Community hub at Katoenhuis and the Programme

Special for this edition, we have put together a day programme for Friday and Saturday, bringing together local initiatives, collectives and artists.

As mentioned previously, the Hub will be located within the exhibition programme at Katoenhuis, specifically in the room where the bar is located and on the sunny terrace overlooking the waterfront. The space will host a radio station by Operator, a little book, zine and record fair by Underbelly, as well as a corner dedicated to walk-in workshops.

Underbelly’s pop-up shop will offer a carefully selected collection of records, tapes, books, magazines, films, handmade zines, musical gadgets and noise toys. The collection explores underground and avant-garde music, sound art, experimental film, DIY culture, activism and philosophy. For Conflux Festival, there will be a specific selection around the theme Tactics for Cultural Resistance.

Expect curated live sets by Operator, panel discussions and artist talks moderated by Cecile van Bruggen.

Operator is an online radio station and cultural platform dedicated to enriching the music and cultural landscape of Rotterdam and beyond, with a special focus on alternative sounds and underrepresented stories. They curate both on- and offline events, placing emphasis on talent development, experimentation and nightlife culture.

Cecile van Bruggen is a lecturer, curator, moderator and artist. Her work operates at the intersection of debate, philosophy and art. She is part of the artistic team of the new Rotterdam art space Social Art Platform and teaches in the Leisure & Events Management programme at the Willem de Kooning Academy. She regularly moderates at Debatpodium Arminius and hosts a radio show at Operator Radio.

Check out the full programme for Friday and Saturday below.

FRIDAY

14:00 – 16:00  Talks by Cecile van Bruggen with Stimuleringsfonds Talent artist & CF26 artists

14:00–14:30 — Hacking Systems with Yufei Gao, Jan Zuiderveld and Xinyi Zhang

14:30–15:00 — Politics and Poetics with Hung Lu Chan and Justyna Chmielewska

15:15–16:00 — Sonic Action with Animistic Beliefs and Maggie Khorrami

During the day, there will also be a Riso Protest workshop by Chris Tam Nelck, part of Riso Wizards. The workshop runs from 15:00 to 17:00. Limited to 7 participants, sign up here.

16:00 — Awyn1000 on the radio

Rotterdam based awyn1000 mixing under the reddit born (user)name. Lover of vast landscapes and sad stories, into folk (naturally). Decidedly undecided on genre, depends on how words are hitting that day. Ain’t much but it’s honest work (a win).

17:15 — Sign.nah on the radio

Sign.nah is a Rotterdam-based writer, DJ and organiser. At Conflux, they present de, a sociopolitical music archive and ongoing research project into the sounds of defiance, resilience and liberation. In this session, they will debut de-fi.media, a developing online archive mapping sounds and music connected to various liberation movements across the globe.

18:30 — Free Parties & Rave Culture with 69db and Siuli K.O.

The highlight of Friday will be a panel talk about rave culture and free parties with 69db and Siuli K.O., who will both play at the Export Club night later in the evening. The talk will be moderated by Eric Parren.

19:30 — Droom & DD on the radio

Iris (Droom) is a graphic designer and visual artist based in Rotterdam, known for her dreamlike use of shapes, typography, rhythms and vibrant colour palettes. Nelck (DD) is a multidisciplinary artist working across painting, performance and text, with a background in fine arts and a keen eye for visual composition.

The Hub will close its doors at 20:30, as we will be heading to Brutus for the first performance night.

SATURDAY

15:00–16:30 — Panel talks by Cecile van Bruggen: Radio Resistance and What’s Up in the Hub?

15:00 – 15:45  — Radio Resistance with Pim (Operator Radio) Matthijs (Maxi Radio) and Bardo (Radio Tonka)

15:45 – 16:30  — What’s up in the Hub? With Underbelly, unrepair café and visitor experience

During the day, specifically from 14:00 to 18:00, there will be a walk-in workshop by (un)repair cafe. Do you dig through trash only to find treasure? Are you interested in building servers? Do you take the shop out of Photoshop? Is a printer jam your kind of jam?

Do you have something specific you want to repair? Reach out via this link.

16:30 — Collectief Wasem on the radio

Collectief Wasem is a collective founded by Elin Mensinga and Puck Wacki. With their shared interest in sound, the need for a stage for young sound makers emerged during their studies. By hosting performance nights, workshops, and now radio shows, they seek to get people actively listening to the versatility of sound and experimental music.

17:30 — TYN on the radio

TYN is fuelled by an insatiable passion for everything cutting-edge. Driven by a curiosity for uncovering rare musical gems from obscure places, TYN takes listeners on unique journeys through unexplored soundscapes. His DJ sets are transformative experiences, revealing new auditory landscapes and pushing the limits of club culture.

18:30 — Halte Charlois, panel talk moderated by Cecile van Bruggen

Halte Charlois is an ongoing socio-cultural fashion project by fashion designer Nada van Dalen, created for and by the Charlois neighbourhood in Rotterdam.

The aim of Halte Charlois is, in essence, simple: to capture Charlois as it is now, before it disappears beyond recognition in the tide of history.

19:30 — Ash on the radio

Ash is a visual artist and radiomaker from Aotearoa New Zealand. She listens for the voice as a hinge between the physical material of the body, and the unreliable social fabric of language.

Although there will not be a specifically tailored programme on Thursday and Sunday, you will still be able to stroll through Underbelly’s selection, which will be there throughout the festival.

At the Community Hub, you can also pick up some Conflux merchandise, grab a drink, or simply hang out and enjoy this year’s edition.

For programme updates, we advise you to keep an eye on our Instagram channel.

See you at the festival!