Where The Wild Things Are
With an even stronger focus on homegrown talent, the return of some familiar faces and a renewed arts approach, Horst Arts & Music in 2023 embraced a complete year-round programme for the first time ever. Circular stage design and further exploring the role of an arts and music festival in the long-term development of the Asiat Park grounds made up for another year of shaping spaces and communities.
Horst Arts & Music changed course in 2023: pushing homegrown talent, a Resident Advisor stage hosting and a totally renewed arts program as an ode to the pungent energy of bottom-up city shaping. For our 9th iteration in the beginning of May 2023, we brought some refreshing surprises to the table. Where locals have always been of great importance for the musical DNA, we this year deliberately chose to highlight local acts even more by letting them play peak time or closing slots — some of them even in a surprising back2back with established artists. In addition, influential music and media platform Resident Advisor for the first time hosted last year’s infamous Rotunda stage. Lastly, the entire arts programme got a substantial makeover — both conceptually and in terms of timing.
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EXPO
'Where The Wild Things Are' paid tribute to those who make a city into an actual city: inhabitants, tenants, visitors and occupiers who are often barred by city councils, project developers and urbanists. Those residents and creators that we generally don’t see in rigid renders of “the cities of tomorrow”. We looked for inspiration in the underbelly of our urban fabric; where the energy vibrates, breathing life into a city. Where the wild things are brings an ode to DIY, unregulated but indispensable forms of community-life and creativity, to disobedience and disruption, to those operating outside the calibrated paths of organized consumer-focused public life.
DeeWee
Elisa Giardina Papa
Joe Namy
Maria Muehombo
Mark Leckey
Meriem Bennani
The 2023 edition marked a reorientation of the arts program in symbiosis with this new ecosystem, taking the first steps towards art interventions that surpass the temporality of the exhibition-format. Participating artists became protagonists, working closely with Horst to develop site-specific commissions that tap into the future potential of the site - be it functional and permanent; or conceptual and symbolic. Each protagonist was facilitated in their mission by the artistic team of Horst and various other project-specific stakeholders - be they financial supporters, collaborators, institutional partners.
Horst Arts & Music Festival 2023 thus paid tribute to those that define urban spaces, make cities livable and alive: residents, temporary visitors and communities often shunned by city councils, project developers and urban planners. 'Where The Wild Things Are' shone a light and celebrated exactly those energies which we usually don't see reflected in the sleek renderings of the so-called "cities of tomorrow".
ARCHITECTURE
Architecture has always been indispensable to the Horst Arts & Music DNA. Unique, inventive and circular stage design is something reoccurring every other year, and 2023 was no exception. Paris and Zurich based BRUTHER re-did the space where Marinella Senatore’s Bodies In Alliance stood ground, building 'Le Soleil Rouge'. Stand Van Zaken (Doorzon Interieurarchitecten & Theo de Meyer) took care of this year’s ‘main’ stage, titled 'State of Play'. Moon Ra, built in 2021, was slightly upgraded. Karel Burssens designed the club stage called 'EYES. EYES. baby.' and Greek art collective SERAPIS upgraded 2022's Rotunda stage, shaping it into a new installation titled Vesshcell.
Stand Van Zaken
Karel Burssens
Paris and Zurich based BRUTHER redid the space where Marinella Senator’s Bodies In Alliance stood ground, designing the ultimate sunset pavilion. Titled 'Le Soleil Rouge', the pavilion was designed to reflect the sun on the crowd, while at the same time mirroring the dancers on the giant red sun hanging over the dance floor.
MUSIC
Adi. AliA. Ampe. Anu. Aw Shucks. Bajatière. Bass Toast. Beatrice. Ben Kamal. Bitter Babe & Nick León. Bjeor & Fafi Abdel Nour. Bored Lord. Calibre. Cleveland. Dana Kuehr. dBridge & Donato Dozzy. Dienne. DJ Athome. DJ FamilyMart. DJ Fuckoff & Narciss. DJ Perception. DJ Travella. Dolphins Into The Future. Donia. DTM Funk & Errol. Elvira. Emma DJ & Otis. Evian Christ. Fais Le Beau. For All Queens! with Kevin Aviance, DJ Delish and Arakaza (hosted by MC Zelda Fitzgerald). Gayance. Genou Fragile. Half Queen. Hicham. Jamz Supernova. Jane Fitz & Carl H. Jennifer Loveless. Jerrau. Job Jobse. Joe Delon. KI/KI. Kia. King Kami. Kuba’97 & Rino. Lefto. Liquid Earth. livwutang. Luca Borsato. Maayan Nidam. Mab'ish. Mad Miran & Mankiyan. Mad Professor. Malika. Mama Snake & Spekki Webu. Mamiko Motto. Meg10. Merve. Monstera Occulta. NAJIB. Naty Seres. Nikki Nair. Nosedrip & Aroh. Orpheu The Wizard. R.D.P.T.V. Regularfantasy. Rey Colino. Rosa Pistola. SASS (Moxie, Peach, Saoirse, Shanti Celeste). S-candalo. Shabbi. Skin On Skin. Stella Zekri. Tammo Hesselink. Vieira. Vox supreme. Walrus. Waltur. Yazzus. Yb3L. Zohar.
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