These are interesting times for designers. We are not just at home working behind a drawing table, but also in the boardroom. We do not just think on a production level, but also about the systems and complex problems surrounding it. The Arts in Society Award gives young designers an opportunity to explore those complex questions. That’s how I got a taste of it!

I like to be steered and confused by the surrounding I’m working in: as an artist you have an idea ahead of time, but it always turns out differently. And it’s exactly this that makes the work interesting.

During the final event of the Arts in Society Award, not only does your own project get visibility but it’s also enriching to be inspired by other laureates, their vision and trajectories.

The feeling of fear of the unkown I had when I started with this project was nothing compared to the feeling of happiness and satisfaction I had at the end of the project.

The project was a kind of a revelation for me, I have never had such reactions to my music. At the same time my earlier perception of people living in old folks homes was totally shattered. I did not expect people to be so talkative, active and have such a positive attitude towards life. The more visits we did, the more I realised that we managed to insert the fundamental basic right for culture into the hermetical surrounding of an old folks home, inhabited by so many music and art lovers.

CasAperta Music Salon was a heart warming experience for all parties involved. Thanks to many talents coming together (good organisation, warm welcome, delicious catering, musical enchantment, audiovisual imagination,…) it became five festive afternoons. People with dementia and their caretakers enjoyed stimuli for all their senses and shared a touching, relaxing time. The music made it possible to make contact where it had become difficult to do so: it was an experience that was very special for the audience and for us.

Art takes place in the shared space between sender and receiver. A space like that can only exist when people are open to each others worlds. Sometime you discover intersecting spaces, other times there is conflict. During the artistic process I needed to appreciate that conflict. ‘Some things simply need conflict’, a dear collaborator told me at a difficult moment during our collaboration. As an artist - who is convinced of her/his own free thinking - you are confronted with the limits of your art. In other circumstances you will circumvent those limits, throw the whole thing around, but that’s not possible now. You have to embrace the problem and overcome it. In the social sector people do this the whole time. It’s pretty self explanatory that there’s so much artistic talent in that field. As an artist you can learn so much from people who constantly have to come up with creative solutions for everyday problems. I’m grateful for that.