Discover Eindhoven, The Netherlands in this catalogue of creative happenings
From the mouths of babesSadly, despite all the screaming we did on Saturday, no change in the government’s iron decision to cut funds for culture. Maybe they’d change their mind if they saw this speech which nearly made me cry on Saturday. Because Sep, only 9 years old, delivering his first public speech, told us why culture and expression is an absolutely essential factor of our human condition. Watch and weep (quietly while no one is watching).
You say hello, and I say … helloTomorrow, you can toddle along to the Hallo Cultuur! event in Eindhoven, where all the cultural institutions will be opening their very wide arms to accept a very broad audience, with a range of activities and performances to show what they do and let us all have a taste of let’s call it “organised culture”. By coming along, you’ll be actively living your cultural life. Whether you subscribe to season tickets to the Parktheatre remains to be seen, but it doesn’t matter. Live. And say hello (or ‘hallo’) to lots of other people experimenting with a different facet of their personal approach to culture.
Zimmer Frei or Fiesta del Sol … which country is Eindhoven in?Why is it interesting that a significant Dutch village in the south of Holland should have two very different festivals with foreign names take place over the one weekend? What do these events say about the self-image of this post-industrial town? Why does this big village have to borrow holiday references to give itself credibility? Where is Eindhoven really; who is it? Where does the real character of Eindhoven “happen” and who makes it happen?
The end of indie film & theatre in Ehv?One of the most comforting aspects of my move to Eindhoven was discovering Plaza Futura 3 1/2 years ago. Akin to much loved Melbourne cinema houses (which also seem to be dying out) such as Lygon Street’s Nova (before it became huge!) and with progamming similar to the Astor Theatre and the former Carlton Moviehouse, Plaza Futura is a beloved venue with a sphere that makes you feel like you’re pulsing in sync with the sometimes elusive Eindhoven cultural hearbeat.
This beloved institution is threatening to close down, or be evicted – but a solution may lie in the cultural terrain that is in the making, Strijp-S.