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acknowledgement
From 1980 through 1997 Het Apollohuis was a venue where new developments in
the arts were brought to the attention of an audience that had a special
interest in these matters, and of artists who wanted to develop their own
work in a dialogue with valued colleagues. The following views were basic to
the programming policy:
The contents of the different art forms will become more comprehensible,
when they are put forward in direct relation to each other. The art
disciplines develop in interaction with each other, and out of this
interaction new conceptions and art forms emerge. This is why Het Apollohuis
always presented music, sound art, new media, intermedia, etc. in addition
to visual art. The venue focused on spotting and drawing attention to new
developments in the arts.
The developments in media technology have led to the emergence of many new
media. It is self-evident that artists want to make use of this. This has
resulted in a wide range of new art forms: photography, film, sound film,
sound art, electro-acoustic music, video, computer art, etc. Most of these
new art forms are still fully in development. The emergence of the new media
has made it imperative for artists to keep choosing the medium that is best
suited to express what is put forward in each single work. The programming
policy was not based on preference for the new media, but on the perception
that it is important to choose that medium through which views can best be
expressed. The availability of new media, in addition to the more
traditional ones, requires a considered choice of media with respect to each
single work of art that is being made.
Het Apollohuis always wanted to call attention to the work of artists
because it considered the contents of that work to be significant.
In the three previous books reporting on the programme of Het Apollohuis
these principles have been presented extensively and in different ways.
These books reported on the activities from its founding in 1980 through
1985, on the programme from 1985 through 1990, and finally in a third book
covering the period from 1990 through 1995.
The present book will be the last to report on activities and events that
took place at Het Apollohuis, and on events and activities which Het
Apollohuis organised elsewhere on the request of other institutions inside
and outside the Netherlands, from September 1995 through 2001. It will pay
attention to activities that have come to an end because the national
government decided not to continue subsidizing Het Apollohuis. Now that the
curtain has fallen I don't wish to comment on the process that led to the
closure of Het Apollohuis.
This book features a selection from the reactions of artists and
institutions on the intention that the government had in 1992 to put an end
to its financial support. These reactions are testimony to the value that
many people who had been involved with Het Apollohuis, attached to its
activities. We deeply appreciated this.
The book also comprises several personal articles written in 1998 and 1999,
in which experts and people with a direct involvement describe the
significance of Het Apollohuis.
There is an index that enumerates all the artists who presented their work
in Het Apollohuis, and whose work was presented elsewhere by Het Apollohuis.
The cooperation projects with other institutions have been included in the
reports on activities.
Finally a list has been added of posters, art works in small editions, and
publications.
The report on the activities is complemented by the release of a double CD
with excerpts from 38 concerts that took place at Het Apollohuis. This album
gives an impression of the range of music and sound art that could be heard
there. It has been released as a companion to this publication. We think
that through these publications we offer readers and listeners an idea of
the significance that Het Apollohuis has had for the arts, enabling them to
judge that for themselves.
In the period that it was active as a venue Het Apollohuis built up a
comprehensive archive of photographs, slides, videos and sound recordings.
We are looking for a suitable repository in order to keep this material
accessible to those who are interested.
I want to thank everyone who supported Het Apollohuis throughout the years,
and thereby made it possible for us to contribute in our own way to the
development of the arts during the last two decades of the 20th century.
We want to extend our gratitude to all members of the board of Het
Apollohuis, who always saw it as their task to make possible what we wanted
to realize; to the institutions inside and outside the Netherlands with
which we collaborated; to the artists who made such enthusiastic use of the
opportunities that Het Apollohuis had to offer; to the assistants and
volunteers who worked with great commitment on the presentation of projects;
and to the audience, who have been a critical sounding-board throughout.
We have always considered it a privilege that we had the opportunity to play
an active and distinctive role in the art world supporting the artists. We
are grateful for the invaluable contacts and the friendship we encountered
on the way. From the very start I have seen Het Apollohuis as part of my
work. It played a central role in my development as an artist.
Paul Panhuysen, September 2002
from: Het Apollohuis 1995-2001
isbn: 90 71 638 28 6