Master Lab: ULTRA CREATIVITY: dive into the minds of ultra creative people

Are you someone in the design or fashion field with an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for pushing creative boundaries and exploring diverse perspectives? If so, we've got an exciting opportunity for you! Join us for our upcoming Master Lab event on ULTRA CREATIVITY on Tuesday, May 14, in collaboration with the City of Antwerp, where creativity takes centre stage.

During this event, we'll dive deep into captivating stories that celebrate creativity in all its forms. From groundbreaking designs to innovative approaches, we'll explore how various creative disciplines can inspire and influence each other across industries. It's an opportunity to learn from one another, analyse successful strategies and stimulate new ideas. So, mark your calendar and get ready to be inspired!

Creatives Joffrey Anane, Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe, Tom Van Der Borght, and Shayli Harrison will captivate us with inspiring stories and a dynamic discussion to round off the evening with Ruth Goossens.

After the talks, you'll have the chance to connect with fellow attendees to brew some new ideas and create valuable connections. By the time you head home, you'll be overflowing with inspiration from the exceptional stories you've heard and the fresh perspectives you've gained.

Sprekers

• ‘'The multidisciplinary journey of Joffke'’ - Joffrey Anane

Joffrey Anane is a renowned professional dancer, choreographer, and actor. He has performed in various theater productions, including 'Aangenaam Ik ben Ish' and 'Come On Feet', as well as the Disney musical 'Beauty And The Beast'. Recently, he has been touring with Lefto. Joffrey won the Red Bull Dance Your Style 2021 competition and represented our country in South Africa in late 2022. He also organizes jams, workshops, and creations for young people, both individually and through his art collection Osei Bantu. During the lockdown, his online comedy sketches 'Afro Belg' went viral and were developed into a popular online fiction series. Joffrey's insightful questions on 'De Slimste Mens Ter Wereld' earned him a spot on the jury panel of 'Dancing With The Stars'. In 2023, he served as a curator and resident at the KMSKA Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp. More recently he created a capsule fashion collection with Bristol.

• ‘IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, MAKE IT WORSE’ - Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe (Toneelhuis)

Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe is a director, performer, singer and co-artistic leader of the Antwerp city-theatre Toneelhuis. He makes contemporary visual and music performances with a strong connection to repertoire, such as ballet and opera. He sees theatre as an echo chamber in which old and new forms coexist. He has made 'connecting' his artistic practice: his work builds bridges between genres, art movements, artists and audiences. He navigates between different international art-circuits such as concerts, fashion shows, opera, electronic music and experimental theatre.

• ‘Artistic Recipe’ - Tom Van der Borght

The Belgian artist and fashion designer Tom Van der Borght, boldly navigates the intersection of art, fashion and performance. His work challenges the notion of traditional beauty with a maximalist approach. In 2020 Tom won the Grand Prix du Jury at the 35th Festival Internationale de La Mode de Hyères. Today he regularly designs scenographies for exhibitions and costumes for theater companies, next to working for his namesake fashion label. Tom will be talking about his own artistic recipe containing non-normativity, identity, and the power of art to inspire transformation.

• ‘ Future Visions’ - Shayli Harrison (MUTANI)

The Australian-born designer Shayli Harrison graduated from the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 2018. Today she is the Founder and Creative Director of MUTANI, a virtual-to-reality fashion brand building valuable partnerships with game publishers to translate fandoms, favourite characters and popular titles into tech-enhanced digi-physical fashion merchandise. Shayli will be speaking on her career transition from traditional to digital fashion, her growth as an entrepreneur and how both have shaped her creative process and views on the evolution of creativity in the near future.

The evening closes off with a panel disccusion with all the speakers and Ruth Goossens as moderator.

• Ruth Goossens

Ruth Goossens is a journalist, communications expert and co-founder of REantwerp. She started at Marie Claire and has been editor-in-chief of Knack Weekend for the past seven years. For over 20 years, she has been offering creative people a stage. She also recently formed a creative tandem with designer Tim Van Steenbergen, together they started REantwerp, a social studio and fashion label.

Program

• 5:30pm: Welcome
• 6:00 pm: Introduction
• 6:05pm: Tom Van Der Borght
• 6:40pm: Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe
• 7:15pm: Shayli Harrison
• 7:45pm: Drinks
• 8:05pm: Joffrey Anane
• 8:40pm: Panel discussion moderated by Ruth Goossens // Q&A
• 9:20pm: Drinks & networking

For whom?

This event is aimed at both emerging and experienced designers, entrepreneurs and companies in the design and fashion, working for their own brand or for clients.

Practicalities

• This Master Lab will take place at DE STUDIO in Antwerp
• All talks will be in English
• The participation fee is 60 euros, excluding VAT and includes a copy of Between the lines, year magazine #6 from Flanders DC (valued at 10 euros).
• Registration is required.

With the support of the City of Antwerp