varia (Gouwstraat 3, Rotterdam) is a space for developing collective approaches to everyday technology. As varia members, we maintain and facilitate a collective infrastructure from which we generate questions, opinions, modifications, help and action. We work with free software, organise events and collaborate in different constellations. varia figures things out as they go, tries to keep notes, is multilingual, has open hours and can be contacted at info[@]varia.zone.
The command line is a textual interface for the computer, rather than being an 'old fashioned' interface it is a completely different methodological approach to computing. Instead of large visual programs aimed at being 'professional tools', command line tools follow the philosophy of doing …
read moreIn celebration of all casio’s, yamaha’s and other home keyboards worldwide Varia will host an exclusive event called ‘The Key To Casio (And Yamaha Too)’. On the 12th of October we will acknowledge the wonderful things these instruments have brought mankind during the last 50 years; from Casio …
read moreIn our understanding, food as a commodity finds its most revealing expression in the form of the cake. In this workshop we investigate the history of culinary hegemony by collectively baking a specific sweet recipe that showcases the way we perceive and partake in food today. Not only will we …
read moreCrimson Butterfly (Russia) is a cosmoenergetic alliance of two cats with synths and laptop. Physical bodies of the band are located in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, the sounds have been created for more than ten years. For this period different genres had been tried: coldwave with mysterious autist singer, then synthpop …
read more"The Techno-Galactic Guide to Software Observation is the obsessive fantasy of optimization turned on its head and stuck to the ceiling of a self-reflecting elevator. It is the ultimate book, with almost 300 pages of dos and don’ts, of forgotten histories and un-inevitable futures, of mindful agile actions and …
read moreTheo Krantz is an American artist currently based in New Mexico. He plays guitar and sings in the sentimental grunge band Dog Park and contributes to a variety of collaborative projects under his indie label Cry Like Donna. He recently released his most experimental solo album yet, Wednesday Two, which …
read moreIt is 1986. You just came home from a skate session when a Nintendo game cartridge falls into your hands. Excited to find out what kind of game is on the cartridge, you visit your friend who just bought a brand new Nintendo console two weeks ago. You plug in the cartridge and …
read moreThis website is built with a static site generator. This article delves into the implications of both 'static site' and 'generator' for its design process.
read moreLong before there were people in Charlois, there was already water. Water is always on the move and always finds a way. Historically, fountains were gathering places that occupied a central place in village- and city life. Often they were installed to commemorate a great battle, a plague epidemic or …
read moreOn the 1st and 2nd of June varia will host 'The Ecosystem Is Moving', a lecture by and worksession with Daniel Gultsch about federated instant messaging, open source software and the sustainability of open systems.
read moreDuring our second screening of Century 21 Calling we will take a look at the development of the workplace. What happened to the paperless office? And how did the development of technology impact where and how we work? Is today's situation new or is it just a repetition of the …
read moreWojtek Szustak is an electronic intermedialist from Krakow who works with and around music and space junk. In preparation of 'Infinite Outwardness' he will conduct a synthesizer junk workshop at Varia where we will make new electronic instruments from old rubbish we find on the streets of Charlois. The results …
read moreSince the beginning of time, space has captured the imagination of artists around the world. On the 18th of May varia is proud to present ‘Infinite Outwardness’; a music event based on the bounties of space, where several artists will present their idiosyncratic view on space exploration. Ranging from playable …
read moreOn the 12th of May, varia opens her doors and invites you to join an afternoon of informal conversations, workshops and demos. There will be free coffee, tea and software!1
We will have the following activities throughout the day:
Bored Windows or Apple? Unable …
read moreVaria presents two concerts by three incredible musicians from Italy.
CLM (formerly known as Cascao & Lady Maru) is a quirky electro duo, hailing from the saucy punk/no-wave scene of the aethernal Rome. Starting in 2008, they quickly turned into a bizarre live act with guitars, synths, live samples, percussion …
read moreOnce we were all promised a better tomorrow with robots, atomic powered cars and inflatable plastic homes. After the second world war the promises of technology made it seem like everything was possible. However, it seems like much of this optimism might have been a bit premature. Where is the dream of tomorrow now? Do we still dare to dream of the future?
read moreAlgologs = a 1 + 1 day dialog with algorithmic practices. This two-day event is an extention of Algolit, a workgroup where text-based practices and algorithms meet.
read moreA few months have passed since the 11th issue of the Pervasive Labour Union zine was launched, but the topics that were touched upon are yet to be digested. Focused on the "entreprecariat", the issue is an exploration of the multiple ways in which entrepreneurial ideas, models and approaches relate …
read moreSolutions and problems in Extratonality 4
“Extratonality - Opening Doors Is Not Enough”
The 4th International Conference on the solutions and problems in extratonality titled “Extratonality - Opening Doors Is Not Enough” focuses on an evaluation of practices in the field of extratonality. In a time where problems are designed to be …
read moreVaria has big plans for 2018! We would like to share these with you during a special New Year’s reception as part of the season opening of the galleries and projectspaces in Oud Charlois. Besides drinks and salty snacks, there will be a special robomop-performance.
date: Friday, 19th of …
read moreFor those that didn't make it to Leipzig this year we're gathering to watch the 34c3 livestream in Varia:
Bring your own beer and add your whishes to the …
read moreNew attempt! Now without snowstorm.
Technology is everywhere, sometimes it hides its face underneath a mask of everydayness, but we can only guess what goes on in our vacuum cleaner, telephone or copy machine. When were these inventions introduced into our lives and how can we keep control over them …
read moreVaria gets a visit; from Inox Kapell, the insect man from Wespbaden. On December 16 he will give a short lecture about everything that concerns him. In addition, we serve some soup.
Inox Kapell loves insects. As a child he was already obsessed by these creatures and documented them. Today …
read moreTechnology is everywhere, sometimes it hides its face underneath a mask of everydayness, but we can only guess what goes on in our vacuum cleaner, telephone or copy machine. When were these inventions introduced into our lives and how can we keep control over them? These questions, and many more …
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