ADE Arts & Culture expands its program with new installations and performances

At Westerpark, the new ADE Lab Village and ADE Arts & Culture program come together in dialogue. While ADE Lab opens a space for young talent to explore music technology, production, and performance, the surrounding installations expand the lens to visual art and interdisciplinary experiments. From Wes Broersen’s circling light projections to Heleen Blanken and Daniel de Bruin’s kinetic sculptures and Cris Mollee’s explorations of AI, the park transforms into a landscape where artistic research and emerging talent intersect.

These ADE Arts & Culture installations within ADE Lab Village are all free of charge to visit.

Bijzon (‘Parhelion’) by Wes Broersen @ Westerpark

A parhelion, or ‘bijzon’ in Dutch, is a rare optical phenomenon where bright arcs of light appear around the sun. This atmospheric occurrence forms the basis for 'Bijzon', a networked light projection by audiovisual artist Wes Broersen across Westerpark. Using laser light from a symbolic central point, circles interconnect in shifting patterns that never repeat. Constantly breaking apart and reforming, the projections mirror the transient mystery of natural phenomena. Wes Broersen is a creative technologist who shapes space with sound and light, exploring perception across theatre, opera, dance, and installation work.

Heliotrope by Heleen Blanken & Daniel de Bruin @ Westerpark

'Heliotrope' is a kinetic installation inspired by the way plants orient themselves toward sunlight. Mechanically engineered mirrored blades reflect and refract light in perpetual motion, blurring the boundaries between natural rhythms and manufactured movements. Functioning as an artificial organism, the work responds to invisible flows of energy, offering a poetic reflection on organic and mechanical coexistence. Heleen Blanken and Daniel de Bruin are two Dutch artists working at the intersection of art, technology, and nature, and approach their work with an experimental and interdisciplinary mindset.

Human figure, diffused by Cris Mollee @ Westerpark

What do machines see when they look at us? Human figure, diffused explores how AI interprets the human body through pixels and skeletal data. Across four evolving chapters, it questions how algorithms classify identity. Interactive and unsettling, the installation sheds light on the limits of machine perception. Cris Mollee is a creative technologist who investigates digital embodiment through performance and interactive installations.

Low Jack presents Lacrimosa with Ensemble vocal Voix des Outre-mer @ Oude Kerk

'Lacrimosa' is a sonic meditation on grief and transformation. Drawing inspiration from Alice Coltrane’s 'Eternity' and the structure of the Requiem, Low Jack weaves together autobiographical elements with classical and popular archetypes. Performed on ADE Friday by Ensemble vocal Voix des Outre-mer, the piece unfolds across eight movements that mirror a solar cycle from dawn to dusk, tracing the storms and serenity of mourning. Deeply personal yet universal in scope, 'Lacrimosa' merges spirituality, narrative, and polyglot sound.

ADE x Wereldmuseum Amsterdam: Chinese Club Culture @ Wereldmuseum

Chinese club culture is increasingly shaping its own language, mixing traditional influences with global sounds and aesthetics. This special evening on ADE Saturday at the monumental Lichthal combines live performances, DJ sets, and a talk show on the future of Chinese nightlife and creativity. The program features Yu Su, SUNK, Tommy Hendriks, and Kexin Hao, hosted by Lin An Phoa, alongside a healing Chinese medicine cocktail and access to the new Made in China exhibition. The artists and speakers represent a new wave of Chinese club culture, building unique styles and pushing cultural cross-pollination beyond borders.

W139 x ADE: A Nightmare on Warmoes Street @ W139

Inside the immersive exhibition 'Temper Tantrum Bonehouse', three solo performances unfold in one night. Mette Sterre’s 'G-string Theory – Attempting to Rise' introduces a monstrous femme creature and a cyborg dog to destabilize power structures. In GRUNT, Diane Mahín tells stories through growling, twisting humor and trauma into shadowed dialogue. Artist G brings a text-driven performance that collages suburban fragments, mourning, rave memories, and raw humor. Together, the works expand the beyond-human body and its limitless potential

Same but Different @ Bitterzoet & Bar Bario

'Same but Different' is an international Hip Hop dance platform with editions in Rotterdam, Stockholm, and London. Its signature battle format centers on cyphers, celebrating individuality and raw exchange. This ADE edition combines a panel talk at Bar Bario on decolonization in the street dance community with a national and international battle line-up on ADE Sunday at Bitterzoet. The program is presented with Hiphophuis and Roots of the Fruits, and invites dancers, educators, and cultural workers to reflect on positioning, roles, and collective futures of Black Dance culture.

…Elk rondje is anders – Special 10 Years Edition @ Het Salon Sloterdijk

Lisette Ros revives her durational performance rooted in Gabber culture on ADE Thursday. In circles inspired by gymnasium courts once turned into rave spaces, she traces footprints marked in luminous paint, mapping invisible histories. For this tenth-anniversary edition, Ros adds new sound layers and attire, amplifying its trance-like intensity. The evening also includes a screening of Gabbers! (2013) by Wim van der Aar, followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker. Together, the works reflect on Dutch subcultural identity and the endurance of ritual.

The ADE Arts & Culture program will continue to expand in the weeks ahead, adding new collaborations and works across the city.