Who we are
Institute of Associations (IoA) is a production house for interdisciplinary art, reflection and encounter. Based in Tilburg, artistic leader Merijn Bisschops creates projects that combine music, film, dance, literature and visual arts. No fixed stories, but contradictory experiences that broaden your view: on yourself, on each other and the world around you.
At IoA we use art as a lens: to examine, connect and question ourselves and our surroundings. In a world full of contradictions, we consciously choose the middle ground: a place where there is room for nuance, discomfort and astonishment.
At IoA, you discover what happens when art forms challenge one another and forge new connections. A film unfolds as a dance performance, a book sounds like experimental music and a multidisciplinary performance reveals itself from a different perspective every time. What begins as a personal story or a theme that resonates with us all, grows into an inescapable experience that awakens your senses and generates unexpected associations.
The space in between is not a void, but a vantage point. IoA consciously seeks out that middle ground. Not to smooth over the extremes, but to make them visible and to explore them. That is where friction, nuance and astonishment arise. What chafes is allowed to chafe; what deviates is given the chance to flourish. For between comfort and discomfort, between the familiar and the strange, movement is set in motion.
Team
Merijn Bisschops - artistic director
Niem Tewarie - marketing strategy
Nena Nilou - content marketeer
Rianne Wilbers - head of production
Dario Giustarini - technique
Board
Sandra Franken - chairwomen
Martijne van Dijk - treasurer
Ad van Rosmalen - secretary
Merijn Bisschops
artistic director - curator - composer - filmmaker - photographer
Merijn Bisschops is the founder and driving force behind the Institute of Associations. As a storytelling composer and composing filmmaker, he creates work that opens new perspectives and raises questions. In his productions, music, film, dance and literature merge into layered performances. They are shared experiences in which the sense of time fluctuates, allowing you to linger within them for a moment. You can be confused or dream away, touch upon complex emotions or have unexpected thoughts.
"I want to invite you to seek recognition in the strange."
photo: Jostijn Ligtvoet
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