Help Me Make A Scene In The Netherlands!

As many of you will know I, along with my partner Cameron, am moving to the Netherlands. We are moving because I have been offered a place at HKU Utrecht, to study towards a Master of Fine Arts degree in Scenography, a course that is not offered anywhere in Australia or New Zealand.

What is scenography? The short and very simplified answer is the study and creation of spaces; spaces for performances to happen in, and spaces that are themselves performances. It is much more than this, but that’s the answer Cameron gives people. I have been interested in scenography since I discovered it during my Honours studies in Dunedin, and at HKU I will be studying at one of the largest art and culture-oriented organisations in Europe. I applied with a thesis topic focused on exploring the effects of texture within experiential performances (where the audience get to physically interact with the performance). However, in this course I will have the amazing luxury to spend the whole first year simply playing, researching, and exploring, to decide if I do want to do this topic, or maybe something completely different that I find on the way!

I believe the Lonely Planet description makes it pretty clear why I am so excited to be doing this Masters in The Netherlands: “If something doesn't exist, the Dutch will design it, build it, manufacture it, recycle it, craft it, launch it (the Netherlands is one of the world's hottest start-up hubs) and make it a reality. There's a sense that anything's possible here (and it invariably is).” Where better to be doing a degree in design and exploring my own imagination?!

Obviously moving to Europe is something that I am very excited about, but it is also a really big undertaking. We need to get there, and then we need to establish ourselves in a new country, and all of this will cost money. We are both extremely fortunate in that we have dual UK/NZ citizenships and very supportive family, but we are making a very big dent in our mutual savings to make this happen. And that is why we are asking you for some help.

Money raised here will go mainly towards paying the course fees (approximately 6500 NZD for both years), the first year of which I need to pay before I can formally accept the offered place! This will allow us to use our savings for the other costs involved in getting set up in a completely new country; insurance, travel, accommodation, etc.

This is an incredible opportunity for me, and I am excited to be making this move to further my education in a field that I love, with someone who is as excited about the move as I am. Thank you all for helping to make this move easier for us.