Mission
At TimeWindow artists work together to create alternatives for existing structures and systems, through an ongoing process of trial and error. We respond to issues experienced by artists within the art world by finding collective solutions. Our main focus is to give back talent development to the artists themselves. We invite our audience to join the experiment across all stages of the creation of new work.
Read more about our activities
Collaboration, not competition
We believe we are stronger together. In the current climate it’s easy to adopt a scarcity mindset and start seeing your colleagues as competition. Policies are made in such a way that we are pitted against each other, fighting for resources.
Within TimeWindow, every artist (Widdie) has their own individual practice, but we support each other and band together to establish better practices for all. Do it yourself, but not alone!
Embrace lifelong learning
Failure is a learning opportunity. So why be afraid of it?
Both as creators and as professionals we learn by trial and error. In the TimeWindow biotope we also learn from each other’s successes and failures. There’s a vast amount of skills and knowledge between Widdies from varying backgrounds, educations, ages, experience levels and art forms. Through exchange we become experts in our own field.
What we want to change
Following a successful demonization campaign to justify budget cuts, the Dutch art world has changed a lot since the new millennium. Every institute saw a shift of focus towards commercial values as opposed to artistic values, leaving little room for experiment and risk-taking.
Artists are either excluded from resources or have to compete in a rat race, running from target to target. This has stifled creativity at best and at worst created unsafe working conditions.
A paradigm shift is needed. We are part of a greater movement that embraces the non-linear and a collective mindset.
Our three pillars for better talent development are: time, trust and transparency
Time
Especially in performing arts, there are not many places where you can work without the pressure of a time limit. Having your own workspace is mostly tied to project funding or being invited into an institute – with the pressure of having to fit their artistic vision instead of developing your own.
As a collective we have managed to acquire our own spaces and made them accessible and affordable by sharing the cost. This permanent residency allows a continuous practice where many beautiful things are created in between projects and deadlines.
Trust
We see that a lot of structures within the arts are based on a lack of trust in artists. This places us at the bottom of a linear hierarchy, where we lose agency over our own creative process. What if we just trust artists to know what’s right for themselves?
At TimeWindow there are no curators, programmers or artistic directors. We let go of a focus on commercial goals and reject the idea of one artistic vision, specifically a measurable one. Artists monitor their own creative process, embracing the value of unexpected outcomes.
Transparency
Last but not least, another important aspect of a non-hierarchical, inclusive mindset is doing away with secrecy. Within TimeWindow all members have access to the different aspects of the ‘institute’ and are able to influence decision making.
Not only do we share our professional knowledge among Widdies, we also open up to the public. By embracing openness we create a safe environment where we can fail gracefully. We break open the creative process to bridge the gap and make The Arts a bit less enigmatic and more integral to society.
A bit of history
TimeWindow started in 2014 as a festival that was curated and produced by all participating artists themselves. There were no limits, just a time frame varying from 5 minutes to 3 days. During the lead up to the festival, artists could freely access the space to rehearse but also to experiment. This was such a positive and freeing experience, we decided to become a collective. Not to create artistic work together, but through a shared practice. After a short nomadic phase, we managed to move back into the space where the festival was held. Ever since we have doubled in members, thrown some big and and gained influence in the local and national art world.
In 2021-2024 we are part of Gemeente Rotterdam’s Cultuurplan as a new talent development institute.