PROTO

PROTO is STRP's community space in Eindhoven. It is a physical space for experiment, process, and discovery. Our prototype philosophy: creating, testing, failing, trying again, sharing new insights, glitches and unexpected discoveries. It is a place that functions as a meeting place, incubator, workspace and stage.

At PROTO, the unpolished is embraced. Searching is not a weakness here, but part of the process. PROTO's philosophy revolves around creating an open space to build, test, fail, share and start again. We explore the future by creating, testing and talking, from cutting-edge tech to old-school tools and everything in between.

PROTO is for young creatives who want to develop their practice and connect with others, from makers and designers to artists, technicians and organisers. PROTO combines different functions. It is an accessible workplace where ideas become real, a stage where work in progress is shared with the public and a living lab where disciplines meet, and new collaborations emerge.

PROTO is not a destination, but a stop along the way. A third space between school, work, home, the bar and the stage. A playground for first ideas.

Programme

PROTO Sessions

Would you like to learn a new skill or develop yourself professionally as a creator? During PROTO Sessions you’ll work hands-on. Together with professional artists and other creative community platforms, we organise workshops and training sessions where you’ll learn techniques and ideas and apply them directly to your own work.

These include creative coding, lighting design, zine making, urban foraging, DIY synth building, project mapping, and co-creation sessions. You will learn by doing, together with others, and build your own practice.

Community events

PROTO is defined by the people who are part of it. That is why we invite creators, collectives and initiators to organise themselves within PROTO. In Eindhoven, there is little space for creative experimentation, even though there are many ideas that deserve a place. PROTO provides that space. The space is an accessible and inclusive environment where experimentation, encounters, and dialogue are central.

PROTO offers the space free of charge for initiatives, including basic technical equipment and light production support where necessary. As an organiser, you are responsible for the concept, realisation, promotion, and build-up and dismantling.

Through these events, PROTO is building a place that is supported by the community. A place where ideas don't just stay in your head, but are given the space to emerge and grow.

Want to organise something yourself at PROTO?
Would you like to organise an event, create an exhibition with your collective, test or present your graduation project, come and work in the space, or do you have another great idea for PROTO? Send us your proposal!

Criteria
The programme should meet several of the criteria listed below, but does not need to meet all of them:

• Target audience: the programme primarily targets young people aged 18–30 with an interest in art, music, multimedia and technology.

• Connection to the PROTO / STRP DNA: the programme fits with a critically optimistic, creative, experimental and future-oriented approach to art, technology and society.

• Experimental and research-based: the initiative includes a hands-on or experimental component, such as artistic research, new techniques, prototyping or creative exploration.

• Inclusive and accessible: the initiative takes into account diversity in perspectives and backgrounds and is accessible in terms of language, form, price and setting.

• Collective experience: the programme creates a shared experience, centred on doing, learning or creating together.

• Interactive and participatory: the programme encourages active participation through workshops, experimenting, co-creation or other participatory forms, rather than passive consumption.

• Community: the programme encourages encounters, knowledge-sharing and connections between young people, creators, collectives and visitors.
  

What do we offer?

• 65m²

• A bar with a sink and a fridge (you are responsible for your own groceries)

• Coffee and tea facilities (you are responsible for your own groceries)

• Projector and screen

• Speakers

• tables (each for 4 people)

• 30 chairs

• Internet

• Production support

• Opening hours from 09:00 to 00:00

You can apply via proto@strpl.nl by submitting a draft proposal (maximum 2 A4 pages), taking into account the conditions and possibilities of the space.