Open Culture Tech #2: The First 6 Months

This report outlines the progress of the Open Culture Tech project over its first six months. It covers the selection of artists, the residencies, the workshop series, media activities, and a look ahead at the coming period.

 

Residency: Selection

 

Open Culture Tech provides space for six musicians to develop their own technology-driven concepts in collaboration with one of our six tech partners. Following an open call, over 20 musicians submitted proposals, from which six were selected by the tech partners.

 

The selection process unfolded as follows: each partner created a shortlist of three musicians they wished to collaborate with. All partners then met in an online call to each select one musician. This process was facilitated by Thunderboom.

 

The final selection is as follows:

 

• Might Delete Later × Wij Doen Dingen
  A traveling interactive installation where voicemail stories are transformed in real time into visual, physical, and musical expressions at festivals, concerts, and in public spaces.

• RBDjan × Wesley Hartogs
  A theatrical live album-book where AI-driven projections visually bring the literary power of rap lyrics to life, synchronized with RBDjan’s performance.

• Rafaele Andrade × Superposition
  A performance centered on the audience, where heartbeat, breathing, and brainwaves are translated in real time into light and sound.

• Mathilde Nobel × Chagall
  A study of body-controlled visuals and music, merging movement, image, and sound into a hybrid performance.

• Mihir Raina × AIxDESIGN
  A musical workflow that integrates AI with Indian oral traditions, resulting in an audiovisual narrative that bridges heritage and futuristic technology.

• Jeroen Ermens × Bureau Moeilijke Dingen
  The development of an AI musical counterpart that enriches and expands the palette of live performance.

 

 

 

 

Residency: Kick-Off

 

Following the selection, a physical kick-off event was held at Cinetol, attended by all artists and partners. The gathering focused on informal introductions, exchanging ideas and interests, and initial creative exploration. The participants brainstormed and created a preliminary planning outline.

 

 

Residency: Progress

 

The residencies are at various stages of development. Jeroen Ermens × Bureau Moeilijke Dingen started immediately and developed a full AI concept within two months. Jeroen can now play live on his Hammond organ while the AI responds in real time on keyboard, enabling interaction, improvisation, and jamming. In the coming months, Jeroen will continue developing this concept into a full live concert, with a premiere planned for early 2026. Thunderboom is currently helping him find a suitable venue. Unfortunately, Bureau Moeilijke Dingen has since ceased operations, making this their final project; nevertheless, the collaboration was successfully completed.

 

Might Delete Later × Wij Doen Dingen and Rafaele Andrade × Superposition also started right away and have already completed their first prototypes. They are still in the development phase and slightly behind Jeroen Ermens in progress. The remaining collaborations are currently in the brainstorming stage.

 

As project manager, Thunderboom supports all parties through regular meetings and by helping to structure their planning. This allows each pair to work systematically toward a presentation moment, keeping each project’s development clear and manageable.

 

 

 

 

Workshops

 

Parallel to the residencies, the workshop series began with two streams:

 

1. AI Workshops

2. Immersive Workshops

 

The series consists of monthly sessions of about two hours each, focusing on a different theme every edition. The AI workshops are produced by AIxDESIGN, and the immersive workshops by Thunderboom. Beeld & Geluid supports the promotion of the workshops by sharing them within their stakeholder network and reaching wider audiences through public channels.

 

The first session took place online on August 19, as a joint AI & Immersive kick-off workshop with eight participants. The next round of workshops will be held physically during Dutch Design Week and Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), expanding the program’s visibility beyond its own community. Additionally, Beeld & Geluid will host an immersive workshop at the end of the year.

 

 

Media

 

The projects are already attracting public attention. A highlight was Jeroen Ermens’ appearance on RTL Nieuws, which featured his collaboration with Bureau Moeilijke Dingen. This underscores the social relevance and media appeal of Open Culture Tech.

 

 

 

 

Outlook

 

In the first six months, the foundation has been laid: artists and tech partners have connected, the first prototypes are in development, and the Open Culture Tech community is growing through workshops and media exposure.

 

The focus for the coming months will be on:

 

• Testing the toolkit developed during the previous edition of OCT

• Further developing and testing the prototypes

• Establishing a detailed schedule and action plan

• Preparing for final shows and public presentations

• Scaling up workshops and sharing knowledge with a broader audience

• Conducting audience research during live shows, led by Beeld & Geluid

 

Open Culture Tech is moving into a phase where ideas become tangible and innovative technologies flourish in live performance.