An Unofficial Guide to Things to Do in Noord-Brabant in between Roadburn shows

Roadburn 2011 is approaching! By now you have undoubtedly spent way too much time studying the running order and agonizing over your must-see list for the festival. Relax, when you are in the thick of it, formal plans usually get thrown out the window and you tap into your own personal Roadburn vibe.

But what about the hours before the sensory overload of fantastic live music gets underway each day? The province of Noord-Brabant has some interesting museums and art spaces. If you are interested in visiting an exhibit or two while you are in town for the festival, allow me to share a few suggestions:

In Tilburg, you can get an up close look at a selection of Roadburn-flavored portraits by photographer Ester Segarra in Beyond the Road, an exhibition hosted by Gust van Dijk: Home to Contemporary Art. Born in Barcelona and currently based in London, Segarra has shot many musicians who have played Roadburn in the past including 2010 guest curator Tom G Warrior, Cathedral and Electric Wizard. She has also captured this year’s guest curators Sunn O))) and featured artists including Swans’ Michael Gira and Pentagram’s Bobby Liebling. The presentation space is located around the corner and down the street from the 013 at Tivolistraat 22.

Venture to another side of Tilburg and have an Alice in Wonderland experience at the De Pont museum of contemporary art walking among the giant table and chairs and other works featured in the current Robert Therrien exhibition. The exhibition also includes the debut of his new installation Transparent Room.

Staying in Den Bosch? Chances are if you are coming to Roadburn you have works by the city’s most famous son in your record collection. Visit the Jheronimus Bosch Art Centre and get better acquainted with the man behind the covers of your Into the Pandemonium, Aion and Deep Purple III albums. The centre also offers a stunning view of the beautiful medieval city. Tip: Look for the black signs with gold letters around the city to help you find the Bosch Art Centre.

While you are in Den Bosch, you might want to seize the opportunity to visit the Noordbrabant Museum before it closes for major renovations. The current Fantastic Flemings – Modernism and Our Southern Neighbours 1865 – 1960 exhibition offers a tour of Belgian modernism with works by 50 Flemish artists that have never before been shown together in the Netherlands. Tip: visit the café for a coffee and a Bossche bol, the city’s famous ultra-rich chocolate-covered cream-filled pastry for a decadent pastry experience unlike any other.

Staying in Eindhoven during Roadburn? The city’s MU artspace is hosting The New Psychedelica, an exhibit featuring various contemporary works of art inspired by the overload of imagery that surrounds us and the technology that permeates our lives.

MU is located in downtown Eindhoven at Emmasingel 20 in the iconic Witte Dame building that also houses the city’s library. It is less than a 10-minute walk from the train station, and is within easy walking distance of various hotels and hostels, too. Tip: Next door to MU, the library café De Verlichting serves good coffee, which you can enjoy on site or order to go.

Staying in Breda? The Netherlands has always been a wellspring of graphic design talent, including the local artists who have shaped Roadburn’s visual style over the years. Learn more about the country’s achievements in graphic design at Breda’s Graphic Design Museum. In addition to the permanent exhibit 100 Years of Dutch Graphic Design, the museum’s current temporary exhibits include UnCOVERing Women, which examines how women have been depicted in various women’s magazines throughout the years, and Connecting the Past and Future, which explores the history and future of graphic image culture.

Breda is also home to lesser-known attractions including The Beer Advertising Museum. According to the highly enthusiastic website, admission is free but apparently the museum is only open on Sunday from 11am – 11pm. Stop by on your way to the Afterburner.

What else is there to do in between Roadburn shows? Catching up on sleep is one option. Visiting Tilburg’s Frietboetiek (Heuvelstraat 3) for a big cone of friet is a perennially popular Roadburn pastime. Fries or chips, call them what you will but try something besides ketchup on them. Hanging out on restaurant row around the corner from the 013 is always fun, too. It’s great for people watching and perfect for an impromptu game of ‘Count the…’ In 2010 it was ‘Count the Ulver Hoodies’; in 2009 it was ‘Count the St. Vitus Tats.’

For 2011, I’m thinking Voivod t-shirt poker. To familiarize yourself with some of the possible cards, have a look here. Granted, it’s all still very much in the planning stages, but so far I’ve got three Korgulls plus two shirts for the same Voivod album is a full house. However, three Korgulls plus two European tour shirts for any Voivod album trumps that. Spotting a series of five different Voivod shirts that starts with either War & Pain or Infini and includes the four subsequent or preceding albums is a royal flush. Does a pair of Dimension Hatröss beat a pair of Negatrons? Is the Angel Rat wild? Like I said, still in the planning stages…back into my hypercube I go -Leslie Hadlock.

 

Tags: De Pont, Ester Segarra, Graphic Design Museum, Gust van Dijk, Jheronimus Bosch Art Centre, MU artspace, Roadburn, Roadburn 2011, Roadburn Festival, Roadburn Festival 2011

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 6th, 2011 at 10:47 pm and is filed under 2011, Festival News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.