ENCOUNTERS | Mind the Space: Dutch Culture through the Looking Glass

What does Dutch culture look like from the other side? Who are we when we meet someone abroad, and do we recognise ourselves in what they see?

Abroad, the Netherlands is often seen as innovative. Is that who we are, or is it a story we cling to because we don’t know so well who we are? Do makers perform “Dutchness” when they travel, and does it help them or get in the way? An honest account of Dutch colonial history matters, and so does the story of those who were oppressed and resisted.

Join us as filmmaker and interviewer Kiriko Mechanicus (A Tomato Tragedy, How to Catch a Butterfly) sits down with two other internationally active makers based in the Netherlands. Through their journeys abroad and stories of encounters with collaborators, partners and audiences, Kiriko explores what those meetings taught them about the Netherlands, and whether they feel representative of something larger, something... Dutch? Kiriko’s documentary Starpower shows how countries and cities shape their cultural influence worldwide. During our event, she turns the question around: what is the Dutch cultural footprint, and how could the Netherlands get to know itself better through international collaboration?

Bring your questions, come and connect, and enjoy a drink afterwards.

The full programme of ENCOUNTERS | Mind the Space will be published soon.

About Kiriko Mechanicus
Kiriko Mechanicus (she/her, 1995), also known as Kiri Academy, is an Amsterdam-based Dutch-Japanese documentary filmmaker, writer of fiction and non-fiction, culinary artist, photographer, host, full-time opinionated bitch and part-time party girl.

This programme is part of ENCOUNTERS, a DutchCulture initiative running from 16–22 November that brings together international cultural programmes across the Netherlands to explore what kinds of encounters are needed for an open world.