Maarten
Production
When he graduated as a photographer from the KASK in 2008, he was looking for a job that was easy to combine with his artistic projects. So Maarten started working in the VIERNULVIER Café: that way, he could be busy with his own non-profit organisation and collective when he wasn't behind the bar. A few years later, he started working here as a project coordinator.
Maarten is productionally responsible for all performances of the programme lines Podium, Talk and Literature. "As a project coordinator, you have to manage everything behind the scenes. Depending on the size and complexity of a production, that can be challenging. We try to make sure that all activities and teams in house are aligned, and that artists and organisers feel welcome at De Vooruit."
The talent that is indispensable for this job: being able to plan.
"I've been fairly organised all my life," says Maarten. "For example, I have a lot of slides and photo collections, which all have their own place. Yet my job has made me plan even more than I used to. I used to travel more often without much preparation. Today I could almost start a travel agency, because now I plan everything down to the last detail."
Photography is not just a hobby of Maarten's. He does not take photos himself as much; he is mainly concerned with found footage. He occasionally curates exhibitions or writes pieces on photography for artists and magazines.
Fun fact: he also writes Dutch-language songs! To be heard on Spotify under the name 'DINGS'.
A versatile man, who also manages our brand new VIERNULVIER Collection.
"The VIERNULVIER Collection is a colourful proliferation of artworks and installations that have become part of De Vooruit over the years, which we are highlighting on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of our arts centre. The piano that Sonic Youth expertly hammered together when they played in our Theatre Hall in 2001, for example, is part of it."