The thought of Amsterdam may call to mind images of canals, bicycles and coffee shops, but beyond the clichés, it is rst and foremost a crea- tive, innovative and multi-faceted city. Exuding an openness of spirit, Amsterdam is a progressive, citizen-oriented, innovative, entrepreneurial and perpetually forward-looking metropolis. It is this unique spirit – one of tolerance, openness and diversity – that makes the Dutch capital a natural choice to be the guest city at Nuits Sonores and the European Lab Forum in 2018.
Revered throughout Europe for its array of cult concert venues (Paradiso), prestigious clubs (De School), labels (Music From Memory), innovative festivals (Dekmantel, ADE, Sonic Acts) and internet radio stations (Red Light Radio), the residents of Amsterdam bene t from a varied network of skilled cultural actors. What’s more, and owing to the relatively small surface area of the city, those involved in this artistic scene are in constant interaction with one another. The result is a strong sense of collabora- tion, of healthy competition and of solidarity, one that cultural leaders in the city are able to feed off to the bene t of their projects. Nowhere is this dynamic better represented than by the closure of Trouw, the club that used to be one of Amsterdam’s leading nightspots.
Following the closure, the venue’s staff split up in order to create two new sites that are now playing a central role in the regeneration of Amsterdam’s alternative scene and that mutually support one ano- ther: De School and Shelter. Local artists can thereby make use of various venues in the city where they are able to share their work with the public. Moreover, they also bene t from numerous media outlets that stand at the cutting edge of the emerging arts scene, such as Red Light Radio.
By broadcasting from the heart of Amsterdam’s mythical Red Light District, this internet radio station has become part of a general movement that is encouraging cultural actors to come up with intelligent ways of re-appropri- ating space in a cramped city.
In recent years, the northern districts of the city have become a fertile ground for culture, in a similar way to the Con uence neighbourhood of Lyon, with new areas of land opening up and space being made available for the construction of futuristic buildings. A number of valuable cultural initiatives have been launched in this area of the city, including two new clubs: Shelter and Garage Noord. It is also the location for urban renewal projects such as The Hackable City, a research project being conducted in the Buiksloterham district that is exploring ways in which the residents of a certain district can take back control of the development of their immediate living environment.
Taking the form of an urban laboratory, the project draws upon the ideas of researchers, elected of - cials and even local citizens on how their city’s future should be decided. Regarding the local authori- ties, Amsterdam is also one of the only cities in the world to count a CTO (Chief Technological Of cer) among its elected representatives, proof were it needed of the creative and innovative dimension of a city that stubbornly refuses to stand still. Like Lyon, Amsterdam is a city in perpetual forward motion: yesterday it took back control of its northern districts, and today it is undergoing a process of reinven- tion to the east, inviting start-ups, initiatives, clubs and art collectives to take advantage of this new cultural playground. It is this limitless urban, intellectual and artistic energy that Nuits Sonores and the European Lab Forum will showcase over the course of the Carte Blanche programme in 2018.
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