Unnoticed Art Festival and TheConceptBank.org
will be part of the project residue, what remains Leicester Gallery, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
6 February – 7 June, 2026
The title of the show, residue, what remains suggest the transience of many of the works, whether scores to be performed or marks left after an event. The exhibition draws on the logics of choreography and performance to reimagine what an exhibition can be. Scores suggest moments yet to happen, documents capture moments past and the exhibition provides a stage for live activity whose remains then integrate into the exhibition.
The festival and exhibition have been curated by
Sue Schroeder, artistic director of Core Dance Company.
Nieuwstraat is an average street in the centre of Dordrecht, the Netherlands. On an unannounced Saturday in July 2025, between sunrise and midnight, the 3rd Nieuwstraat Festival took place.
On this day, volunteers performed unannounced – and often unnoticed – using instructions or ‘scores’ from (international) artists. Passers-by will have noticed the works but, outside a clear artistic context, may not have recognised them as art performances.
Please click on a name to view a work and its reports.
The 3rd Nieuwstraat Festival took place
on Saturday, 5 July 2025.
The program consisted of works by
(in alphabetical order):
The works were performed by:
Sifra Coulet, Nazlı Meriç Çukurova, Mario van Horrik, Petra Dubach, Steef van Lent, Nico Parlevliet, Annie Abrahams, Ienke Kastelein, Jolanda Jansen, Sandra Posthuma, Kathrin Wołkowicz, Geerten Ten Bosch, Jello Reumer, Safanja Bendeler, Yvo van der Vat, Frans van Lent.
The Nieuwstraat is an ordinary street in the centre of Dordrecht, the Netherlands. In this street you will find trees, houses, shops, terraces, a cinema and a weekly market.
On an unannounced Saturday in July 2025, between dawn and midnight, the 3rd Nieuwstraat Festival will take place. On this day, volunteers will perform unannounced – and often unnoticed – using instructions or ‘scores’ provided by international artists. Passers-by will observe the works, but, outside of a distinct artistic context, may not recognise them as art performances. The unusual will hide in the ordinary.
We are looking for performance scores by artists who feel an affinity with the theme and its principles. There are no restrictions as to where they live, age and background.
Keep in mind that the works will be performed by often inexperienced, volunteers, so please write the scores in clear and accessible language, more-or-less as a manual. If relevant, do not forget to mention the desired time of day (in connection with the opening and closing of shops, terraces, the fruit/vegetable market).
As documentation, performers will be asked to write down their experiences afterwards. Together with the drafts, these reports will be published on UnnoticedArtFestival.com.
The Nieuwstraat is an average street in the center of Dordrecht, the Netherlands.
The Nieuwstraat Festival took place on June 19, 2021, between sunrise and midnight. The performances were performed by volunteers, unannounced and without explanation.
The performances involved took place in everyday environments and hid the unusual within the usual. Passers-by will have observed the actions, but may not have recognized them as performance art.
The Nieuwstraat Festival fits in a series of Unnoticed Art Festivals. It balances on the line between public and private. It shows artworks hiding in normality. The language, used to express the works, fits in the average social behaviour in public space and, because of that, remained unnoticed to bystanders. Creating the concepts and executing the works are split. Artists send their concepts more or less as manuals. The chosen works are carried out by a group of (both experienced and unexperienced) volunteers. These volunteers have a double roll. They are participants as well as audience. They are responsible for realising the performances in the best possible way and, doing that, they fully experience the works. In fact they become part of it.
This way the audience is not excluded but it is actually embedded.
The works in the 2nd Nieuwstraat Festival were performed by:
Peter Baren, Stefanie van den Bos, Geerten Ten Bosch, Hans Bossmann, Finn Melvin Caird, Jos Deuss, Malou van Doormaal, Marian van Hoof, Jolanda Jansen, Ienke Kastelein, Petra Laaper, Frans van Lent, Fang Mij, Nico Parlevliet, Sandra Posthuma, Jello Reumer, Yvette Teeuwen, Emmy Vollaard, Paul Voors and Vera Whistler.
The 2nd Nieuwstraat Festival is kindly supported by:
Op een onaangekondigde dag in juni 2021 vindt, tussen zonsopgang en zonsondergang, het 2e Nieuwstraat Festival plaats. De performances in dit festival zullen worden uitgevoerd door vrijwilligers, onaangekondigd en zonder uitleg. Ze vinden plaats in de alledaagse omgeving en verbergen het ongewone binnen het gewone. Voorbijgangers zullen de handelingen waarnemen, maar herkennen ze mogelijk niet als kunst.
Voor het uitvoeren van de performances zoeken wij betrokken vrijwilligers. Ervaring niet vereist. Wel is belangrijk dat je je kunt vinden in de aard van het festival en dat samenwerking binnen een team je aanspreekt.
Stuur een mailtje met een korte motivering naar nieuwstraat@unnoticedart.com. We nemen dan snel contact met je op.
Deadline: zondag 25 april 2021, 23:59 uur (UTC+1).
The Nieuwstraat is an average street in the center of Dordrecht, the Netherlands.
The Nieuwstraat Festival took place in June 2020. During the day works of 20 international artists were executed by 16 volunteers.
Open Call:
The 2nd Nieuwstraat Festival will take place in May, 2021, between sunrise and sunset. The performances will again be performed by volunteers, unannounced and without explanation.The performances take place in everyday environments and hide the unusual within the usual. Passers-by will observe the actions, but may not recognise them as performance art.
Please describe your concept in a clear and accessible language, more or less as a manual. The performances will be carried out by (often unexperienced) volunteers. Don’t forget to mention the preferred time of the day (in relation to the opening and closing of shops, outdoor cafes, the fruit/vegetable-market). We can only accept your submission if you include links to a website or page with some information about your practice.
Please send your submission to mail@unnoticedart.com. Deadline: Monday, 1 February 2021, 23:59 (CET).
The Nieuwstraat Festival fits in a series of Unnoticed Art Festivals. It balances on the line between public and private. It shows artworks hiding in normality. The language, used to express the works, fits in the average social behaviour in public space and, because of that, remained unnoticed to bystanders.
Creating the concepts and executing the works are split. Artists send their concepts more or less as manuals. The chosen works are carried out by a group of (both experienced and unexperienced) volunteers. These volunteers have a double roll. They are participants as well as audience. They are responsible for realising the performances in the best possible way and, doing that, they fully experience the works. In fact they become part of it.This way the audience is not excluded but it is actually embedded.
