Call for projects about unmaking

Artist Inari Nishiki, 38cc and Crossing Parallels are collaborating in the exhibition and concept store (un)making it happen opening mid-February in the city centre of Delft. We are looking for projects (objects, concepts, products, processes, performances) that can be part of this exhibition and showcased there.

In 2024, we live in an age where we have increasing access to materials with precise technical specifications, yet we face decreasing demand for material production due to climate concerns. To navigate through a polycrisis, simply aiming for more production is no longer the answer; instead, the opposite approach—"how can you creatively avoid production?"—must be urgently pursued.

Avoiding production here does not mean merely increasing the efficiency of producing a certain material or item, but rather questioning its raison d'être. Consider whether it’s possible to refrain from engaging with materials or objects altogether, instead of actively participating in their creation. The concept of (un)making differs from reuse or upcycling in this sense. Rather than a logistical approach that attempts to allocate goods to predefined points of consumption, why not reconsider your own position and the very conception of these articles?

In this open call, we are seeking underdeveloped products and concepts that move in the opposite direction of mere production. An example of an (un)made object could be an energy drink created from a harmful invasive plant, biologically sourced from a designated area in the Netherlands.

We would like to offer you a monetary contribution of 500 euros to complete your product or concept, along with supervision from Japanese artist and (un)making advocate Yoshinari Nishiki, as well as curators from the Delft gallery 38CC.