We value a community built through reciprocal trust, open communication, generosity, and mutual support.
Cooperation
We encourage collaboration over gatekeeping and competition.
Anti-elitism and mutual respect
Everyone is welcome regardless of where they come from or how experienced you are in the field of art and technology.
Transparency and Decision-making
If we believe in collective decision making, we need to respect the outcome of a decision making process regardless of whether we agree as individuals.
Self-management
“The doers decide”. Those who initiate activities also take responsibility for them while following provided guidelines.
Sharing Space
Be respectful of each other’s space, time, and property. Refer to guidelines, use the shared space booking system, and ask to borrow things.
Discrimination
Respect each other’s backgrounds and presentation, and don’t make any assumptions. Be generous and kind in communicating how you prefer to be addressed and treated.
Harassment
We do not tolerate harassment of any form. We reserve the right to remove perpetrator(s) from the premises and to ban participation in future activities.
Violating privacy and personal boundaries
Obtain explicit consent before sharing any information. Respect each other’s boundaries in terms of time, space, comfort levels.
In the case of conflict that can be addressed between individuals
Take responsibility for your actions and seek to resolve conflicts through communicating needs in non-violent and non-judgmental ways.
In case of conflict that cannot be managed between individuals
Different situations call for different contact people. It is also possible to reach the supervisory board or an external mediator. Scroll to the conflict resolution section to read more.
iii is a self-run artist community in which creative individuals learn, play, experiment, develop, make, and work together. As artists working across various disciplines, coming from various backgrounds, speaking different languages, we value what everyone has to offer and also understand that misunderstandings and conflict are normal in the process of community-building.
This code functions as an outline of our collective values and intentions for the kind of environment we wish to shape together at iii. It also functions as a set of guidelines for how we conduct ourselves within the scope of iii’s activities (events, meetings, residencies, engagements with external partners) and how we address conflict within our community. We emphasise a principle of mutual and collective responsibility when following these guidelines.
This code applies to all members of the iii community: the iii organisational team, iii members, iii workspace members, hosted program curators, artists in the iii program (residents, performers, workshop facilitators), the executive board, supervisory board, and audience members.
While iii’s main objective as an organisation is to promote artistic work in our field, the ways in which we are organised and the ways we treat each other in the process are of equal importance. A starting point to engage in iii’s community is a desire to contribute to a community in which ambitious visions are realised through reciprocal trust, open communication, generosity and mutual support.
Since we understand that without trust a community such as iii cannot exist, we commit to cultivating and preserving trust in each other and to ongoing open dialogue in shaping our community.
Below are some further guidelines for conduct that we expect and encourage in iii’s community:
Cooperation
iii is an artist-run, community platform within which creatives support each other to realise their visions. In this sense, cooperation is central to our community. We expect community members to engage in open, constructive, inclusive and accessible communication that promotes collaboration, creativity, and learning. iii’s program strives for international excellence (see Guidelines for excellence). We want to achieve this not through competition and gatekeeping, but rather through fostering an atmosphere of mutual support where everyone’s voice is heard and valued, where knowledge and resources are shared generously, and where participation from individuals of all backgrounds and skill levels is encouraged.
Anti-elitism and mutual respect
iii promotes participation from people with all backgrounds in the processes of cultural renewal. We recognize that everyone in our community is coming from all walks of life and each person’s knowledge and experience is valuable. Whether you’re a veteran in the artscience scene, a longtime member of iii, or you’re coming to your very first event at iii, we expect everyone to be welcomed and treated with respect.
Transparency and Decision Making
As an organisation, we commit to transparent and participatory decision-making. Most decisions are made through a majority voting system within and between various groups that make up iii.
We also understand and accept that decisions made collectively through the organisation and its representative bodies may not always reflect our individual will.
If we believe in collective decision making, we need to respect the outcome of a decision making process. While there is space for critique, we discourage engaging in endless debate or refusing to accept decisions that have already been voted in by the majority. We also discourage shooting the messenger, that is, attacking anyone who is merely communicating the result of a group decision.
Self-management
iii operates as a bottom-up organisation in which “doers decide”. While the general direction of the organisation is determined by iii members and the iii team, we encourage workspace members, individual artists, researchers and curators to give input and initiate their own activities within the framework and spaces provided by iii. This can be done with assistance from other members and with the support of a central management structure.
Within the iii hosted program, we expect those who develop their own programs to take responsibility for the organisation and content within these programs, to follow the community program guidelines provided, to adhere to deadlines, be transparent about any issues that might come up, be open to feedback, and to seek advice from the organisational team as needed.
Sharing Space
iii’s workspace facilities are shared between many workspace members, the iii team, curators, artists in residence, and audience members. The iii workspace exists thanks to the synergy between the workspace and the program. With input from the workspace members, the organisational team aims to maintain a system of booking spaces that is fair to everyone using the spaces, but mistakes and conflicts will inevitably arise.
Please use the shared booking system, read the booking FAQ and be considerate to others using the space (in terms of sound levels, how much space and time you are taking, cleanliness, and leaving the space on time).
Please also be respectful of each other’s belongings, ask to borrow tools that aren’t collectively owned by iii, and be responsible for the security of your own and everyone else’s property by making sure that spaces are properly locked when you leave.
When any conflict regarding shared spaces occurs, please try to communicate and negotiate with each other without assuming any ill intent. In case an issue is unresolvable between the affected parties, please refer to the conflict resolution section of this guide.
Discrimination
iii’s community is made up of people who come from a spectrum of backgrounds in discipline, class, culture, gender, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity. We strive to have our community reflected in our program and to make room for those who are not already represented. As such, we ask all community members to respect each other’s background and presentation, to not make any assumptions, and to not discriminate against anyone based on the aforementioned markers. We take discrimination to include hate speech, microaggressions, and barring anyone from participating in a program on the basis of their backgrounds.
We ask that people be sensitive to each other’s social contexts, but to also not immediately assume ill-intent, and to be generous and kind in communicating to each other how you prefer to be addressed and treated.
Harassment
We do not tolerate harassment of any form, either online or offline, public or private. This includes deliberate intimidation, stalking, harassing photography or recording, disruption of events, aggressive, slanderous, derogatory, or threatening comments, slander, or unwanted physical or online contact or sexual attention.
If behaviour of this kind is reported during an iii program, we reserve the right to remove the perpetrator(s) from the premises and to ban participation in our future activities.
Violating privacy and personal boundaries
Obtain explicit consent before sharing personal information of others in the community or of works or funding applications in progress. Do not take or publish photos or recordings of others after their request to not do so. Please delete recordings and photos if asked.
Within our program, we strive to push the limits of the human senses and experiences. However, do be mindful of individual comfort levels and refrain from pressuring others into activities they are not comfortable with.
While we encourage generosity and mutual support, no one is entitled to anyone else’s time, knowledge, or equipment. We expect everyone to be respectful of each other’s time and space.
In short, no means no.
While conflicts are inevitable in any complex organisation, we are committed to addressing them in a constructive, respectful way which is considerate of everyone’s needs. When conflicts and misunderstandings occur, we seek individually and as an organisation for the best possible resolution for all parties involved, in a collaborative climate in which we assume each other’s good faith.
We encourage affected parties to first try to solve problems between themselves, but the channel of communication to bring issues up with the iii team is always open. Conflict is inevitable and we cannot guarantee that we can resolve every issue. However, below is a guide for some steps we can take together.
In the case of conflict that can be addressed between individuals
Take responsibility for your actions and their impact on others. Be willing to address and learn from mistakes. Approach conflicts and disagreements with empathy, patience, and a commitment to finding constructive solutions. Seek to resolve conflicts through communicating needs in non-violent and non-judgmental ways.
In case of conflict that cannot be managed between individuals
(eg. the situation is not safe, or the conflict has escalated to a point that is not manageable between the affected parties).
Different situations call for different contact people. The first option is to contact the person responsible for the relevant program. If that is undesirable it is also possible to contact an external person.
For example:
If an issue arises during an event, please contact hosted program manager Elena Apostolovski (elena@instrumentinventors.org) or the curator of the event.
If an issue arises during a workshop, please contact workshop coordinator Yun Lee (yun@instrumentinventors.org)
If you want to raise the issue to the iii team or the board, you may contact Ezequiel Menalled (ezequiel@instrumentinventors.org)
If you have complaints concerning professional misconduct by members of our organisation, these can be delivered to the attention of iii’s supervisory board. They can be sent to the chairman of the supervisory board Klaas Koetje at info@klaaskoetje.nl.
If you want to speak anonymously to someone independent of iii, you may contact the confidential counsellor. The confidential counsellor is hired by iii but is only answerable to the affected individuals. We are still in the process of hiring a confidential counsellor and will add the email of the person here asap.
Conflict Resolution Procedure
The contact person will first make an appointment with you to discuss the issues and what actions you would like to take next.
This information will then be relayed to the iii board or team without naming the affected person. The contact person can also act as a mediator between you and the other person(s) involved.
By participating in the instrument inventors initiative community, you agree to uphold the values and principles outlined in this Code of Conduct. Let’s create a community that inspires creativity, fosters collaboration, and celebrates the diversity of voices and ideas.
This code of conduct was drafted by Yun Lee, Ezequiel Menalled, and Matteo Marangoni with the input of iii members and team.
Parts of this code of conduct are based on the codes of conduct of Varia and Stichting Kwabgah.
As iii is a collectively run platform, these guidelines are a continuous process and we want to hear from you if you have any remarks or contributions to these guidelines.
If you have any questions, feedback, or concerns regarding this Code of Conduct, please reach out to the iii team at info@instrumentinventors.org.
