Antwerp Residency

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I was asked to participate to a design bootcamp in Antwerp, Belgium. Discover Antwerp Through Experience (D.A.T.E.) investigated how creative entrepreneurs shape the city and the city shapes them.

I was selected among thirteen creatives across Europe to explore the city’s creative scene and come up with a concept for an art book which would embody this experience, and our view of Antwerp’s creative flair.

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Through a series of meetups, creative think tanks, and guided city strolls, we teamed up with local artists, designers, and technologists to curate this shared point of view. We shared a day-time residency space, and attended night-time events, DJ sets and film screenings.

I was responsible for curating the design section of our art book, so I’ve set up the team with an inspiration and creative production plan to execute on our shared vision. The following spreads show the final result of this experience, with original artworks from a team of graphic designers, lettering and digital artists, in collaboration.

Being a residency sponsored by the municipality, the work was also designed to expose both the highlights and flaws of the cityscape. At the end of the program, we met with the local authority to explore the interplay between the city and its creative, entrepreneurial scene.

We explored ways to bring the outside community in Antwerp, the edges of gentrification, and the socio-economical shift from the city centre to industrial neighborhoods, doubling down on their role in shaping a more inclusive image of Antwerp.

This is Antwerp ART BOOK exposes some authentic city notes, and creative impressions of a small-but-perfectly-formed city with art and creativity at its heart. There are perceptions and interviews, profiles and insight. A true document of Antwerp’s inventiveness.

You will see Antwerp described through the medium of typeface (serif in the centre, sans at the edges, for those asking); meet an eco-warrior ‘pirate’ who runs kids’ workshops with a cutlass-edge of the adventurous to them; discover the story behind the Street Art Antwerp website and app; uncover the timeless elegance of iconic venues such as Graanmarkt 13 and Zaha Hadid’s Port House.

With each of its twists and turns into Antwerp’s fervent creative and entrepreneurial landscape, This is Antwerp ART BOOK provides detail and context. Exploring the future of lifestyle, mobility, consumption and work; and explores the city’s subcultures through the lens of inclusivity, empowerment, diversity and opportunity.