BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:adamgibbons/ics METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VEVENT UID:25982@offbeat.amsterdam SUMMARY:They Are Watching Us DTSTAMP:20260810T202142Z DTSTART:20260925T170000Z DTEND:20260925T203000Z DESCRIPTION:When a bird sounds an alarm\, when a mosquito tracks our heat\, or when a forest\nregisters our passage\, nature's surveillance completel y bypasses our social\nconstructs. We typically view surveillance as a one -way street\, from human to\nnon-human. Yet\, this creates a profound blin d spot by ignoring how intensely we\nare monitored in return.\n\nWho is re ally watching whom?\n\nJoin us as we close our third residency period for an evening of tasting\,\ntouching\, and embodying the living habitats arou nd us!\n\n\nTICKETS | RSVP [https://mediamatic.stager.co/shop/default/even ts/111582356]\n\n\nVISITOR INFORMATION\n\nTickets | [https://mediamatic.st ager.co/shop/default/events/111582356]Free\nEntrance Event - RSVP\n\nProgr am Timeline:\n\n18:30 - 19:00: Doors open\n19:00 - 20:00: Are you a feeder ? - Thijs de Zeeuw\,\n[https://www.mediamatic.net/en/page/378522/thijs-de- zeeuw] Jolanda Verspagen and\nThe Gramounce [https://www.mediamatic.net/en /page/392670/the-gramounce] (Talk)\n20:00 - 21:30: Seaweed Becomings - Sal icornia Studio\n[https://www.mediamatic.net/en/page/392700/salicornia-stud io] (Tasting/Spatial\nInstallation)\n20:00 - 21:30: Embodying the Willow E cosystem - Andela Zora Brnas\n[https://www.mediamatic.net/en/page/393441/a n%C4%91ela-zora-brnas] (Performance)\n20:00 - 21:30: Noise to Vibrato - si kau/pubalova\n[https://www.mediamatic.net/en/page/393232/sikau-pubalova]\n (Exhibition/Performance)\n20:00 - 21:30: A Slime Mold Workshop - Ringailė Demšytė (Workshop)\n20:00 - 22:30: Multispecies Karaoke - Niek Hilkmann\n[ https://www.mediamatic.net/en/page/393550/niek-hilkmann] and Mathijs van\n Oosterhoudt [https://www.mediamatic.net/en/page/393552/mathijs-van-oosterh oudt]\n(Interactive Installation)\n\n\nPROGRAMME\n\n\nARE YOU A FEEDER?\n\ nby Thijs de Zeeuw [https://www.mediamatic.net/en/page/378522/thijs-de-zee uw] in\ncollaboration with Jolanda Verspagen\n[https://www.mediamatic.net/ en/people/jolanda-verspagen] and The Gramounce\n[https://www.thegramounce. com/about]\n\nTaking place in the Barn\, this talk brings together partici pants from The\nGramounce’s Alt Food and Art Master for their first-year r esidency at\nMediamatic. Organized by landscape architect Thijs de Zeeuw a nd joined by\naquatic biologist Jolanda Verspagen\, the event dives into h ow eating defines us\nas animals. We eat to survive\, to transform\, to me et\, to share\, and even to\nconsume one another. Food often serves as a t ool of control and affection in our\nrelationships with other species\; we feed ducks in parks\, design feeders for\ngarden birds\, pamper our pets\ , and leave waste that helps rats thrive. Through\nfeeding\, we select who we care for and who we ignore\, yet we almost never feed\nthe fish. This afternoon\, we gather to search for the love of fish and uncover\nthe feed er within ourselves. Do you experience affection or discomfort when you\nf eed another creature?\n\nGuests are invited to bring something they would like to share with the fish as\nwe explore these questions over talks and bites\, joining together to make odd\nkin.\n\nEnlarge\n[https://www.mediam atic.net/image/2026/8/3/5.png%28%29%28FC025A5C41CDD38D450428EFEA5CCD2C%29. jpg]\nhttps://www.mediamatic.net/en/page/393610/thijs-de-zeeuw-photo-archi ves\n\nThijs de Zeeuw photo archives -\n[https://www.mediamatic.net/image/ 2026/8/3/5.png%28%29%28FC025A5C41CDD38D450428EFEA5CCD2C%29.jpg]\n\n\n\n\nS EAWEED BECOMINGS\n\nby Salicornia Studio\n[https://www.mediamatic.net/en/p age/392700/salicornia-studio] in collaboration\nwith TestTafel\n\nFederico Rizzo came to Mediamatic to study the diet of the species living\nbeneath the waterline in the Oosterdok area. The residency culminates in a\nspeci al tasting centered around Seaweed Becomings\, a sculptural installation a nd\nperformative dining experience created in collaboration with TestTafel . At its\ncenter sits a hand-cast table and seating crafted from lime mort ar\, sand dredged\nfrom the adjacent canal\, local algae\, and urban sedim ent\, bringing a material\nrecord of the Amsterdam waterways directly into the cultural space.\n\nThis tasting experience is entirely vegan. A full collaborative dinner with\nTestTafel will also take place on the same day starting at 17:00 (more\ninformation coming soon).\n\nEnlarge\n[https://ww w.mediamatic.net/image/2025/4/7/exhibition_setup_photo_by_anastasija_mass_ multispecies_dinner_by_federico_rizzo.jpg%28%29%28141F6B90FBF744E32BD1979B 98C61028%29.jpg]\nhttps://www.mediamatic.net/en/page/392180/exhibition-set up-multispecies-dinner-by-federico-rizzo_2024\n\nExhibition-setup-Multispe cies-Dinner-by-Federico-Rizzo_2024 -\nphoto-by-Anastasija-Mass\n[https://w ww.mediamatic.net/image/2025/4/7/exhibition_setup_photo_by_anastasija_mass _multispecies_dinner_by_federico_rizzo.jpg%28%29%28141F6B90FBF744E32BD1979 B98C61028%29.jpg]\n\n\n\n\nEMBODYING THE WILLOW ECOSYSTEM\n\nby Anđela Zor a Brnas\n[https://www.mediamatic.net/en/page/393441/an%C4%91ela-zora-brnas ]\n\nEmbodying the Willow Ecosystem is a performance and workshop led by a rtist\nAndela as part of her ongoing research at Mediamatic.\n\nGrounded i n the philosophy of the willow ecosystem\, Andela has built a space at\nou r tumulus dedicated to interspecies care\, reclaiming a portion of our gro unds\nand extending it outward toward the road. Her project\, Multispecies Basket\, aims\nto rekindle curiosity for human-ecosystemic imaginaries an d foster caring\,\ninterspecies relations while critically challenging and "composting" dominant\nanthropocentric hierarchies. Guided by the wisdom of local Dutch willow trees\,\nthe project explores how species\, habitats \, crafts\, design\, seasons\, and stories\nare deeply entangled.\n\nJoin us to weave a massive collective structure\, connecting with the surroundi ng\necosystem and embodying interspecies care through the art of living cr aft.\n\nEnlarge\n[https://www.mediamatic.net/image/2026/6/10/willow3.png%2 8%29%28AF773D828158509CFCA0A1AF9F505A59%29.jpg]\nhttps://www.mediamatic.ne t/en/page/393446/crafting-interspecies-care---photo\n\nCrafting Interspeci es Care - Photo -\n[https://www.mediamatic.net/image/2026/6/10/willow3.png %28%29%28AF773D828158509CFCA0A1AF9F505A59%29.jpg]\n\n\n\n\nA SLIME MOLD WO RKSHOP\n\nby Ringailė Demšytė\n\nWhat happens when you let a living organi sm design type? How can non-human\norganisms become part of the creative p rocess? Join this hands-on workshop in\nour Border Lab as Ringailė introdu ces you to the world of Physarum polycephalum\nalso known as slime mould a nd its use within experimental design\, bioart\, and\nvisual research.\n\n Enlarge\n[https://www.mediamatic.net/image/2026/7/31/ezgif_34c3967cb7b87b8 e.gif%28%29%28AD981CCC6D77A99D496BB1908EF12BA5%29.gif]\nhttps://www.mediam atic.net/en/page/393591/meaning-emerges-at-the-edge---ringail%C4%97-dem%C5 %A1yt%C4%97\n\nMeaning emerges at the edge - Ringailė Demšytė -\n[https:// www.mediamatic.net/image/2026/7/31/ezgif_34c3967cb7b87b8e.gif%28%29%28AD98 1CCC6D77A99D496BB1908EF12BA5%29.gif]\n\n\n\n\nMULTISPECIES KARAOKE\n\nby N iek Hilkmann [https://www.mediamatic.net/en/page/393550/niek-hilkmann] and \nMathijs van Oosterhoudt\n[https://www.mediamatic.net/en/page/393552/math ijs-van-oosterhoudt]\n\nSing\, howl\, or quack along with the multispecies karaoke. The Multispecies\nKaraoke will make you feel like a different cr eature. The system uses images and\nsounds to help you imitate other anima ls\, such as wolves\, frogs\, and starlings.\nHow good are you at being no n-human?\n\nThis karaoke is a piece of interactive software\, which visual izes animal calls\nand songs as lyrics and spectograms\, and tracks your i mitation of them. Up to\ntwo users can sing in a microphone at the same ti me\, and work together to get\nthe best score. We've been adding features and new animals to the project for a\nlittle over a year now. The prototyp e of the work has been shown at places such\nas Creative Coding Utrecht\, Natuurhistorisch Museum Rotterdam and the Vroege\nVogels Festival.\n\nEnla rge\n[https://www.mediamatic.net/image/2026/8/3/4.png%28%29%288F8344E2890D 957BF9AD89BE11E4179A%29.jpg]\nhttps://www.mediamatic.net/en/page/393609/mu ltispecies-karaoke---screenshot\n\nMultispecies Karaoke - screenshot -\n[h ttps://www.mediamatic.net/image/2026/8/3/4.png%28%29%288F8344E2890D957BF9A D89BE11E4179A%29.jpg]\n\n\n\n\nNOISE TO VIBRATO\n\nby sikau/pubalova [http s://www.mediamatic.net/en/page/393232/sikau-pubalova]\n\nFollowing a month on view at Mediamatic\, noise to vibrato by sikau/půbalová\,\nAmos Peled\ , and Denis Połec closes with an interactive finissage. Visitors are\ninvi ted into our Haptic Lab to directly engage with a living\, soft-bodied\nin stallation that wrinklingly ages and sounds from within. You can kneel bes ide\,\nsit with\, or hold its tactile membranes\, tending to the autonomou s body while\nlistening through touch. By resting bone-conducting speakers against your chin\,\ninternal peristaltic movements and metabolic sounds transmit directly as\nphysical vibrations through the bones of your face. Experience an inversion of\nnoise-canceling technology\, where normally ig nored bodily noises become a live\,\nshared signal for one final day.\n\nE nlarge\n[https://www.mediamatic.net/image/2026/4/11/portrait_classic.jpg%2 8%29%280B9F017B7EEE4A36FD701B08BE105B01%29.jpg]\nhttps://www.mediamatic.ne t/en/page/393233/profile-photo-of-sikau-pubalova\n\nProfile photo of sikau /pubalova - Photo Credits: Vojtech Veskrna\, Kunsthalle\nPraha\n[https://w ww.mediamatic.net/image/2026/4/11/portrait_classic.jpg%28%29%280B9F017B7EE E4A36FD701B08BE105B01%29.jpg]\n\nWith: sikau/pubalova [https://www.mediama tic.net/en/page/393232/sikau-pubalova]\n\n\n\nQuestions? Feel free to reac h out to: program@mediamatic.nl\n\nThis event is made possible thanks to t he support of:\n\nEnlarge\n[https://www.mediamatic.net/image/2026/3/9/fond sen_symposium-641471545.png%28%29%28F8171F2063102678C4DE0BA002EE126C%29.jp g]\nhttps://www.mediamatic.net/en/page/393091/fondsen-2026\n\nfondsen 2026 -\n[https://www.mediamatic.net/image/2026/3/9/fondsen_symposium-641471545 .png%28%29%28F8171F2063102678C4DE0BA002EE126C%29.jpg]\n\n URL:https://offbeat.amsterdam/event/they-are-watching-us GEO:52.3765012;4.9132763 LOCATION:Mediamatic - Dijksgracht 6\, 1019 BS Amsterdam STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:amsterdam-centrum,dinner,eastern docklands,exhibition,experiment al,festivals,food,live,performance,stories,talk,vegan,workshop X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

When a bird sounds an alarm, when a mosquit o tracks our heat, or when a forest registers our passage, nature's survei llance completely bypasses our social constructs. We typically view survei llance as a one-way street, from human to non-human. Yet, this creates a p rofound blind spot by ignoring how intensely we are monitored in return.

Who is really watching whom?

Join us as we close our third re sidency period for an evening of tasting, touching, and embodying the livi ng habitats around us!

Tickets | RSVP

Visi tor Information

Tickets | Free Ent rance Event - RSVP

Program Timeline:

18:30 - 19:00: Doors open
19:00 - 20:00: Are you a feeder? - Thijs de Zeeuw, Jolanda Verspagen and The Gramounce (T alk)
20:00 - 21:30: Seaweed Becomings - Salicornia Studio (Tasting/Spatial Installation)
20:00 - 21:30: Embodying the Willow Ecosystem - Andela Zora Brnas (Perfo rmance)
20:00 - 21:30: Noise to Vibrato - sikau/pubalova (Exhibit ion/Performance)
20:00 - 21:30: A Slime Mold Workshop - Ringai lė Demšytė (Workshop)
20:00 - 22:30: Multispecies Karaoke - Niek Hilkmann and Mathijs van Oosterhoudt (Interactive Installation)

Programme

Are you a feeder ?

by Thijs de Zeeuw in collaboration with Jolanda Verspagen and The Gramounce< /p>

Taking place in the Barn, this talk brings together participants fr om The Gramounce’s Alt Food and Art Master for their first-year residency at Mediamatic. Organized by landscape architect Thijs de Zeeuw and joined by aquatic biologist Jolanda Verspagen, the event dives into how eating de fines us as animals. We eat to survive, to transform, to meet, to share, a nd even to consume one another. Food often serves as a tool of control and affection in our relationships with other species; we feed ducks in parks , design feeders for garden birds, pamper our pets, and leave waste that h elps rats thrive. Through feeding, we select who we care for and who we ig nore, yet we almost never feed the fish. This afternoon, we gather to sear ch for the love of fish and uncover the feeder within ourselves. Do you ex perience affection or discomfort when you feed another creature?

Gu ests are invited to bring something they would like to share with the fish as we explore these questions over talks and bites, joining together to m ake odd kin.

Enlarge

Thijs de Zeeuw photo archive s -

Seaweed Becomings

by Salicornia Studio in collaboration with TestTafel

Federico R izzo came to Mediamatic to study the diet of the species living beneath th e waterline in the Oosterdok area. The residency culminates in a special t asting centered around Seaweed Becomings, a sculptural installati on and performative dining experience created in collaboration with TestTa fel. At its center sits a hand-cast table and seating crafted from lime mo rtar, sand dredged from the adjacent canal, local algae, and urban sedimen t, bringing a material record of the Amsterdam waterways directly into the cultural space.

This tasting experience is entirely vegan. A full collaborative dinner with TestTafel will also take place on the same day starting at 17:00 (more information coming soon).

Enlarge

Exhibition-setup-Multispeci es-Dinner-by-Federico-Rizzo_2024 - photo-by-Anastasija-Mass

Embodying the Willow Ecosystem

by Anđela Zora Brnas

Embodying the Willow Ecosystem is a performance and workshop led by artist Andela as part of her ongoing re search at Mediamatic.

Grounded in the philosophy of the willow ecos ystem, Andela has built a space at our tumulus dedicated to interspecies c are, reclaiming a portion of our grounds and extending it outward toward t he road. Her project, Multispecies Basket, aims to rekindle curio sity for human-ecosystemic imaginaries and foster caring, interspecies rel ations while critically challenging and "composting" dominant anthropocent ric hierarchies. Guided by the wisdom of local Dutch willow trees, the pro ject explores how species, habitats, crafts, design, seasons, and stories are deeply entangled.

Join us to weave a massive collective structu re, connecting with the surrounding ecosystem and embodying interspecies c are through the art of living craft.

Enlarge

Crafting Interspecies Care - Photo -

A Slime Mold Workshop

by Ringailė Demšytė

What h appens when you let a living organism design type? How can non-human organ isms become part of the creative process? Join this hands-on workshop in o ur Border Lab as Ringailė introduces you to the world of Physarum poly cephalum also known as slime mould and its use within experimental de sign, bioart, and visual research.

Enlarge

Mean ing emerges at the edge - Ringailė Demšytė -

Mu ltispecies Karaoke

by Niek Hilkmann and Mathijs van Oosterhoudt

Sing, howl, or quack along with the multispecies karaoke. The Multispecies Karaoke wil l make you feel like a different creature. The system uses images and soun ds to help you imitate other animals, such as wolves, frogs, and starlings . How good are you at being non-human?

This karaoke is a piece of i nteractive software, which visualizes animal calls and songs as lyrics and spectograms, and tracks your imitation of them. Up to two users can sing in a microphone at the same time, and work together to get the best score. We've been adding features and new animals to the project for a little ov er a year now. The prototype of the work has been shown at places such as Creative Coding Utrecht, Natuurhistorisch Museum Rotterdam and the Vroege Vogels Festival.

Enlarge

Multispecies Karaok e - screenshot -

Noise to Vibrato

by sikau/pubalova

Following a month on view at Mediam atic, noise to vibrato by sikau/půbalová, Amos Peled, and Denis P ołec closes with an interactive finissage. Visitors are invited into our H aptic Lab to directly engage with a living, soft-bodied installation that wrinklingly ages and sounds from within. You can kneel beside, sit with, o r hold its tactile membranes, tending to the autonomous body while listeni ng through touch. By resting bone-conducting speakers against your chin, i nternal peristaltic movements and metabolic sounds transmit directly as ph ysical vibrations through the bones of your face. Experience an inversion of noise-canceling technology, where normally ignored bodily noises become a live, shared signal for one final day.

Enlarge

Profile photo of sikau/pubalova - Phot o Credits: Vojtech Veskrna, Kunsthalle Praha

With: sikau/pubalova

Questions? Feel free to reach out to: program@mediamatic.nl

This event is made possible thanks to the support of:

Enlarge

fondsen 2026 - < /p>

BEGIN:VALARM ACTION:DISPLAY DESCRIPTION:They Are Watching Us TRIGGER:-PT1H END:VALARM END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR