back into the natural world in the form of soil or energy. The first work dealing with the theme, titled Composttoilet, dates back to the year 2000. Composttoilet expresses the similarity between the compost toilet system and the human organism. It consists of an elongated anus funnel, which sucks excreta from the rear-end and deposits them in a compost canister through the curved ring of the toilet. The Technocrat is another artwork that creates a total system composed of three parts: The Feeder, The Alcoholator, and the Total Faecal Solution, which transforms their feces into biogas. Total Faecal Solution is further separated in an array of possible solutions: Large Biodigester, Biodigester, Septic Tank and Autocomposter (all 2003). Uritory is a unisex waste solution thought for liquid waste. The toilet bowl is positioned at a specific angle making the amenity suitable for both men and women. Uritory is connected to a small biogas installation that recycles the waste material into valuable energy. Many other works on this theme have been created by Atelier Van Lieshout. The last born of this series of works is Excremetus Megalomanusm, which Transnatural has the privilege to exhibit at the Dutch Design Week 2019. The new work is so described by its creator: “Throne, watchtower, pulpit, pot, cocoon, module, spaceship, mutating virus, living organism, arthropod, liberté, égalité, fraternité, peace, pis, everything your heart desires, urinal, vomatorium, ejaculatorium, excrementorium, toilet of toilets, compost to the people.”      

Written by Stephanie Busuito

__ A wave of renewed environmental consciousness is arising across the globe. The global climate strike, initiated by activist Greta Thunberg, is said to be the biggest environmental protests that the 21st century has ever seen. In this global climate of civilian militarism lobbying for a greener future and a more ethical coexistence system between humankind and animals, a significant setback on the side of pollution legislation has been recently announced. On October 2nd  of this year, India was supposed to impose a nation-wide ban on single-use plastic. The ban would have entered into force on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set the goal to make India free of single-use plastics by 2022. During her speech on India’s Independence Day, she had appealed to the nation to stop the use of single-use plastic as the first step of a nation-wide awareness-raising campaign, which had to begin in the second week of September. The plastic ban has not entered into force though and will not be enforced in the near future. The Indian government has declared that the measure seemed too disruptive for the industry at a time when the country is experiencing a slowdown of economic growth and significant job losses. The Indian nation is estimated to produce 14 million tonnes of plastic annually. The lack of an institutionalized system to recycle and process the waste leads to widespread littering, especially of the aquatic resources. Despite the defeat on the Indian front, the legislative wave in favor of the ban on plastic continues. The European Union had its say on the subject of plastic earlier this year after China had previously banned the amount of 24 types of solid waste, including several plastic types. The new law put pressure on the European Countries which were no longer able to solve the waste issue by exporting the litter anymore. A ban on 10 single-use plastic products will be enforced starting 2021 to diminish ocean pollution. Amongst the incriminated items are single-use plastic cutlery (forks, knives, spoons, and chopsticks); single-use plastic plates; plastic straws; cotton bud sticks made of plastic; plastic balloon sticks; oxo-degradable plastics and food containers and expanded polystyrene cups. One of the biggest and most important innovations of the law is introducing and supporting the principles of the circular economy. According to Eu, the law can be read as a “step towards establishing a circular economy in which the design and production of plastics and plastic products fully respect reuse, repair and recycling needs and in which more sustainable materials are developed and promoted.” For example, under the new law, the European countries will be required to invest significantly in the collection of plastic bottles achieving 77 percent collection target by 2025 and 90 percent collection target by 2029. The law will also require plastic bottles to contain a percentage of recycled plastic of at least 30 percent by 2030. The measure aims to achieve a behavioral shift in the consumers as well as an immediate reduction of CO2 emissions. Even more importantly, the new law extends the responsibility of collecting and recycling plastic waste to the manufactures. For example, manufactures of fishing gear will have to cover the costs for the collection of the fishnets lost at sea. The law will also oblige manufacturers to include on their product labels that state the danger of discarding plastic products into nature. For example, cigarette manufacturers will be required to advertise the environmental negative consequences of not disposing properly of cigarettes’ plastic filters. The European law certainly marks an unprecedented effort to reduce the disruptive effects of plastic pollution in our oceans. However, it is evident that the legislative optimum on the issue plastic has not been reached yet as much in Europe as in the rest of the world.  

Written by Stephanie Busuito

                   

___Voor de expositie In the Age of Post-Drough  tijdens de Dutch Design Week van 19- 27 oktober  2019 in Eindhoven is Transnatural op zoek naar enthousiaste vrijwilligers die het team komen versterken. In the Age of Post Drought is een bijzondere tentoonstelling die zich bezighoudt met de wereldwijde watergerelateerde uitdagingen met werken van nationale en internationale kunstenaars en ontwerpers. De tentoonstelling staat in het hart van de Dutch Design Week met de Dutch Design Awards en de tentoonstelling. Als vrijwilliger werk je aan de opbouw van de tentoonstelling en /of ben je suppoost tijdens de opening. Je informeert bezoekers over de tentoongestelde werken en houdt een oogje in het zeil. Je helpt een of meerdere dagen van 10.30- 18.00 uur tussen 19-27 okt. maar er is ook tijd om door Eindhoven rond te lopen want je staat er met twee personen. We bieden je een uniek kijkje achter de schermen. Eventuele reiskosten krijg je vergoed. Daarnaast hebben we ook nog handen nodig voor de opbouw (15-18 okt.) en afbouw van de tentoonstelling op 27 en 28 oktober. Aanmelden of meer informatie; stuur een e-mail naar: bela@transnatural.com   ____________________________________ Transnatural is looking for enthusiastic people who want to join the volunteers’ team at the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven, 19-27 October 2019. We will present In the Age of Post-Drought, a special exhibition dedicated to global water-related challenges, featuring works by national and international artists and designers.  As a volunteer you will work on the construction of the exhibition and/or you will be attendant during the opening. You will inform visitors about the works on show and make sure that everything runs smoothly. You can help us one or more days between 10:30 and to 18:00. You will also get the chance to visit and discover Eindhoven after-hours.  Besides, we also need a hand for the construction (Oct. 15-18) and completion of the exhibition (Oct. 28). We offer you a unique glimpse behind the scenes! All travel expenses are refunded. To register and/or have more information, send an e-mail to bela@transnatural.com 

___A long and controversial debate has been at the center of the European Union discussion in the last years. After years of critics and environmental as well as political skirmishes, pulse fishing has been completely banned in the European seas. It is maybe handy to summarize the history of this fishing technique. The bad reputation of pulse fishing has old roots. The technique was banned in 1998 when the European Union stipulated the regulation to protect and preserve fishery resources. The regulation also provided for an exception that would allow EU countries to experiment with “innovative fishing methods” up to 5% of the annual fishing quota in the North Sea. The Dutch, who had long been routing in favor of this method, accounted for pulse fishing as one of these innovative methods and started to use pulse fishing in the North Sea. The Netherlands has been champion of this fishing technique, so much so that it became the country with the greatest concentration of concessions in the EU. Intuitively it is easy to condemn this technique and to interpret its effects as irreversibly destructive towards the aquatic environment. This might be considered one of the main factors contributing to the ongoing debate. Serious scientific research on the effects of these fishing techniques are, as a matter of fact, still in the making and will not be available until the end of this year. The real question is why we continue to intensively exploit our subaquatic resources? On the other hand, if we seek the lesser of two evils, the answer could indie be pulse fishing. So it reads an article shared on the Stitching Noordzee platform:“[if it ]will be banned completely, so that even further research will no longer be possible. That would be a dreadful waste…”. Stitching Noordzee is the organization entitled with the protection of the health and prosperity of the North Sea. The bad omen came true. When approaching the northern shores of the country hundreds of disused fishnets can be found laying around on the beach. Multidisciplinary visual artist Maze de Boer (1976, Amsterdam), who has been creating large-scale site-specific and site-responsive installations was inspired by that sight. De Boer participated at this year Oerol festival with a theatrical installation made out of the abandoned pulse fishing nets. From a high vantage point, you could see boats lying on dry land in the middle of the dunes. Only after a closer inspection, you would be able to recognize the materials utilized. The boats are constructed with disused pulse fishing nets, which refers to the wasteful and mindless misuse that we are making of our subaquatic resources. Maze de Boer installation refers symbolically to several other water-related issues. In the first instance, desertification; the boats are stranded among the dunes, there where no boat should be. The second point that de Boer’s work highlights is the rising sea level: the boats, an aquatic symbol, placed in the middle of the dunes, can signify how the dunes themselves (and dry land in general) will soon be devoured by the rising sea levels and will become a suitable place for boats and other aquatic elements. Finally, the installation plays with the horizon of expectation of the spectator, on the category of appearing and being. From a distance the viewer could spot a shape look-alike of a boat, only getting closer the real nature of the objects to become discernable. Maze de Boer work captures the viewer and transports him along a journey of research and understanding, that is highlighted as the only way to get to real knowledge. It is to be hoped that the effort to seek innovative and less invasive methods for fishing in the North Sea will continue.    

Written by Stephanie Busuito

 

___Imaging to be walking uphill amongst a grass field, it is a quiet and sunny day of midsummer. Wasn’t supposed to be here some art? You look up and see nothing, you look at your feet, something is there. Transparent shells are scattered randomly across the field. Our mind start the engine of meaning-making, we have to know: what is the meaning? We start our inspection: What are they made of? Glass may be; no, plastic. They have the irregular shape of a seashell. They move like clams, they rhythmically open and close their artificial valves. At this point we know what is going on, these peculiar artificial animals are mock-ups of clams. But why are they on a grass field and not in the water? And clams are silent, aren’t they? And these trembles and rattle in unison with an obscure orchestral noise that comes from within. Where does the sound come from? What is the meaning? Here our investigative mind reaches the limit of reasonable deduction, the rest would be pure guessing.  We need to read an always helpfull explicative capture on our leaflets to understand the source of the sound. There we finally get to the root of the mistery. The clams are a project by Italian artist Marco Barotti, developed during the 'In the Age of Post-Drought' program at Trasnatural. The artificial seashells are made from recycled plastic and are provided with speakers and sensors. The sensor reacts to the water quality and translates it into movement and sound. Barotti's Clams make for us visible and tangible a quality of the water that normally eludes our senses. We cannot touch, see, hear and most of the times not even taste the micro-polluting agents that menace our water sources. Letting emerge in a sensorial manner what normally eludes particular sphere of our perceptive capacities is a theme already explored by Barotti in previous works. The core concept behind Clams is the idea of synesthesia. Synesthesia is a word that comes originally from literature and describes a rhetorical figure that involves the combination of two words belonging to two different sensory planes. If we translate in words what the Barotti’s clams do, we can immediately see the synesthesia in it: the water pollution is an orchestral sound and a gentle rattle. Many times has been said that western society abies to a strictly visual paradigm. We are, indeed, the society of the eye. This is to say that both physiologically and culturally sight is the strongest of all the senses. It is so much easier to grasp and acknowledge the existence of a phenomenon when we can see it. Barotti’s clams make us the service to make visible a capital problem of the modern world: the contamination of our freshwater resources. More specifically, the contamination created by microplastic. Plastic has infiltrated the water cycle in the form of fragments less than a few millimeters in length. Scientific research and public opinion have given a great deal of attention to the problem in recent years but the use and waste of plastic continue without slowing down. Microplastic can nowadays be found everywhere from oceans to waterways to the mountain peaks. To raise awareness on the plastic pollution problem Barotti has chosen to use precisely this incriminating material to give a shell to his shellfishes. The plastic used by Barotti is recycled and comes in thin sheets that can be shaped and cut into the desired shape through heat. A material that was born as the indestructible material par excellence, easy to manage and mold, plastic was soon destined to the realm of disposable objects creating a waste of resources never seen before. As declared by the documentary Plastic Planet, after the Bronze and Iron Age, here we are living in the Plastic Age.    

Written by Stephanie Busuito

___Water pollution is an urgent topic, we are all aware of it. In a perfect and ecologically conscious world, this statement would certainly be true. Even the many ecologically conscious people who are striving to daily better their lifestyle often have a blurred and vague idea about the extent of the water issue. Here on the Transnatural blog, we want to explore together the many facets of the threatens that our water (re)sources are facing in our contemporary world. How can we save our water resources, preserve them and purify them? In the Age of post Drought exhibition looks at three main issues: water scarcity, water pollution, and desertification. Our artist’s work research in-depth the issue and tackles topics that are often left behind or even totally ignored. Water scarcity and desertification have historically gotten the biggest share of media attention. Do we know all how we are irrevocably compromising our aquatic future on this planet? Who talks, for example, about microplastic water pollution? What were the elements involved in the recent banning of the pulse fishing technique, what are the alternatives and what is the aftermath material waste? We want to start today by introducing a new threat that is bound to change the fauna behavior of our rivers, lakes, and seas. Robertina Šebjanič, artist who works in the cross-field art-science-technology, has been conducting a years long study and art practice dedicated to water sound pollution. The effects of this pollution form are as urgent as neglected by mainstream media coverage and scientific research. Have you ever imagined how the subaqueous world sounds like? Artist Robertina Šebjanič did not limit herself to the imagination and decided to record sounds from the seas and oceans that she visited, armed with a homemade hydrophone. The experience resulted in an ongoing artistic and scientific research which is documented by the multiple vinyl album Aquatocene – Subaquatic quest for serenity. Human and technological interference into the subaquatic realm, caused by ships, sonars and sound cannons (a tool used during oil extraction explorations) have destructive effects on the marine habitats and it is known to be connected to phenomena such as the beaching of whales and the so-called Lombard effect, which brings certain species to become louder themselves in order to overcome the increased background noise. The goal of the project is to record, archive and perform the anthropocentric under water nuisance. During the AV performances conducted by the artist herself (sometimes in collaboration with other sound or light artists) the recordings come alive and an interactive ambiental immersive environment is created. To read more about the history of her practice we refer you to this insightful interview posted on the blog We make art not money.    

Written by Stephanie Busuito

Vacancy in Dutch only as we're looking for native speaking candidates. ___Transnatural representeert een rijke cultuur waarin de mens, technologie en natuur samenwerken en versmelten. Baanbrekende ideeën en werken in kunst en design staan centraal, gedreven door verbeelding, experiment en innovatie. Tentoonstellingen, showcases, lezingen en workshops vormen de basis van de programmering. Jaarlijks ontvangen we tussen de 35.000 – 40.000 bezoekers en genereren een aanzienlijk mediabereik. In 2019 kiezen we voor langdurende, groeiende formats die aan een divers publiek wordt getoond in binnen- en buitenland. De ontwikkeling van werk van deelnemers staat centraal, naast interdisciplinair onderzoek in de werkvelden, experiment en  presentaties aan een breder publiek. We intensiveren communicatie over en documentatie van de activiteiten. Transnatural werkt samen met diverse culturele instituten als EYE filmmuseum, Dutch Design Week en Grand Hornu , Centre d'innovation et de Design (museum België), en festivals als Oerol en Into the Great Wide Open. Twee relatief brede thematische lijnen vormen de leidraad en geleidelijk worden versmald. De overkoepelende thematiek veronderstelt een sterk genetwerkte eenheid van Mens, Machine en Natuur. Deze verbindingen, zijn in staat onze ecologie te herstellen, in balans te houden en alternatieven te bieden voor waterproblematiek en grondstoffen schaarste, de thematische lijnen in de komende twee jaren. Het eerste programma - In The Age of the Post-Drought - staat in het teken van de wereldwijde waterproblematiek. Het daarop aansluitende thema - The Unknown Mine Zone - onderzoekt het komende tijdperk van eindigheid van grondstoffen, en het aandragen van houdbare alternatieven voor de toekomst. The Unknown Mine Zone kijkt ook naar herstel van gebieden die onder druk traditioneel winnen zijn verwoest. De programma’s gaan in verschillende samenstellingen op tour naar festivals en musea. De programmamaker De programmamaker kan zich uitstekend bewegen binnen de beschreven thematische lijnen en draagt zorg voor de (door-) ontwikkeling en uitwerking van het programma; van selectie tot presentatie. Er wordt in dit proces nauw samengewerkt met het programmateam en de deelnemers. Het programmateam bestaat uit de hoofdcurator en gastcurator. De gastcurator betreft in dit geval een deelnemer, die centraal wordt gesteld in een de aanzet van de programma activiteit. De programmamaker is bekend met hedendaagse ontwikkelingen in kunst, design en wetenschap en weet uiteenlopende disciplines en stromingen feilloos te combineren en verbinden. Het signaleren van talent is ook essentieel. De programmamaker weet naast deelnemers ook de partners te (ver)binden die het geheel naar een ander en voorbeeld stellend niveau tillen. Taken De programmaker: - verricht onderzoek en beweegt zich actief in het veld; - cureert de programma’s i.s.m. het programmateam; - onderhoudt contacten met deelnemers; - voert redactionele werkzaamheden uit (NL/ENG); - schrijft curatorial statements; - beheert het programma budget; - vertaalt presentaties naar vormgeving (i.s.m. vormgevers); - heeft gevoel voor inrichting en detail; - beheerst de Nederlandse en Engelse taal uitmuntend; - beschikt over een sterk netwerk van makers en denkers in Nederland (en bij voorkeur in het buitenland); - is zelfstandig werkzaam en flexibel inzetbaar. Wij bieden een passende vergoeding op uur- of projectbasis aan de hand van inspanning en ervaring. Geinteresseerd? Stuur dan je sollicitatiebrief met korte motivatie en C.V. voor 5 december 2018 naar Arjen Bangma, arjen{at}transnatural.org. Voor vragen kun je ook telefonisch contact opnemen via 020 7740862 (ma t/m vrij).

Vacancy in Dutch only as we're looking for native speaking candidates. ___Wij zijn op zoek naar 2 enthousiaste en ambitieuze stagiaires Event production & Label coordinator met een hands-on mentaliteit voor minimaal 6 maanden. Je bent vanaf januari 2019 voor 2 tot 4 dagen per week beschikbaar. De werkplek is onze studio en projectruimte aan de Lijnbaansgracht in Amsterdam. Wie zoeken wij? Je hebt een sterke affiniteit met de cultureel-maatschappelijke oriëntatie van Transnatural en hebt kennis van en enige werkervaring in het kunst- en designveld. Jij bent o.a. verbaal sterk, schrijft aantrekkelijk (Ned/ Eng), kan goed plannen en organiseren, handelt accuraat, beschikt over een bepaalde mate van zelfstandigheid en je bent bovenal sociaal vaardig. Wat bieden wij? Wij bieden twee zeer leerzame stages met de mogelijkheid mee te werken aan de verdere ontwikkeling van verschillende onderdelen binnen de organisatie, zoals productie en de promotie van culturele evenementen of het aanscherpen van de kunst & design collectie en haar marketing. De exposities vinden plaats bij Transnatural, op de Dutch Design Week, een programma in het EYE filmmuseum, op hèt theater festival van Nederland en een vooruitstrevend muziek en kunst festival. Het Label is jaarlijks te vinden op beurzen in het buitenland zoals in Milaan en Parijs. We moedigen eigen initiatief en onderzoek bijzonder aan en is er de mogelijkheid om door te groeien. Een stagevergoeding is beschikbaar. Taken Event production Binnen de functie Stagiair(e) Event production werk je in een klein team en ondersteun je de Curatoren, Programmamaker en hoofd Producent in hun werkzaamheden. Je bent mede verantwoordelijk voor de resultaten die we gezamenlijk boeken. Taken zijn o.a.: - ass. programma ontwikkeling en redactie werkzaamheden; - ass. coördinatie & productie events; - mede opstellen contracten; - deals partners en toeleveranciers; - ass. vormgeving expo’s; - ass. productie events; - opbouw/afbouw begeleiden. Label coordinator Binnen de functie Stagiair(e) Label coordinator  ondersteun je de Directeur en Label manager in hun werkzaamheden door o.a.: - assisteren in de ontwikkeling van de collectie; - bedenken en uitvoeren van verschillende marketing PR acties online, op websites en (sociale) media acties; - mede redigeren van de promotieteksten; - verspreiden van middelen en mailings; - beurspresentaties voorbereiden en uitvoeren; - meewerken aan het vergroten van de bekendheid van het merk Transnatural. Belangstelling? Volg je een HBO/MA/Universitaire studie? Stuur dan je sollicitatiebrief met korte motivatie en C.V. voor  15 november 2018 naar Arjen Bangma, arjen@transnatural.org. Voor vragen kun je ook telefonisch contact opnemen via 020 7740862 (ma t/m vrij). Meer informatie www.transnatural.org / www.transnaturallabel.com  

___From 1 st to 15 th June 2018 ROBOTANICA Exhibition travels to Tolhuistuin for a joined event: the cultural centre in Amsterdam Noord opens its garden to a rich program of workshops and demonstrations. Transnatural is looking for enthusiastic volunteers who want to join the art production team. ROBOTANICA delves into the entry of robotics in nature and the arising of a new wilderness, that includes technological and hybrid creatures. The exhibition will show a variety of projects by international as well as national artists, designers and scientists who explore this shift within nature and inquire about the influence the entanglement of technology with ecosystems has on the Anthropocene – the period of time that is characteristic of the enormous impact of mankind on planet earth. (www.transnatural.org/robotanica) As a volunteer, you will give guided tours to visitors and keep an eye on the exhibition space. You will volunteer one or more days during the 1 st -15 th  of June. We also need some help during the set-up (29 th -31 st of May) and the completion of the exhibition (16 th of June). We offer you an inspiring and educational experience, where you will have the chance to learn and get involved in art production and presentation activities. All travel expenses are refunded. If you are interested or if you want more information, please send an e-mail to: roberta@transnatural.org  

___Wij zijn op zoek naar een enthousiaste en ambitieuze HBO/WO-stagiair Event productie/ Marketing PR met een hands-on mentaliteit voor minimaal 6 maanden, vanaf 1 februari 2018, voor 2 tot 4 dagen per week. Je werkplek is onze projectruimte aan de Lijnbaansgracht in Amsterdam. Jij bent o.a. verbaal sterk, hebt een aantrekkelijke schrijfstijl (Ned/ Eng), kan goed plannen, bent accuraat, beschikt over een bepaalde mate van zelfstandigheid en je bent bovenal sociaal vaardig. Je hebt affiniteit met de cultureel-maatschappelijke oriëntatie van Transnatural en hebt enige kennis van het kunst- en designveld. Je hebt al wat ervaring in de marketing, promotie en/of productie van culturele evenementen. Wat bieden wij? Wij bieden een leerzame stage met de mogelijkheid mee te werken aan de verdere ontwikkeling van verschillende onderdelen binnen de organisatie, zoals het aanscherpen en uitvoeren van de marketing voor het Label, en productie en de promotie van evenementen, waaronder de Robotanica expositie in de Tolhuistuin en een programma in  het EYE filmmuseum. In deze kleine organisatie moedigen we eigen initiatief aan en is er de mogelijkheid om door te groeien. De diverse werkzaamheden zijn afwisselend en vinden plaats midden in de dynamische omgeving van Amsterdam. Taken Binnen de functie Stagiair Productie events/ Marketing PR ondersteun je de directeur, Programmamaker, Producent en Sales manager in hun werkzaamheden. Je bent mede verantwoordelijk voor de Marketing promotie van het Transnatural Label en Events: Event management: - coördinatie & productie events; - mede opstellen contracten; - deals partners en toeleveranciers - vormgeving produceren expo’s; - opbouw/afbouw begeleiden. Marketing/sales Label en promotie events: - mede initiëren en uitvoeren van mediagenieke PR acties; - bedenken en uitvoeren van verschillende online (sociale) media acties (Facebook, Twitter); - afstemmen PR met pers- en mediapartners; - mede redigeren van de promotieteksten; - verspreiden van middelen en mailings; - meewerken aan het vergroten van de bekendheid van Transnatural events. Belangstelling? Stuur je sollicitatiebrief met korte motivatie en C.V. voor  19 januari 2018 naar Arjen Bangma, arjen@transnatural.org. Voor vragen kun je ook telefonisch contact opnemen via 020 7894605  (ma t/m vrij).  Meer informatie www.transnatural.org / www.transnaturallabel.com    

___Wij zijn op zoek naar een enthousiaste en ambitieuze HBO/WO-stagiair Event productie/ Marketing PR met een hands-on mentaliteit voor minimaal 4 maanden, vanaf juni (mag ook iets later/eerder starten), voor 2 tot 4 dagen per week. Je werkplek is onze projectruimte aan de Lijnbaansgracht in Amsterdam. Jij bent o.a. verbaal sterk, hebt een aantrekkelijke schrijfstijl (Ned/ Eng), kan goed plannen, bent accuraat, beschikt over een bepaalde mate van zelfstandigheid en je bent bovenal sociaal vaardig. Je hebt affiniteit met de cultureel-maatschappelijke oriëntatie van Transnatural en hebt enige kennis van het kunst- en designveld. Je hebt al wat ervaring in de marketing, promotie en/of productie van culturele evenementen. Wat bieden wij? Wij bieden een leerzame stage met de mogelijkheid mee te werken aan de verdere ontwikkeling van verschillende onderdelen binnen de organisatie, zoals het aanscherpen en uitvoeren van de marketing voor het Label, en productie en de promotie van evenementen. In deze kleine organisatie moedigen we eigen initiatief aan en is er de mogelijkheid om door te groeien. De diverse werkzaamheden zijn afwisselend en vinden plaats midden in de dynamische omgeving van Amsterdam, maar ook in Parijs en Düsseldorf. Taken Binnen de functie Stagiair Productie events/ Marketing PR ondersteun je de directeur en Sales manager/ Coördinator events in hun werkzaamheden. Je bent mede verantwoordelijk voor de Marketing promotie van het Transnatural Label en Events:  Event management: -        coördinatie & productie events; -        mede opstellen contracten; -        deals partners en toeleveranciers ; -        vormgeving produceren expo’s: -        opbouw/afbouw begeleiden.  Marketing/sales Label en promotie events: -        mede initiëren en uitvoeren van mediagenieke PR acties; -        bedenken en uitvoeren van verschillende online (sociale) media acties (Facebook, Twitter); -        afstemmen PR met pers- en mediapartners; -        mede redigeren van de promotieteksten; -        verspreiden van middelen en mailings; -        meewerken aan het vergroten van de bekendheid van Transnatural events. Belangstelling? Stuur je sollicitatiebrief met korte motivatie en C.V. voor 20 mei 2016 naar Arjen Bangma, arjen@transnatural.org. Voor vragen kun je ook telefonisch contact opnemen via 020 7894605 of 06 14712140 (ma t/m vrij). Meer informatie www.transnatural.org / www.transnaturallabel.com  

___Voor de expositie Playing Life tijdens de Dutch Design Week van 17- 25 oktober  2015 in Eindhoven is Transnatural op zoek naar enthousiaste vrijwilligers die het team komen versterken. Playing Life is een bijzondere tentoonstelling die de (toekomstige) wereld van het ontwerpen met levend materiaal verbeeldt met werken van nationale en internationale kunstenaars en ontwerpers. De tentoonstelling staat in het hart van de Dutch Design Week met de Dutch Design Awards en de tentoonstelling In no particular order van het Stimuleringsfonds voor de Creatieve industrie. Als vrijwilliger werk je aan de opbouw van  de tentoonstelling en /of ben je suppoost tijdens de opening. Je informeert bezoekers over de tentoongestelde werken en houdt een oogje in het zeil. Je helpt een of meerdere dagen van 10.30- 18.00 uur tussen 17-25 okt. maar er is ook tijd om door Eindhoven rond te lopen want je staat er met twee personen. We bieden je een uniek kijkje achter de schermen. Eventuele reiskosten krijg je vergoed. Daarnaast hebben we ook nog handen nodig voor de opbouw (13-17 okt.) en afbouw van de tentoonstelling op 26 en 27 oktober. Aanmelden of meer informatie; stuur een e-mail naar: janna@transnatural.org

Wie zoeken wij? ___Wij zijn op zoek naar een enthousiaste en ambitieuze HBO/WO-stagiair Event productie/ Marketing PR met een hands-on mentaliteit voor minimaal 4 maanden, vanaf eind februari (mag ook iets later/eerder starten), voor 2 tot 4 dagen per week. Je werkplek is onze projectruimte aan de Lijnbaansgracht in Amsterdam. Jij bent o.a. verbaal sterk, hebt een aantrekkelijke schrijfstijl (Ned/ Eng), kan goed plannen, bent accuraat, beschikt over een bepaalde mate van zelfstandigheid en je bent bovenal sociaal vaardig. Je hebt affiniteit met de cultureel-maatschappelijke oriëntatie van Transnatural en hebt enige kennis van het kunst- en designveld. Je hebt al wat ervaring in de marketing, promotie en/of productie van culturele evenementen. Wat bieden wij? Wij bieden een leerzame stage met de mogelijkheid mee te werken aan de verdere ontwikkeling van verschillende onderdelen binnen de organisatie, zoals het aanscherpen en uitvoeren van de marketing voor het Label, en productie en de promotie van evenementen. In deze kleine organisatie moedigen we eigen initiatief aan en is er de mogelijkheid om door te groeien. De diverse werkzaamheden zijn afwisselend en vinden plaats midden in de dynamische omgeving van Amsterdam, maar ook in Milaan en Barcelona. Taken: Binnen de functie Stagiair Productie events/ Marketing PR ondersteun je de directeur en Sales manager/ Coordinator events in hun werkzaamheden. Je bent mede verantwoordelijk voor de Marketing promotie van het Transnatural Label en Events: Event managment: Ondersteunen van de producent  met: -        coördinatie & productie events in binnen en buiten-land (o.a. Milaan, Barcelona en Berlijn) -        mede opstellen contracten; -        afspraken/ deals partners en toeleveranciers maken; -        I.s.m. vormgever vormgeving produceren expo’s; -        Opbouw/afbouw begeleiden volgens draaiboeken; (technische) productie afstemmen) Marketing/sales Label en promotie events: -        mede initiëren en uitvoeren van mediagenieke PR acties; -        bedenken en uitvoeren van verschillende online (sociale) media acties (Facebook, Twitter); -        afstemmen PR met pers- en mediapartners; -        mede-redigeren van de promotieteksten; -        verspreiden van middelen en mailings; -        meewerken aan het vergroten van de bekendheid van Transnatural events. Belangstelling? Stuur je sollicitatiebrief met korte motivatie en C.V. voor 6 feb 2015 naar Arjen Bangma, arjen@transnatural.org Voor vragen kun je ook telefonisch contact opnemen via 020 7894605 of 06 14712140 (ma t/m vrij). Meer informatie: www.transnatural.org / www.transnaturallabel.com

_____ Nice article in NRC Handelsblad 5 Sept., interview with director BEYOND Biennial Arjen Bangma and Tanja Myra Koning (director Discovery Festival) about our new event BEYOND Biënnale starting 6 Sept. in EYE. www.beyondbiennale.nl

Here you find a fine image selection of the most important National Dutch newspapers like NRC, Parool, Volkskrant, Metro and FD 2012.

Wie zoeken wij? Wij zijn op zoek naar twee enthousiaste en ambitieuze HBO/WO-stagiaires Marketing PR en Event productie met een hands-on mentaliteit voor minimaal 4 maanden, vanaf juni tot en met oktober 2014 (mag ook later starten), voor 2 tot 4 dagen per week. Je werkplek is onze projectruimte aan de Lijnbaansgracht in Amsterdam. Jij bent o.a. verbaal sterk, hebt een aantrekkelijke schrijfstijl (Ned/ Eng), kan goed plannen, bent accuraat, beschikt over een bepaalde mate van zelfstandigheid en je bent bovenal sociaal vaardig. Je hebt affiniteit met de cultureel-maatschappelijke oriëntatie van Transnatural en hebt enige kennis van het kunst- en designveld. Je hebt al wat ervaring in de marketing, promotie en/of productie van culturele evenementen. Wat bieden wij? Wij bieden een leerzame stage met de mogelijkheid mee te werken aan de verdere ontwikkeling van verschillende onderdelen binnen de organisatie, zoals het aanscherpen en uitvoeren van de marketing voor het Label, en productie en de promotie van evenementen. In deze kleine organisatie moedigen we eigen initiatief aan en is er de mogelijkheid om door te groeien. De diverse werkzaamheden zijn afwisselend en vinden plaats midden in de dynamische omgeving van Amsterdam, zoals in de Tolhuistuin, Eye Film en in de Transnatural galerie aan de Lijnbaansgracht. Taken Binnen de functie Stagiair Marketing PR ondersteun je de directeur en Hoofd Marketing events in hun werkzaamheden. Je bent mede verantwoordelijk voor de Marketing promotie van het Transnatural Label en events. Marketing/sales Label en promotie events: -        mede initiëren en uitvoeren van mediagenieke PR acties; -        bedenken en uitvoeren van verschillende online (sociale) media acties (Facebook, Twitter); -        afstemmen PR met pers- en mediapartners; -        mede-redigeren van de promotieteksten; -        verspreiden van middelen en mailings; -        meewerken aan het vergroten van de bekendheid van Transnatural en events. Binnen de functie Stagiair Events ondersteun je de Projectleider en hoofd producent in werkzaamheden. Je bent mede verantwoordelijk voor de uitvoering van Discovery festival Amsterdam 2014. Ondersteunen van de hoofd producent van het festival met: -        Technische rider samenstellen voor presentaties, optredens, workshops etc.; -        Mede opstellen contracten; -        deals toeleveranciers maken; -        I.s.m. vormgever vormgeving produceren expo; -        Mede coördineren van opening, muziek- en performanceprogramma; -        Opbouw/afbouw begeleiden volgens draaiboeken; -         (technische) productie afstemmen met de Tolhuistuin / Eye film. Belangstelling? Stuur je sollicitatiebrief en C.V. voor 26 mei 2014 naar Nienke van der Wal, nienke{at}transnatural.org Voor vragen kun je ook telefonisch contact opnemen via 020 7894605 (ma t/m vrij). Meer informatie: www.transnatural.org / www.discoveryfestival.nl

Download het artikel uit het Financieel Dagblad over Transnatural (pdf) verschenen op 4 februari 2012 (fd persoonlijk).

Read the review here.

Bekijk hier foto's van de expositie of lees meer over de deelnemers, werken, workshops, inspiratiedagen en lezingen.  

Wij zijn op zoek naar een frisse, enthousiaste en ambitieuze HBO/WO-stagiair(e) met een hands-on mentaliteit voor minimaal 4 maanden, vanaf februari/maart tot en met mei/juni 2012, voor 3 tot 4 dagen per week.

NRC review 15 december 2011 (PDF)

___ Over het ecologische netwerk heen hebben mensen nieuwe technische, economische en sociale netwerken gebouwd, en deze preciezer op elkaar afgestemd. Zo kunnen de effecten van steeds meer, trivialere gebeurtenissen zich over grotere afstanden voortplanten