CASZUIDAS – moving images in public space is the title of an urban screen arts initiative at Zuidas, Amsterdam – a newly developed district that combines working and living in a strategically chosen location of the city, in between Amsterdam city centre and the airport. High-tech office buildings, comfortable housing areas and cultural services are being developed around the heart of Zuidplein, Zuidas, a stone throw from the inner city centre. Here all means of transport come together, linking a high-speed train, metro, bus, underground car and bike parking and a new fast connection with Schiphol airport. Next to the people working in the office buildings, more than a thousand families already find their homes in this new district, a number that will increase to nine thousand families over the next four years.
CASZ – Contemporary Art Screen Zuidas has been conceived as a stage for the moving image and presents a high quality selection of film and visual arts, showing video and film works on a 40m2 daylight video screen, with sound individually available via a (toll free) telephone connection, and occasionally (during special events and openings) through the built-in sound system of the screen. Eighteen hours a day, every day from 6 a.m. until midnight, an international selection of film and video works by established and emerging artists from all over the world mix and mingle with the public life on the Zuidplein, addressing an eclectic crowd of managers and office workers, students and scholars, and all other inhabitants and users of Zuidas. The bars and restaurants on the ground floor of the Zuidplein buildings provide the perfect setting to be distracted from the everyday, with moving, inspiring images evoking a different perception of the surroundings.
CASZUIDAS has a built-in sound system used for specific events. In addition to this, the sound of the works shown will continuously be on offer through a toll-free telephone number, enabling individual spectators and passers-by to tune in to the works presented on screen. Program choices are based on the time of the day, day of the week, works can be shown thematically, at other times randomly. Several set formats will be presented during the 18 hours each day, such as transitory exhibitions and artist in focus, with which an in-depth look into an artist’s oeuvre will be offered, accompanied by essays and other information on the dedicated CASZUIDAS website. This offers the possibility to address certain tendencies within contemporary visual arts and the moving image
Next to the ongoing program that will show a great diversity of works over the course of the day, CASZUIDAS will also be hosting special events several times a year, specifically inviting audiences from outside the Zuidas district. For example, in 2008 the well-known Holland Festival has shown previous HF-productions, and we organised a contextual side program to accompany the new installation that Hans Op de Beeck presented that year. Also the first cooperation with Cinedans was established – the second program of choreography and dance in film and video follows in the summer of 2009. More collaborations have been established and are being developed, for example with organisations and initiatives such as the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Impakt Festival in Utrecht, Filmbank in Amsterdam, TankTV in London and Argos Arts in Brussels.
As a stage for the visual arts, CASZUIDAS will almost exclusively show works from artists and filmmakers. From late 2008 on, three slots have been implemented during the rush hour times of the day (7 – 9 am, 12 – 2 pm and 5 – 7 pm), in which short 10-minute programs offer information on arts events in Amsterdam and around (exhibition announcements and overviews for example) and a select number of advertisements – only during these hours and with a maximum total of 90 minutes per day/18 hours. This way CASZUIDAS will clearly maintain the profile of exclusive visual arts stage in public space, and thus form part of the daily public life on Zuidplein, Zuidas, Amsterdam
CASZ - which premiered October 2007 - is an initiative by Virtueel Museum Zuidas in collaboration with SKOR (Foundation Art and Public Space). Independent curator Jan Schuijren (Amsterdam) was invited to develope the concept for a daily changing program, showing works by pioneer artists (such as Livinus and Jeep van der Bundt and Nan Hoover), acclaimed artists and emerging young talents - during the first year, more than 300 artists from all over the world will present their work in the public space of Zuidas.
During the first year, more than 600 art works will be presented on CASZ, featuring re-occuring artist in focus sections with amongst others John Wood and Paul Harrison (UK), Michel François (B) and Guido van der Werve (NL), illustrations by renowned artist Dan Perjovschi, famous music videos by Persijn Broersen & Margit Lukács and Roel Wouters, and video essays by for example The Speculative Archive.
Another returning format is the monthly transitory exhibition, showing one work by one artist every day from 4 to 5 p.m., four weeks in a row (next up: the prizewinning Guido van der Werve with Nummer Acht - Everything is going to be alright) - and many more special formats and screenings to be announced.
Part of the program is being realised in close collaboration with international organisations and initiatives such as PARK4DTV, NIMk, Visual Foreign Correspondents and TheOneMinutes, Amsterdam, Impakt, Utrecht, Argos, Brussels, tank.tv, London and loop-pool, Cologne (more collaborations t.b.a. shortly). Additionally CASZ will function as a venue to cultural and art events such as the Holland Festival and many others.
Sign up for our newsletter to receive a regular monthly update on the regular program as well as the special events to come.
CASZ - location
Amsterdam’s Zuidas (South-axis) is a recently developed district that combines professional and residential facilities at a strategically chosen location of the city: in between Amsterdam’s city centre and Schiphol airport. High-tech office complexes, convenient residential areas and cultural services are currently being developed around Zuidplein, the heart of the Zuidas district, which is located at a stone’s throw from the inner city. All means of transport converge in Zuidas, which links a high-speed train to subways, buses and a new fast service to Schiphol Airport. There are also underground car parks and bike parking facilities. In addition to the people who work in the nearby office buildings, over a thousand families have relocated to Zuidas. This number is expected to increase to nine thousand over the next four years.
CASZ - a short history
The LED screen originated from the concept ‘Het kunstwerk als podium’ (The art work as stage), a project that was developed in 2003 for the Zuidplein by Tom van Gestel (SKOR) and Henk de Vroom (Virtueel Museum Zuidas). They departed from their original idea of a static work of public art and, instead, decided to conceive of the art work as a stage unto itself.
The Zuidplein is located in the centre of the Zuidas and functions both as a meeting place and an intersection where people cross paths on their way to and from work or meetings. One of the Zuidas’ ambitions is to connect its business activities with more cultural offerings. From the outset of the project the aim has been to broadcast a provocative program that will attract local, national and international interest with the help of state-of-the-art LED technology. The program is innovative in nature and its content is made up of 80% art and, starting early 2008, 20% announcements and commercials. A new curator will be responsible for each new season of programming. The project took four years to complete due to extensive research in the areas of technology, feasibility and financing; negotiations with the display suppliers, cultural organizations and artists; calls for EU tenders, construction permits, decision-making procedures and final approvals.