ORGANISATION

What You See Festival is a contemporary, multidisciplinary and international arts festival in Utrecht that questions and overturns our norms about gender and identity. What You See Festival is a foundation is registered as a ‘general benefit organisation’ (ANBI).

VISION

People consist of a multicoloured, layered identity, of which gender is an important element. Nobody wants to be reduced to one characteristic of that identity, but at the same time it is a very human trait to interpret the other as quickly as possible. In this process of interpretation, the identity of another is often simplified and made one-dimensional. Art offers an excellent opportunity to explore alternatives, to show different perspectives and to question our own mechanisms. What You See Festival stimulates artists and the public to fantasise together about new realities and new forms of being together.

What You See Festival:

uses groundbreaking artistic expressions to question our society’s – often unwritten – norms about gender and identity, and reveals new realities in the process
invites shifts in perspectives
thus offers a joint exercise in empathy and compassion
opts for an intersectional approach, which means that with gender at the core, other aspects of identity, such as (cultural) background, age and (in)validity are also part of the programming and projects
implements its vision on inclusion and diversity within the organisation and continuously reflects and evaluates it.

MISSION

The festival’s mission is:
To contribute to a gender diverse and inclusive society by presenting, initiating and producing professional artworks that offer diverse perspectives on gender and do justice to the diversity and complexity of the subject.

GOALS

The goals of the festival are:

Realising an exciting, urgent, unique, international performing arts festival about gender and identity every year.
Bringing together diverse art formsin cultural hotspots throughout Utrecht.
Connecting local embedment with national and international relevance.
Stimulating talent at a local, national and international level.
Attracting a diverse and annually increasing audience; from young to old, from straight to queer, from different cultural and social backgrounds and with different views, perspectives and experiences.

REMUNERATION POLICY

What You See endorses the Governance Code Culture, the Fair Practice Code and the Code of Cultural Diversity.

What You See has chosen a board/management model. The management is responsible for the daily course of events, prepares board decisions and executes them, in cooperation with the core team. The board meets at least four times a year and is responsible for the financial control of the foundation. In addition, the board expands the network that is important for the festival.

The board members commit themselves to What You See Festival for a minimum of four and a maximum of eight years, are unpaid and do not charge expenses. The board members of What You See Festival are independent and ensure integrity and role awareness.

The team members of What You See Festival are partly employed and partly freelance. Remuneration is based on the Theatre and Dance collective labour agreement.