Can Gerrit Rietveld Academie and Sandberg Instituut become radically inclusive structures? In 2018 an intra-curricular initiative begen working actively between and beyond the structures and discourses of the academy to unsettle the Rietveld and Sandberg from the roots up.
Through collaboration, confrontation, conversation and complication,unsettling Rietveld Sandberg aims to support existing initiatives, while also developing outreach programs, drawing in new perspectives, and making the context of the academy more inclusive to other voices, minds and bodies – those who are here and those who are not, yet.
Together with the dynamic input of students, staff, external advisors and management, unsettling Rietveld Sandberg will collectively generate a policy for equity and diversity in our institutes which aims to not only shift the ways we work together but also ask the question: who is the 'we' in the first place?
It’s one of the first steps towards becoming an academy of the 21st century in Amsterdam – an interdependent space for brave ideas and unlearning.
30 November @ unsettlingbar
17:00-19:00
This two-day experiential workshop by María Reyes and Mar Maiques is aimed at creatives / facilitators / trainers / activists / therapists and others who want to:
Gregory Robert better known as Gogo Lupin (artist name): A visual artist and dancer disturbed by the colour pink.
Since 2011, the one nicknamed Gogo, took his first steps in the fashion world. Spotted by the photographer Kira Bunse, Gogo quickly collaborated with brands such as Nike, Lacoste, Adidas, Evian, Burberry, Gucci, Hogan and Pigalle to name a few. Followed by publications in famous magazines including Vogue, I-D France, GQ, Numéro, Highsnobiety and more.
The program will happen twice a month and the time frame will be defined by the facilitator. On Wednesday, we start with the first event. More information about the whole program and how to participate or contribute will be announced at end of this week!
Artist Talk by Lemi Ghariokwu
2 NOV 2023 13—15:00
at Unsettling Bar
+
No Healing Without Repair
28 NOV 2023 13—15:00
at the Black Archives
(meet in front of the IJ / In front of the door on Saturday 13:00 The Black Archives, Zeeburgerdijk 21, 1093 SK, Amsterdam)
With ‘BLACK PRESENCE’ during the Dutch Slavery Memorial Year (1 July 2023 to 1 July 2024) unsettling is organizinga 3 month long weekly gatherings and conversations highlighting several black perspectives and perspectives of artists of color, showcasing art practices, workshops and going on walks visiting different organizations throughout Amsterdam amongst others Black Archives and Bijlmer Believers in Amsterdam and within the Netherlands and how this history still plays a role in the lives of many today.
We are pleased to announce this year new session of “If you could ask something to a lawyer for free what would it be?”, we have invited Jeremy Bierbach, an immigration lawyer, to join us for an enlightening conversation organized by Unsettling in collaboration with the nonEU support about working with a non-EU status, visa applications after graduation, and employment prospects.
You are invited to unsettlingbar Opening Party on 5th of July, Wednesday, starting from 18:00 at the Sandberg Building.
Artistic vocal workshop with Naama Freedman.
Unsettling and Near East Union invite you to a performance evening by friends of Artists in Solidarity Netherlands, taking place at De Brakke Grond on 20 May!
2 SESSIONS to deconstruct the term ‘URGENCY’ with Siwar Krai(y)tem and Rasha Dakkak.
Series of lectures, discussions, talks and interactions inspired by folklore, archetypes, mythology and symbols. The concept of this series is based on the often-occurring theme in folk tales of the hero’s quest. As an artist Luba Matyunina is interested in how traditional mythology lives in our contemporary culture, adapts itself and is appropriated in different media. How mythologies of the past continue to affect our consiousness and self-perception.
A reading session and conversation on friendship and collaboration with Fiep van Bodegom, on the basis of Marc Fischer's text 'Against Competition'.
You are invited to the first workshop of TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH series of this year: REWORKING GOSSIP CULTURE
with Nisala Sathyajith Saheed
In this workshop, Ella will discuss their journey through the world of tattoos as a queer BPOC. The history of (queer) tattooing and its implications today will play a central role in this workshop.
unsettling presents the LGBTQIA+ month program: OUTTHERE
17:00-19:00
from 19:00 to 21:00 @ BC Building, Theory Room, 4th Floor
starts on 23rd of MARCH
19:00 — 21:00 @ Theory Stairs
6 WORKSHOPS
by AFIAH VIJLBRIEF & ELLA SMITH JR.
Dates TBA
Calling POC and/or queer students:
Time: 17:00 — 19:00
Location: 4th floor BC Building
for POC students only
13 - 20 - 27th of JANUARY
13:00 — 17:00
Theory Room 1 : BC Building
3 Thursday’s Workshop for POC Students & Unions & Public event
by DANNY SOEKARNSINGH
CA CONRAD @ Theory Room, 4th Floor, BC Building - 10:00-16:00 on 9TH + THURSDAY 10TH OF DECEMBER
SARA SANTANA & MARIA PARIS @ Theory Room, 4th Floor, BC Building - 17:00-19:00 on 18TH + 25TH OF NOVEMBER
LYNNÉE DENISE @ Theory Room, 4th Floor, BC Building - 17:00-19:00
On October 14, we invite you to learn more about the Palestinian resistance and resilience with a film screening of Beyond the Front Lines at 17:00 in the Sandberg Auditorium on the 3rd floor of the BC building. The following day, on October 15, there will be a talk on Zoom at 11:00 with the director of the film, Alexandra Dols, and Dr. Samah Jabr who is featured in the film; moderated by Saja Amro, a student from Disarming Design who also co-organized this event.
A workshop with Sage Crump from the Emergent Strategy Ideation Institute
Unsettling and the Asian Union is collaborating on a series of events for the month of May to critically engage with issues around Asian stereotypes and identity and bring awareness to anti-Asian racism in Europe and beyond.
This February, unsettling presents two events in the programme "In Queerness, I Open Up"
This February, unsettling presents two events in the programme "In Queerness, I Open Up"
To close off this year where we have all been introduced to a new (and sometimes tedious) way of being together online. Unsettling invites you to a:
Time: 10:00 to 13:00 (ONLINE)
Wednesday, November 11
17:00 @ zoom
November 5th & 12th
Time: 10:00 to 13:00 (ONLINE)
17:00-19:00 (online)
15:00-17:00
We will start this 2hr relaxation session by laying on the floor as a supporting structure that caries our bodies into the state of resting.
15:00-17:00
15:00-17:00 on Zoom
15:00-17:00 on Zoom
15:00-17:00
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM. As part of out unsettling reading group series in these times we will have Olave Nduwanje, who invites you to a participatory session on the revolutionary power of rest. Olave is a non-binary trans femme, born in Burundi, raised in The Netherlands, working in Brussels, and loving on Mark Zuckerberg’s internet.
Two sessions with Camille Barton.
PERCUSSION WORKSHOP
At the Percussion Workshop you learn more than just beating on a drum. It's also about working together, listening to each other, stepping out of your comfort zone, daring to present and you can put your emotions into it.
BANNER WORKSHOP
At the banner workshop, you will make banners on textile or paper in preparation for International Women's day.
Date: Thursday, February 13
Time: 17.00 - 19.00
Location: Theory Room 1, BC Building
17:00 -19:00, The Sandberg Instituut Auditorium, 3rd floor, BC Building
This Thursday we will be screening the film 'Born in Flames', followed by an open discussion to explore the themes of sexism, racism, classism, and heterosexism that the film engages with.
Happy New Year and welcome Unsettlers to the new semester!
This semester, we will relaunch the Unsettling Reading Group, which will meet (almost) every Thursday to work more intensively through a collectively assembled constellation of questions, topics and texts. The idea of "reading" here is approached very broadly and the formats for the group's meetings can include walks, talks, screenings, cooking and more.
The Glass Pavillion, 10:30 - 16:00, December 12 & 14:00 - 19:00, December 13
10:30-16:00, Theory Room 1, BC Building, 4th Floor
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM, large project space, FedLev 101, Sandberg Instituut
Theory Room 1, BC Building, 4th Floor, 10-16h
We are pleased to welcome again Brazilian-born, Berlin-based multimedia artist Cibelle Cavalli Bastos
Time: from 10-12 and 14-17
Critical Studies Theory Room, FEDLEV Building, Sandberg Instituut
Critical Studies Theory Room, Fedlev Building 1st Floor, 17:00 - 19:00
Unsettling is hosting:
unsettling walk! with Tomislav Feller
@Jacuzzi
Warmoestraat 139 CBE (red door beside W139)
17 October, 2019, 10:45
We will meet outside Cafe Fonteyn at Nieuwmarkt 13- 15 at 10:45 and walk over to Jacuzzi. As we will be on location all day, bring lunch
17:00-19:00
The unsettling Roundtable meetings continue to craft a collective policy for diversity and inclusion at the Rietveld and Sandberg. Together with members from the Board, the MR, the Asian Union, the usb_blackstudentunion, Student U(o)nion, PUB, alumni, members of staff and more, the group have arrived at a number of policy headings touching on admissions, employment, curriculum, evaluation, community as well as a growing glossary of important terms and relevant references in collaborative policy making in other contexts. There will be two more sessions of the Roundtable this year as we move towards a first draft and unsettling welcomes more voices to the table.
11:30-16:30
unsettling Rietveld Sandberg is pleased to welcome Brazilian-born, Berlin-based multimedia artist Cibelle Cavalli Bastos who leads a two-day workshop "Ævtar/Deprogram: scanning for malware / “a”, not “I” #debinarize" which takes a metaphorical approach to looking at ideas of human perception and understandings of the Self. Applying this idea specifically to computational systems–of accessing inner technologies and kick-starting a deprogramming process–the event will look at inner movements and their external manifestations in people, through parallels with malware and trigger mechanisms, as well as language as an OS, and “intrapolitical” concepts. “a”, not ...
The workshop "Difference Engines", comprised of three sessions, will use performance (and its documentation), printed textile and composition to create a collective work. The "Difference Engine" is the name of the first computer, a calculating machine engineered by Charles Babbage and programmed by Ada Lovelace. Its development was directly connected to innovations in mechanical weaving. By weaving together fabric as a material, and its production as a metaphor, workshop participants are invited to work with and share experiences that touch on opacity, bodily autonomy, gaining or losing control, interdependence on machines, community through technology, representation and marginalisation.
An essential part of unsettling Rietveld Sandberg is the collective drafting of a policy for diversity and inclusivity tailored to the contexts of Rietveld and Sandberg. Policy-making is a challenging endeavour and to have many voices, stories and experiences represented within the crafting of this document, the unsettling roundtable meetings are one way of gathering stakeholders from different communities within the academy. These meetings will take place every six weeks in the second semester during which time one member of the CvB board (academy directors) will be present.
For the first session on 26 February the unsettling team have reached out to a number of those community stakeholders, but if you have not been approached and would like to contribute to this process, please email: unsettling@rietveldacademie.nl
unsettling roundtable
Date: Tuesday 26 February
Time: 17:00 - 19:00
-
This is the space and time to vent! Created in response to important conversations with students and staff, the unsettling hangry hour invites you to bring your lunch and share concerns around issues of inclusivity or access in need of addressing. Hangry hours are conducted in a spirit of confidentiality and critical optimism in the sense that what is shared is kept anonymous unless otherwise agreed, and active steps are identified in response to what is shared.
Drop by and visit the unsettling team during the academy Open Days! On 7 February, we'll be on the 3rd floor of the BC Building where sharing fragments from the unsettling process thus far as well as a teaser of the new unsettling bibliography – a gathering of resources, books, films, sounds and texts recommended by advisors, guests and members of the unsettling reading group – which will be accessible for students and staff as tools for learning and teaching. Browse, chat, read, and share your experiences with potential future students and colleagues!
UNSETTLING VOICES
With Cleaver Cunningham, moderated by Tracian Meikle
Tuesday 11 December, 15:00-16:30
Location: Sandberg Instituut, Overschiestraat 188, Small Auditorium
Introduction to power, privilege and anti-racist practice
3 December 2018, 10-13.00/14.30-17.30 (students)
4 or 5 December 2018, 10-13.00 (staff)
10:00-17:00
“this is an artwork
this is for you
you are a community
you are my material
this is a prison
leave when you want”
- keyon gaskin, this is an artwork
After a dynamic first gathering last month – where the group identified shared interests and urgent topics to address in the coming months such as wildness, intersectionality and power structures (to name a few) – the next gathering will be moderated by guest collective Read-in who will share practices of reading between the (policy) lines.
“What does it feel like to be heard? To be listened to?”
This afternoon the Unsettling team has the privilege of hosting a conversation with Aminata Cairo following her talk - Singing the Blues and Coming up for Air - and The Act of Listening - a performance by Nagaré Willemsen and Rosanna Jonkhout. Hope to hear from you at 2pm in the Rietveld auditorium!
17:30-19:00. You are welcome to join us in the new Rietveld Auditorium for:
The Unsettling Reading Group will meet for the first monthly gathering on Wednesday 10 October from 17–19.00 in the wonderful Rietveld Bibliotheek (in the basement of the new building on campus). During this first session, we hope that the group can share ideas on texts, films, discussion points around language and other concerns, as well as questions which can shape the coming meetings. We will then confirm dates for the next sessions together. As it's our first gathering, the Unsettling team has a film which we'd like to share and look forward to the conversations it opens up!
10.30-13.00: Unsettling Walk With Tracian Meikle and Rosa Sijben (Route: Gerrit Rietveld Academie to ZuidAs/World Trade Center, Amsterdam)
15:00-17.00: Unsettling Info Day at the Glass Pavilion follows with Dj sets, snacks and information about the Unsettling process
CvB
Judith Leijsner (consultant)
Tracian Meikle (coordinator)
Nagaré Willemsen (coordinator)
Emirhan Akin (coordinator)
To unsettle the Rietveld and Sandberg from the roots up, supporting existing initiatives, while also developing outreach programs, drawing in new perspectives, and making the context of the academy more inclusive to other voices, minds and bodies. From 2019 Unsettling Rietveld Sandberg is also working towards developing a policy on inclusion and diversity in the academy.
Drop-ins, reading groups, guest classes, outreach programs
Hangry-Hour every Thursday 13:00-14:00
Thursdays, 10:00-17:00, Rietveld Bibliotheek, Fedlev Building
Rietveld/Sandberg communities & staff
2018
Diversity, equity, inclusion, decolonisation, eurocentrism, anti-racism, politics
Artist Talk by Lemi Ghariokwu
2 NOV 2023 13—15:00
at Unsettling Bar
+
No Healing Without Repair
28 NOV 2023 13—15:00
at the Black Archives
(meet in front of the IJ / In front of the door on Saturday 13:00 The Black Archives, Zeeburgerdijk 21, 1093 SK, Amsterdam)
12 PLACES AVAILABLE: unsettling@rietveldacademie.nl
Nigerian artists Lemi Ghariokwu will take you an a captivating journey through his extraordinary body of work. From his iconic collaborations with Fela Kuti, the pioneer of Afrobeat, to his rebellious, humorous, and politically charged creations, Ghariokwu’s art is a testament to the power of visual storytelling.
Born in Delta State and raised in Lagos, Semi Ghariokwu has an extraordinary background. Initially trained as an engineer, he later transitioned into painting and design, drawing inspiration from influential figures such as Fela Kuti, Malcolm X, Kwame Nkrumah, and Steve Biko.
Ghariokwu’s partnership with Fela Kuti begin in 1974, resulting in 26 iconic album covers. Each cover tells a compelling and thought-provoking story. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear directly from the artist himself about his journey and the profound impact of his work.
This event is in collaboration with Africadelic.
In “No Healing Without Repair” we take you on a journey through the hidden histories surrounding the end of slavery. We look at the parliamentary debate on abolition and the heroes who fought for their freedom. We also look to the future. The exhibitions features artwork by Edsel Selberie, Fardia Sedoc, René Rosari, Serena Angelita & Stikstok.
In 2022, Mark Rutte finally offered apologies on behalf of the Dutch state for its history of slavery. But what do apologies mean if they are not connected to reparations? “We are not writing a full stop, but a comma,” said Mark Rutte. What do you think should come after the comma?