About Institute of Associations
Institute of Associations (IoA) produces interdisciplinary performances with contemporary composed music. Artistic director Merijn Bisschops creates experiences that offer people an unusual perspective on themselves, their environment and the arts. He makes interdisciplinary performing arts productions, compositions for various ensembles, photography and video art. With music and images as a basis, he always makes new combinations with other art forms such as dance and literature. His creative process often takes place in unusual sequences to achieve innovative interdisciplinary fusions.
Interdisciplinary performances
Refinement, layered textures and versatile associations characterize the music and visual work of Merijn Bisschops. They contain a rich emotional layering, which offers room for nuance and depth. Recurring themes in Bisschops' multidisciplinary work are landscape and living environment, the human psyche and reflecting on the arts themselves through art. Influences of post-minimalism and microtonality predominate in his music, which veers towards renaissance, musique concrète, noise or drones to a greater or lesser extent. A performance is more than just listening and watching; it is a moment of attention, new inspirations and meeting. A shared experience in which the sense of time fluctuates, which touches people, confuses them, makes them relax, dream away or makes them think.
International collaboration
IoA has worked with a variety of musicians, choreographers, festivals and performance groups, including Quatuor Bozzini (CA), Zwerm & Karen Willems (BE), A.H.J. Dautzenberg, United Cowboys, Tegest Pecht-Guido (NL/ET), Scordatura Ensemble, Saskia Lankhoorn, Tatiana Koleva, Goska Isphording, Prisma Strijktrio, Rianne Wilbers, Vincent van Amsterdam, Looptail, Lunapark, Annegret Mayer-Lindenberg (DE), en Cheng-Yu Wu (TW).
IoA productions have been performed and shown at, among others, November Music, Musical Utopias, Wonderfeel, Gaudeamus, De Link, Korzo, Het Orgelpark, Galerie Marzee, De Pont, Van Abbemuseum, EYE film museum, Theaterfestival Boulevard, Museum Beeld en Geluid, More than Music Festival, Hilvaria Studios, Dat Bolwerck, Museum De Wieger, LocHal, Cacaofabriek Expo (NL), Sound Plasma (DE), Arena Festival (LVA), Florianka Recital Hall (PL), 48th Dimitria Festival (GR), Procembalo (IT), NCTU Arts Center (TW), SE Center for Photography, Cinesonika (US).
Team
Merijn Bisschops - artistic director
Eva Hoonhout - business assistant
Dauphine van der Velpen - content marketeer
Board
Sandra Franken - chairman
Martijne van Dijk - treasurer
Ad van Rosmalen - secretary
IoA's productions are currently supported by: Performing Arts Fund, Kunstloc Brabant, Province of North Brabant, Grensverleggers, Makersfonds Municipality of Tilburg, the Cultural Fund, NORMA Fund, Jacques de Leeuw Foundation and Leye Fund Foundation.
