We are submerged in slick, beautiful, highly produced creative work - in fashion, design and the arts. But perhaps even more inspirational than this are examples of ordinary people's creativity, which abounds in pieces ranging from cafe menus to flea-market brick-a-brack to funny emails. Their mundaneness makes them no less worthy of attention. After all, art inspires, regardless of whether it appears on a mantelpiece or a cinema screen. How much we appreciate a work of art is not dependent on whether it took a great number of man hours to create or was built on a Sunday afternoon. In fact, amateurism’s naïve passion often makes it of greater interest than “professional” work.

Which raises the question: what is professional and what is amateur? In January Erik Kessels, the fourth Artist in Residence to be associated with the Academy of Architecture and the research group Art Practice and Development of the Amsterdam University of the Arts, curates a celebration of amateurism. Kessels is the creative director of the communications agency KesselsKramer. As well as advertising, films, magazines and products, his company produces books and international exhibitions of amateur photography.

All lectures start at 20:00 hrs.
Admission: free, no reservation possible
Location: Academy of Architecture, Waterlooplein 211, Amsterdam

7 February 2008
Julian Germain [UK]
Photography
As well as continuing his own photographic practice, Julian Germain has worked extensively in Brazil developing photography with street children. As a photographer he is always looking for the borders of his discipline. Germain has published several important photography books and is an editor of the magazine Useful Photography. He has exhibited widely in Europe and America.

14 February 2008
Anthony Burrill [UK]
Illustration
Anthony Burrill's work is beautifully simple, naïve and often humorous. Campaigns and websites for London Underground, Diesel and Kraftwerk along with shows at Tate Modern and the Barbican help emphasize the pedigree of his work. Anthony's philosophies on photocopying, art, design and illustration are refreshing.
www.anthonyburrill.com

21 February 2008
Marti Guixé [Sp]
Design
Dedicated to inventing brilliantly simple ideas of a curious seriousness, Marti Guixe divides his time between his native Barcelona and Berlin. Dubbing himself an ex-designer, he designs products for Authentics and shoe shops for Camper as well as conceptual projects. As a 'product designer who hates objects' Marti Guixé faces something of a conundrum.
www.guixe.com

28 February 2008
Sean Griffiths [UK]
Architecture
Sean Griffiths is a director and co-founder of Fashion Architecture Taste Ltd. He has been the principal in charge of some of FAT's most important projects including the Blue House and KesselsKramer. Sean has considerable experience in housing design. He is responsible for the development of the Tanner Point housing project which has involved the sourcing of private finance initiatives and community and resident consultation.
www.fashionarchitecturetaste.com

6 March 2008
Dori Hadar [USA]
Art
On working days, Dori Hadar is a criminal investigator in Washington, D.C. On weekends, he scours secondhand stores and junk markets to expand his record collection. On one expedition he happened upon a treasure trove of albums by Mingering Mike, an imaginary soul superstar of the 1960s and 70s who released over 50 records in just 10 years.
www.mingeringmike.com

13 March
Robin Rimbaud [UK]
Music
Robin Rimbaud aka Scanner is a conceptual artist, writer, and musician working in London, whose works traverses the experimental terrain between sound, space, image and form. Since 1991 he has been intensely active in sonic art, producing concerts, installations and recordings. His albums are hailed by critics as innovative and inspirational works of contemporary electronic music.
www.scannerdot.com

20 March 2008
Jay Rosenblatt [USA]
Film
Jay Rosenblatt has been working as an independent filmmaker since 1980 and has completed twenty films and four videos. He is a recipient of a Guggenheim and a Rockefeller Fellowship. His films have received many awards and have screened throughout the world. His films explore our emotional and psychological cores.
www.jayrosenblattfilms.com