The art of curation

When looking into the etymology, the word ‘curare’ comes from Latin. Its direct translation means ‘to take care’. In the Roman Empire, this ‘taking care’ was focused on the bathing houses in the city. Since the 18th century, the meaning evolved towards what we perceive it as in our current times: looking after and presenting collections of art and artefacts.

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Swiss art historian and critic Hans Ulrich Obrist describes that curation today can be seen as ‘a mass medium and a ritual’. The curator sets an event or exhibition up so that it becomes an extraordinary experience instead of ‘just a collection of performances and art’. In Draaimolen’s case, their festival can be seen as a multidisciplinary open-air exhibition on a grand scale, created by a group of artists and creatives that are brought together through a shared curational philosophy. It’s about taking care together to create a colossal collision of music, art, and nature - from start to finish.

Draaimolen Festival: Co-curation from start to finish

So, instead of putting a pre-curated framework out for hosts to work within, Draaimolen invites hosts to create the framework together from scratch as they believe that innovation thrives in the absence of rigid constraints. The six stages at Draaimolen Festival are highly sensory stimulating experiences, where multiple factors are at play. Almost all of them are co-curated with hosts. Although every stage has its unique characteristics, the collaborating hosts all start with the festival’s most pivotal trait in mind: nature.

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The Tilburg forest provides a natural scenery that interconnects with everything curated. This is the blank canvas where different stage hosts perch down and blend the forest with music, stage design, artworks, and even sound systems and light programmes by collaborating with stage designers, visual artists, woodworkers, architects and many other creatives.

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Seeking out these far-reaching and intensive collaborations is self-evident for Draaimolen. They see themselves as part of a wider cultural landscape and community and aspire to contribute to the electronic music and visual arts scenes in a sustainable way. Besides, operating solo would be limiting, which goes against Draaimolen’s philosophy of achieving the best possible creative outcome (and beyond). ‘By working together, we amplify our impact.’ So, what does Draaimolen teach us about co-curating on this scale?

Embracing coincidence: looking beyond pre-programmed ideas 

‘When collaborating, numerous factors come into play’ the Draaimolen team explains. ‘It’s about achieving a balance among different stages, curating a diverse program, introducing unexpected sounds, and trying to provide space for new and underground movements within the scene.’ This 360-degrees process is fueled by implementing challenges: Draaimolen deliberately gives hosts the space to experiment and stumble upon so-called ‘happy accidents’. Within this open-minded ecosystem, creativity flows between different parties involved, sometimes resulting in unexpected, but the best possible outcomes.

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DJ’s and producers Blawan and Pariah hosted the stage The Pit last year, which found itself under the swirling artwork ‘XYZ’ provided by visual artist duo Children of the Light. ‘We initially aimed for the music played at the Chapel stage given its cosmic atmosphere, thinking it would be a better match as our goal always is to make the sound feel like it’s coming from the light. However, The Pit turned out to be a perfect fit for our concept. Little did we know, this was exactly what we needed - this raw energy. People must have had these sublime experiences - we know we had. So despite the initial “clash” in music, it resulted in an amazing surprise.’ the duo states when describing the process as a whole. 

‘We appreciate how unexpected elements can reshape pre-programmed ideas. In the end, the work turned out to be more human and became one with the exuberant dancers far below in the hole of The Pit. It was dancing and flying around and could be as wild as our own quirky dance could be! Perhaps, the light became one of us?’ they describe beautifully as they reminisce about moments of Draaimolen Festival 2023.

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Getting out of your comfort zone and experiencing new outcomes is important for Nous’klaer Audio as well, who will be taking care of the Aura stage for the third year in a row in the coming edition. Label head Sjoerd Oberman elaborates on Draaimolen's challenging characteristics: ‘It has led to daring programs that weave local talents perfectly into line-ups with internationally renowned artists.’ Children of the Light confirms: ‘Often, the risk is also the gift. There will always be an element we did not think of that would present itself because of the freedom that has been given.’

Fostering freedom of creation

Challenges are inherently intertwined with this aspect of freedom that Children of the Light points out. Draaimolen nurtures freedom of mind and therefore freedom of creation. It’s not without reason that stage hosting projects start by asking the hosts about their biggest dreams. The possibilities are endless for Draaimolen. It’s this significant factor that Children of the Light is looking for in festival collaborations: ‘giving each other freedom to do whatever’. They explain: ‘Freedom is a beautiful thing; new connections and beauty appear.’

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But for big plans to work, mutual trust is needed. And mutual trust goes hand in hand with the same mindset and a personal approach. ‘We approach all our hosting partners as artists in a broader sense than mere musicians or visual artists. They should feel a sense of excitement when we inquire about how they envision people experiencing the stage and what ambience, stage design, and musical approach would align with this image.’ the team behind Draaimolen explains when talking about their philosophy.

Co-curating by heart: bonding & community

This is when emotion and personality come to the foreground. Big dreams often reflect the personality of the artist, explains Draaimolen, and that intrigues the organisation. Personality, bonding, and creating a family around a set of shared beliefs are what make up Draaimolen's DNA. It’s a hands-on experience where body and mind are shared, resulting in these enormous yet intimate events where visitors and creators come together to experience the open-air exhibition in full effect.

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And this DNA can be noted in the small things. All hosts are invited to help build their stages in the weeks leading up to the festival. The full build-up starts with just team Draaimolen, but gradually, the forest fills up with more creatives until it is hard to keep up with the new faces. Sjoerd Oberman: ‘The close-knit team is incredibly welcoming. It feels like you’re joining a bunch of friends organising a rave.’ Children of the Light philosophically adds to that: ‘We collaborated more in spirit than in person’. 

And so it seems, the co-curation process is both a literal physical co-working phenomenon and somewhat of an intangible, mind-alike occurrence. Draaimolen themselves even compare these collaborations with romantic relationships 'Collaboration is also the act of two different parties creating a harmonious symphony. It's like a love story, haha. As long as we sense authenticity, sincerity, and enrichment on both sides, we will do everything we can to sustain the romantic relationship.'

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This cooperation of minds and hearts results in personal outcomes and even a product through which this personality seeps. ‘Everyone sees a reflection of themselves in the final product. After all, we believe that that's what artistry is all about.’

A love story 

Ultimately, this co-curating process extends the two-day festival: ‘Collaborations extend far beyond the two days of the Draaimolen Festival. It means a mutual commitment to each other's development. We believe in the journey our partners are on, both personally and professionally, and as long as we feel we can contribute to their vision, the collaboration has great value.’ A value that transcends the collaboration only, and spreads a story of love to visitors around the world who join the co-curated narrative. It’s a communal experience, somewhat like Orbrist describes: a ritual