"I make choices quite impulsively. Tilburg felt good."

Tilburg is a city of remainers. Talents who have pledged their hearts to the city. They came here for their studies, and later they went to work here. How do they look back on their student days? And why did they stick in Tilburg? In the third article in the series: Sidney Marte, musician, creative jack-of-all-trades and project and publicity employee at Fontys School of the Arts (FHK).

Looking for edges

"I literally moved from Purmerend to Tilburg in one weekend. Choices I made were quite impulsively and this felt good. Even though I had never been to this city before". Having just graduated from the cookery school in Heerhugowaard, he chose to continue his studies in communication. Besides cooking, telling stories - spreading the word - is one of his passions. He chose this college education at Fontys International Event, Music & Entertainment Studies (IEMES). "The combination of theory and working on projects in the creative sector immediately appealed to me. I didn't go to open days: I really followed my gut feeling, that is. I haven't regretted that for a moment".

Sidney describes himself as a cross person. And that's exactly why IEMES was such a good match for him. "For me, working in the creative industry means looking for edges and crossing them. That is also expected here. There is room for self-conceit. And some of the teachers come from the work field. Instead of working by the book, they taught me how to do it in practice.

Grey area

With dj-collectief BANGANAGANGBANGERS, Sidney gained fame in the Tilburg cultural field (and far beyond). "This also started at IEMES. Students one class higher wanted to raise money for an event with performances. When I talked to them about it it turned out that they were looking for an mc. I wanted to be there. The collective doesn't perform anymore, but makes a restart with Studio Bangana - a platform where musicians from Tilburg perform during livestream parties. "I think it's important to give them a stage without a framework. So that they can really do their thing. And connection is important. During the parties there are visual artists, dancers, creators. But also the neighbor from around the corner visits when he feels like it".

When we ask Sidney about the most memorable memory of his student days, he laughs. "Do you have a minute?" Among other things, Sidney starts talking about the study trip with study association #clubiemes. It was actually already fully booked, but by offering to shoot a minidocu for Cup of T (a program that IEMES students make for Omroep Tilburg), he was still able to join.

As cool as everything was, his internship in Johannesburg was really a life-changer. "In a juvenile prison I gave music & poetry lessons to boys there. I talked to them about their lives. You tend to think: the guy is in prison, so he must have earned it. But by talking to them, I began to understand a little more about the choices they had made. And that things are often not so black and white. That insight has completely changed the way I stand in life. I still benefit from that now.

Free pass for Tilburg makers

At the moment Sidney works part-time at the FHK. A place he likes 'very much' and where he learns a lot. About working together, about the sector and about what it's like to work for a company. The rest of the time he spends on making music and doing business. He does this with Studio Bangana, but also with all kinds of freelance projects in the field of communication, film and events. From backstage manager at Draaimolen Festival to host at Smederij Cinema.

Typical is the great responsibility he feels for Tilburg's cultural climate. "Makers and policymakers often speak a different language. I would like to narrow that gap. Expressing the creative sector is what I am trained for," he says. In the end, Sidney dreams of a climate among Tilburg's makers in which purity, going for what's inside yourself, is the most important thing. For example, he emphasizes, by setting a good example with Studio Bangana. Something with which he, as a city of creators, doers, fits very well in Tilburg. "We don't give substantive advice to makers, we only ask questions. And we offer space, facilitate a stage. We give confidence, a free pass. Then you suddenly see that DJs, for example, play music they haven't played for a long time. Or that they did not have to play for a long time. I find that magical. ”

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Because of the corona measures, live parties are not an option for Studio Bangana (and its fans). How does Sidney deal with this?

"By having singer-songwriters from Tilburg perform in my living room. At least, that's the plan. According to the concept of NPR Music's Tiny Desk concerts, they can still launch a new single, even though live performances aren't possible. And in the long run there will definitely be another livestream party coming up. However, given all the measures, we need to look at how we are going to organize it. So that there is still a connection, with musicians and with people, despite the distance".