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Culture is good for nothing

On 4 June, the Council for Culture issued its opinion on the subsidy applications of cultural institutions in the so-called basic infrastructure. The Council for Culture is the legal advisory body of the government and parliament in the field of art, culture and media. The Council advises on current policy issues and subsidy applications, solicited and unsolicited. It is very worthwhile www.raadvoorcultuur.nl af... 

The BIS is dead, long live the Puppets

Let's just start with the good news: De Staat is a regular fixture in the Netherlands from now on. And so we are talking about the band De Staat. Who make fantastic music videos these days. They have been promoted from a four-year grant with the Performing Arts Fund to a four-year grant according to the Cultural Basic Infrastructure (BIS). With 55 other newcomers. All weighed... 

The advice is here. What will happen in Dutch subsidised culture over the next four years?

This is the recording of the presentation: And here is the full text of the press release. Explanation follows, but we will read first. More room for innovation and culture outside the Randstad provinces 04-06-2020 | 14:00 | The Hague The Council for Culture advises giving more institutions with innovative cultural offerings and institutions from outside the Randstad provinces the chance to be on... 

'I want to leave my children something substantial'. The eventful life of creative jack-of-all-trades Marc de Hond (1977-2020)

It still came as a shock, the sad news that comedian, presenter and theatre-maker Marc de Hond died yesterday. Around the beginning of corona, we were still in touch briefly about his theatre tour Voortrijdend inzicht, which he made as a legacy for his children. How unfortunate it was that most of the performances now had to be postponed indefinitely. His health situation... 

The Q of figurehead and bassist

I have always found the Q to be a nice fresh thing. Now unfortunately I am not a synesthete, but my imagination tells me today that the Q feels cheeky. Nice and concise sounding. The Q qlaps into my qeel and is punchy blue. Or shiny. Not ordi, but bold. Of shiny metallic seventies leather. The Q in a catsuit. Supple now plays... 

One-half-metre art is an economic disaster. But it is also a godsend. Make it a lottery.

As a professional art visitor, I rarely find myself in empty halls. Premieres are always full, press viewings and vernissages too. Full is of course very cool. Although those full rooms I am in then usually cost more money than they bring in, because the tickets are free and the drinks on the house. Outside the premiere, but especially outside the premiere city, the... 

On uncertainty, drift and desire for freedom, and yes, sports too: 7 life questions to Wilfried de Jong

Freedom and openness are essential in Wilfried de Jong's life. Don't pin him down on one trait, because then he will get pissy. 'I am not "that guy from sports".' That's right, De Jong is a theatre and television producer and writer, among other things. About sports, for instance. His new book The man and his cycling stories will be in stores from this week,... 

Mattijs van der Woerd hopes to sing again one day, but is especially happy that Splendor is making music again

Musicians' society Splendor has survived the corona crisis so far, despite the fact that the two halls could not be used, rehearsal rooms fell and the bar could not open. Mattijs van der Woerd, baritone, talks about it in our podcast/video. How is it possible, such a small concert hall standing so strong? The secret, which also keeps Culture Press afloat, and which this month also... 

Good news from Ollongren: 60 million for local culture

Er lijkt toch enig zicht te komen op een betere onderkenning van de noden van de culturele sector. Die sector die nu wel een steunpakket ter waarde van 300 miljoen heeft gekregen, waar van alles over te doen is. Het ministerie van OCW is alleen niet de enige die over cultuur gaat. Ook Binnenlandse Zaken heeft met cultuur te maken,… 

Why the art world, subsidised and commercial, must stop campaigning NOW

A few months ago, I reported via this site that Eurovision Song Contest wanted an orchestra to perform, for less than no money. The post, including follow-ups, was read just under a hundred thousand times, so can be assumed somewhat familiar. Yesterday, I received a press release from a rather expensive public relations agency, which the culture world took action on... 

'Pain takes away all the words.' Wytske Versteeg wrote about that which is always silenced

Schreef en publiceerde ze eindelijk het boek waar ze al járen mee rondliep, sneeuwde het aanvankelijk onder door corona en haar eerdere roman over een pandemie. Gelukkig heeft Verdwijnpunt van Wytske Versteeg inmiddels de weg naar de lezer gevonden. Het is een beklemmend boek over seksueel geweld. ‘Het dilemma met schrijven over pijn, is dat pijn je alle woorden ontneemt.’… 

In the Netherlands, time sings

Of course, it takes Italians to make this poetic statement about the Netherlands, the headline of this article. The old Italian saying refers to the carillon that signals time in public spaces. Typical tradition of the Low Countries. Since the fourteenth century. Nice and practical, of course, because then the whole city knows what time it is. Does everyone hear hits from the... 

#Corona-classics 3: Maxim Shalygin: organ-playing saxophones on CD 'Todos los fuegos el fuego'

A rainy day in #coronaquarantine seems like the ideal time to listen to a CD about fire. So I slide Todos los fuegos el fuego by Ukrainian-Dutch composer Maxim Shalygin into the laptop. 'All fires the fire' is named after Julio Cortázar's collection of eight short stories of the same name. The CD also has eight songs, which together... 

The sneaky demolition of the National Theatre in Tirana during Corona is just the beginning

The sneaky demolition of the National Theatre during Corona: This is just the beginning.

Albania's National Theatre, recently declared a protected monument by Europa Nostra, was unexpectedly destroyed on Sunday, 17 May, after two years of protests. Early in the morning, when it was still dark, the bulldozers came. A sudden wave of policemen wearing mouth caps chased activists and artists out of the theatre and formed a cordon around the audience.... 

We can learn this from Conny Braam's new war novel: 'Racism is a silent, destructive force.'

South African soldiers thought that by fighting along during World War II they would gain the right to vote and independence, as they were promised. But after the war, not freedom but Apartheid awaited them. With We are the Avengers of it all, writer Conny Braam sheds light on this painful history. Four years ago, Conny Braam (72) published the successful novel Ik ben Hendrik... 

Greg Nottrot is energised by the corona crisis: 'Let's enjoy the fact that there is finally room for experimentation again.'

'I did get startled at first by being so laconic under the lockdown. I thought: don't I care enough to step over it so lightly? I also fully understand that people are very sad that it's all off, but apparently I'm a bit more fatalistic about that.' Greg Nottrot, playwright and enigma maker,... 

'I don't see Le Guess Who happening on a grass field'. Johan Gijsen on postponement of critically acclaimed festival

'At the beginning of March we were still a bit smiley about the virus, but a week later it became clear to me that we would be in serious trouble this year.' Johan Gijsen, director and founder of the Utrecht-based festival that brings together the most surprising artists from all genres of the international music world every November, is still visibly... 

Brabant is making extra cuts to festivals, cycling and fresh air, but now mentions 'culture'. How happy should the sector be with that?

The theatre seats, which served as the tractors of the arts in North Brabant on Friday 15 May 2020, have had an effect. At least, so it seems. Indeed, the province's Provincial Executive has restored the word "culture" to the budget. However, it appears to be a Pyrrhus victory, because at the same time the province is also not going to follow the agreements with the State, and... 

Alexander Plooij argues for a different approach to lobbying the cultural sector: 'The artistic should be central, not creativity.'

'When the economic interests of involved parties outweigh the interests of the cultural sector, you end up getting movements like the ones we are seeing now in Brabant. Art makes itself more important than it is, and that sets off bad blood.' We have a conversation with Alexander Plooij, entrepreneur and once active in the cultural sector as a professional trumpet player, manager of music schools and... 

#Corona-classics 2: Liza Lim: verontrustende cd ‘Extinction Events and Dawn Chorus’

Helemaal van nu, deze nieuwe cd van de Australische componist Liza Lim (1966) die onlangs verscheen op Kairos. Automatisch beluister je Extinction Events and Dawn Chorus in de context van de corona-pandemie. Zijn we op weg naar een totale ondergang? De onheilspellende titel verwijst naar Lims bezorgdheid over de enorme hoeveelheden plastic die de oceanen verstikken. De vissen die dit… 

'My dreams were always about death.' Alfred Birney on his new novel 'On hold'

Shortly after Alfred Birney was awarded the Libris Literature Prize in 2017 for The Interpreter of Java, he ended up in hospital with a heart attack. In his new novel On Hold, Birney's alter ego Alan Noland is in hospital waiting for open-heart surgery. He was just starting to feel fit again after his five-way bypass surgery and two years of patching up... 

Looking back: Mark Rutte thinks only 30 people want to be at art. Why an archive is important.

Cultuurpers bestaat 11 jaar, en dat wilde ik vieren met een leuke blik in het archief. En toen kwam ik deze tegen. Uit 2011. Kijk maar deze minuut video en weet dat het  niet te verwachten is dat een minister president in 9 jaar honderdtachtig graden van inzicht kan veranderen. Hier moet de lobby rekening mee houden. Wat zegt Mark… 

#Corona-classics I: Le Dernier sorcier Pauline Viardot

When corona measures were declared on Thursday 12 March, it felt surreal at first. The next day, the world premiere of Willem Jeths' opera Ritratto fell through. I had been looking forward to this immensely, just like all the other productions in the Opera Forward Festival. Besides, I was in the midst of preparations for numerous introductions the next... 

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