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© Piet Vranckx
ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE
JAMES WILLIAMS / MUSICIAN
James (1983)began his music career at the very young age of 6 years in south Georgia. He tested other instruments but settled on drums as his main interest. When his family moved to Monterey, CA, he joined the jazz band at his local high school. His playing quickly developed and he went on to Berklee College of Music in Boston. In Belgium, Williams received his Master’s degree at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp in Belgium.
Williams endorses Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks, Fat Congas and Swan Percussion.
James tours in North America, Europe and Asia. He’s made a career performing music with artists spanning several genres, both onstage and in the recording studio. He has been cast in Off-Broadway theater in New York City and to London’s West End production of Close to You: Bacharach Reimagined. 
Nowdays he plays with Amos Lee, Emily King en TheColor Grey.
BRAM VAN WEVERBERG / MUSICIAN
Bram (1992) studied accordion at the Royal Conservatory in Antwerp and also studied folk and jazz music.
He plays in various ensembles and styles. With Triunfal Quintet he brings music by Astor Piazzolla with concerts in Belgium and the Netherlands. Last year he started a series of intimate house concerts where he performs classical and contemporary accordion music.
With guitarist Inti De Maet he brings fresh arrangements of world and jazz music where improvisation plays an important role. In folk group The Quest he replaced accordionist Jeroen Laureyssens two years ago and has since then stayed there.
Bram played for several years in the accordion ensemble Voce d'Oro conducted by Eddy Flecijn.
Bram also teaches accordion and is regularly involved in the art educational projects of De Veerman.
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© Bart Van der Moeren
KRISTOF VAN GESTEL / VISUAL ARTIST
Kristof Van Gestel (1976) is a visual artist and teacher at KASK, School of Arts of HOGENT and Howest. For him, making art is a method of exploring and 'inhabiting' the world and the various relationships we have with it as individuals. Active experience, serendipity, improvisation and reflection play an important creative role. This applies to the participants as well as the artist.
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It is precisely for this reason that Kristof has been developing participatory and experiential art projects and workshops for 10 years. As part of long hybrid practice projects, co-creations, participations and/or workshops alternate with the creation of books, exhibitions and texts. In these practices he researches and questions - together with numerous participants - the place and function of art in the world, methods of collaboration and new forms of authorship, spectatorship and usership. Examples are Idiosyncratic Machine (S.M.A.K. Ghent, Ape Gent), Vormfrakken (Manoeuvre Ghent, Kunstwerkt Gent, Kaaitheater Brussel), Mascot Gallery (Cultuurhuis de Warande Turnhout), End to End (with Performing objects by Enough Room for Space Brussels, Private Tag Raversyde), De Collective Collection (Cultuurhuis de Warande and Erfgoed Noorderkempen Turnhout),...
By turning spectators into active participants, they create pleasure and amazement - rather than admiration.
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As a former artist in residence at De Veerman, he is part of De Veerman family and regularly to be found in this house. He also collaborates often with Silk Print studio Gezeever. These friendships led to projects such as Familie (STUK Leuven), Vormdrukkers and much more.
He is already well known in the Summer Academy: as a participant, artist in residence and coach.
PIET VRANCKX / PHOTOGRAPHER
Piet Vranckx (1943) started photography at the age of 16 with his grandfather's 6x9 folding camera. A few years later he followed courses in photography at the NDJ (National Service for Youth, led by Guus Bal).
In 1970 he moved to Brussels to study photography at Sint-Lukas. A year later he was part of the opening of Destelheide and worked there as a freelancer for DACEB (Service for Animation, Creative Expression and Guidance, under the direction of Guus Bal) until 1986. In addition, he taught at Group T in Leuven, the Academy in Anderlecht and at the HONIM university college in Brussels (later merged by Sint-Lucas Gent). He was also a guest lecturer for a few years for a month at the Dartington College of Arts in England. Since 2012 he also participates in the Summer Academy.
Piet experienced a great evolution in photography: from the purely technical representation of the subject to a more subjective way of approaching it: each photographer/artist was supposed to use his form of expression from his individual personality. There were also links between the various forms of expression, both in terms of content and form.
In his approach Piet allows the subject to speak to him through its form and its being. This is followed by his interaction through his personal individuality and photographic baggage, creating a subjective design.