A promising new media and experimental player within Rotterdam's artistic and cultural scene, Conflux, emerges as a fresh presence in the city, initiated by Klankvorm. This year's edition is devoted to dismantling the human-machine dichotomy, embracing the theme of ‘Living Machines’, and contemplating the realm of non-human consciousness. It explores these topics through a curated selection of artists and creators, including everything from thought-provoking art-science lectures to intimate A/V performances, body-art showcases, and immersive installations.
From June 15 to 18, different venues around the city of Rotterdam will host a series of hybrid presentations that, we hope, will take us to a more-than-human transcendental discovery. Here follows our curated guide to Conflux 2023.
Macular Collective
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Macular Collective which is celebrated with an overview exhibition at Conflux Festival 2023. All members of the collective develop artworks at the intersection of art, science, and technology, with the latter playing a crucial role in the conceptualization of their projects. Artists Nicky Assmann, Daan Johan, Joris Strijbos, and Eric Parren will present a selection of their past and latest kinetic light installations and screen-based experiments as part of the exhibition program at Roodkapje. Additionally, Assmann will be delivering an artist lecture, where she will guide us through her artistic research, exploring the use of various materials to create immersive cinematic experiences.
Location: Roodkapje, Rotterdam
Date: June 15, 18:00 CET
Drew McDowall
Long-time legend Drew McDowall is set to grace Conflux with an unmissable opening concert at Plein 1940 in Rotterdam. He has garnered praise for his industrial near ego-death soundscapes and collaborations with internationally renowned artists like Puce Mary, Hiro Kone, Croatian Amor, Varg, Uniform, Shapednoise, Rabit, and the popular British Occult electronics group Coil. Since the mid-'80s, McDowall has been instrumental in shaping the avant-garde experimental music movement both in the UK and abroad. Prepare for the debut of his latest album during the opening concert, which thoughtfully reflects on the embodied horrors of the pandemic.
Location: Plein 1940, Rotterdam
Date: June 15, 22:00 CET
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Mint Park presents Line AV
Seoul-born, Amsterdam-based, and head of Unheard Recordings Mint Park will delight us with a sound piece called ‘Line AV’ which is an evolution of the ‘Line’ installation by Macular’s member Daan Johan. It is a back-to-back collaboration that stretches in time and brings about a hybrid artmaking. The piece represents Park’s effort to explore the notion of turbulence, which she has been researching in recent years through immersive installations and live performances. She creates compositions to question and make sense of the constantly fluctuating existential qualities in today’s dichotomised space and machine-quantified time.
Location: Plein 1940, Rotterdam
Date: June 15, 22:35 CET
Zohar
Having blessed esteemed venues such as Garage Noord, Ankali, Dekmantel Festival, OT301, and De School, Zohar has charmed audiences with her enigmatic performances. She is an exceptionally versatile DJ and performer, seamlessly navigating through a sonic landscape that encompasses industrial beats, haunting ambient textures, abstract soundscapes, and intricate break rhythms. In her own productions, Zohar fearlessly explores the boundaries of dance-floor aesthetics, devising immersive and mind-bending environments that leave you feeling delightfully alienated in the best way possible. We suggest you warm yourself up with her latest album OBJEKT.
Location: POING, Rotterdam
Date: June 16, 23:00 CET
Pandelis Diamantides presents Παλμός
Operating between sonic and visual realms, with more actual intersections than just moving from one to the other, Pandelis Diamantides is as versatile as a mycelium generously extending its network only to find out that there is always more to connect. For Conflux, Diamantides will perform his latest creation ‘Παλμός’ (palmós), a deeply intimate, immersive audio-visual piece described by the artist as an exploration of the universal experience of cardiac activity in response to thought, emotion, and movement. We can’t wait to see him in action.
Location: Arminius, Rotterdam
Date: June 17, 22:30 CET
Pandelis Diamantides presents Παλμός
Operating between sonic and visual realms, with more actual intersections than just moving from one to the other, Pandelis Diamantides is as versatile as a mycelium generously extending its network only to find out that there is always more to connect. For Conflux, Diamantides will perform his latest creation ‘Παλμός’ (palmós), a deeply intimate, immersive audio-visual piece described by the artist as an exploration of the universal experience of cardiac activity in response to thought, emotion, and movement. We can’t wait to see him in action.
Location: Arminius, Rotterdam
Date: June 17, 22:30 CET
Leila Bordreuil
A natural improviser and a challenger even to the most experienced ears, Leila Bordreuil, based in Brooklyn, is an unconventional cellist and composer who explores creative expression through her practice in noise music. Her live sets can be described as a fusion of various traditional genres, such as classical and jazz, which she alters through the use of microphones and amplifiers, rendering them obsolete as independent styles. In fact, one could say that Bordreuil is a purist, skilfully weaving seemingly unrelated sounds together to create unexpected compositions that stand on their own.
Location: WORM Central Station, Rotterdam
Date: Jun 18, 22:15 CET
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For a comprehensive festival experience and to access all the details you need, head over to Conflux's website.
