Presentation

Working Practice

Tech Fellowship Programme 2024
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Working Practice: Tech Fellowship Programme 2024
Bradley Hamlin, Chad Cordeiro, Hannah Rose Whittle and Mauricio van der Maesen

Registration is free. Please RSVP here. You can choose one of the days or attend both days. 

Every year the Rijksakademie invites artists and designers to work as technical specialists in the workshops for one year. Knowledge, ideas and research on craft, new technologies and materials are exchanged with the workshop specialists and residents.

After a year of research and training in the Rijksakademie, current tech fellows Bradley Hamlin, Chad Cordeiro, Hannah Rose Whittle and Mauricio van der Maesen, will share their process in a presentation and talks programme that aims to discuss the role of technical specialists within artistic practice, focusing on the intersection of technical specialism, material research, sustainability and labour conditions in the art world. 

During two days, tech fellows will share their current processes and contextualise it, together with external voices on artistic and material research as well as previous colleagues. Themes to discuss will include how regenerative material research contributes to current and future artistic practices, the use of open-source knowledge and future materials, access and sustainability, working conditions, and exploring the role of technical specialists as both support professionals and arts practitioners.

Programme

  • 16.00 hours
    Project Space East
    Opening with welcome speech by Pieter Verweij (technical specialist Print)

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    17.00 hours
    Project Space South
    ‘Working Practice’, presentation and panel discussion

    With Bradley Hamlin, Chad Cordeiro, Hannah Rose Whittle and Mauricio van der Maesen (tech fellows 2024), José Biscaya (technical specialist Media Lab), Marianne Peijnenburg (technical specialist Ceramics) and guest speaker Giulia Bellinetti (Head of Nature Research Department at Jan van Eyck Academie)

    Current Rijksakademie tech fellows will present their research and technical methodologies, revealing the layers of material research, skill sharing, and sustainable practices that shape their work. A panel discussion featuring technical specialists Marianne Peijnenburg, José Biscaya, and guest speaker Giulia Bellinetti will examine how technical expertise and sustainable practices intertwine in art. By raising questions about craft-based practices, its social entanglements, and the role of open-source knowledge, this dialogue invites participants to consider how sustainable art practices can reshape the art world and the broader social economy.

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    18.00 hours
    Drinks

  • 16.00 hours
    Visit / tour through presentation and workshops

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    17.00 hours
    Project Space South
    ‘Disseminate the skills, pay the bills: labour conditions and art technical roles', round table

    With Chad Cordeiro and Bradley Hamlin (tech fellows 2024), Stephan Kuderna (technical specialist Metal), Seamus Cater (technical specialist Wood), and guest speakers Aria Spinelli (Amsterdam University) and Harriet Morley (Platform BK).

    The discussion will explore the evolving roles of technicians within the art world, highlighting the contributions of technical expertise to art-based research and the care and reproductive labour that supports creative and artistic processes. Topics will include sustainable practices in art technical practices – from research on non-toxic, accessible materials to the challenges of knowledge-sharing across generations. The panel will also address the importance of solidarity between technicians and artists, exploring cooperative models and potential support structures.

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    18.15 hours
    Project Space South
    'Collective sustainability: mapping art technical specialism in the local ecosystem', round table

    With Hannah Rose Whittle and Mauricio van der Maesen (tech fellows 2024), Kees Reedijk (technical specialist Electronics), and guest speakers Bruno Alves de Almeida (Curator and Resident Liaison at Jan van Eyck Academie) and Rosa de Graaf (Curator of Exhibitions & Art Commissions at Kunstinstituut Melly)

    This session will map out how technical expertise is valued within the broader Dutch arts ecosystem, examining existing networks and support systems. Focusing on the professional advantages that technical roles offer artists – including skills development, access, and collaborative opportunities – the panel will discuss how such roles can deepen and sustain artistic practice. Participants will also consider how technical specialists contribute to collaborative approaches to knowledge sharing, that expand the reach and impact of material-based research. 

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