Open Avond

- Please note that RSVPs for Open Avond(S) are at full capacity -

Open Avond(s) follows the traces of a format that originally ran at De Appel in 1979-80. It proposes a space to show to artists, connecting resources from De Appel Archive with contemporary performance practices. It does so through an open call.

Open Avond(S) is an original concept inspired by an old format, aimed at perpetrating a genuine belief in the importance of sustaining and creating  an inclusive art community in Amsterdam.

Open Avond(S) is an independent project  initiated by Emma Ines Panza, as  part of an artistic research on latencies of performance in curating. This edition is realised with the collaboration of Titus Nouwens and Christopher Mahon.

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Programme of Open Avond(S) as part of The Night of Exhaustion and Exuberance by the Curatorial Programme of De Appel, on Friday April 14:

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Gestures Referring Materials from the Archive of De Appel: The first section of Open Avond(S) offers a series of tributes to “A Prediction: 5 days & nights at De Appel” by Reindeer Werk, 1978. These five days of living together were framed as a workshop on behaviour, and were conceived as a means to finding new ways of making work.  Reindeer Werk sought to develop an integral structure of living and time, with a central core energy towards staging public events as an alternative to hierarchical structures. Reindeer Werk (Thom Puckey and Dirk Larsen) were active between 1973  and 1981.

The text read by artist Jacob Dwyer was written by Nesral Kid (Dirk Larsen) and published in the booklet “A Prediction: 5 days & nights at De Appel”, which was conceived as a piece of anti-documentation of Reindeer Werk’s intervention at De Appel.

The DJ-set played by Toby Paul has been inspired by anecdotes from Thom Puckey, who played reggae tunes during the 5 days of “A Prediction” at De Appel. Puckey has shared for us his top reggae albums, which he imported from London where he used to live before moving to Amsterdam.

In the second section of OA there are references to the intervention by Gerrit Dekker “een gebeuren”, realised in 1978 at de Appel. The work consisted of an empty room, the floor of which he scrubbed with chlorine before the opening. Dekker was inspired by the mnemonic smell present in public restrooms, experienced by the artist during carefree walks across the cities where he was invited to show work.

Throughout the whole night there will be instructions, available on printouts, and the original sign both from “Gratis slapen/Free dormitory” by Jan Mlcoch, 1980. ““Gratis slapen” turned the performance space in a dormitory with ten army beds with linen; and next to each bed a chair. At night the area was dimly lit. The visitors of the building could freely walk in and out. A 'porter' made for this; He woke the sleepers at 8am. A number of people came several nights in succession and 'reserved' their bed. Only one visitor knew beforehand that it was an art project. For many, this was a first experience with this kind of contemporary art in which a central experience is given to the audience. There were mostly young people present, many of them were people living abroad, who were visiting Amsterdam for the “Festival of Fools”.

tantrum-twisters by Christopher Mahon is a durational ongoing contribution inspired by both “Gratis slapen/Free dormitory” and “A Prediction: 5 days & nights at De Appel”.