Contact
contact@ivoschmetz.nl

 

After a collaboration of 20 years, I started fresh in 2023. This time on my own and under my own name. Starting over means redefining who you are and what you do. In my case, that is not so simple, because I enjoy many different things and am actively involved in various roles and activities. I am a graphic designer, but also a video editor, animator, initiator, web documentary maker, interaction designer, activist, writer, music programmer, board member, curator, publisher, and for some time now I have also been giving presentations and workshops. That sounds like a lot and perhaps unbelievable, but this is who I am and what I do.

This multidisciplinary character developed over time because I often take the initiative to set up projects and enjoy experimenting with different media and art forms. Some people see this multidisciplinary approach as unclear and confusing, but I see it primarily as a strength. It is a hybrid form of being a designer in which I connect different genres, activities, media, initiatives, art forms, and activism in order to work toward new perspectives and ideas.

As we all know, the world is not doing very well. There are many crises, conflicts, and divisions. Our society (or societies) are under pressure, and non-human life on Earth is suffering greatly as a result of human actions. I deliberately call it “human action,” because it is abundantly clear that our desires, our runaway consumer society, and our drive for infinite growth and profit maximization are the root causes of many problems. We want more than is possible, and that affects our lives, but especially those of non-human life and future generations.

This awareness plays a major role in defining who I am and what I want to do. I no longer want to work (or contribute) to making products and services more attractive or adding value to things that cause or contribute to the many crises facing humanity and the Earth. I do not want to tell my children and grandchildren one day that I was too cowardly to change, or that I knowingly continued doing something I knew was no longer viable, purely for the money.

I understand that you cannot simply withdraw from this system, and it would be hypocritical to claim that I do everything right. I don’t, and that is impossible anyway. What I do try to do is think carefully about the role my work plays in and for society. I work from a clear, content-driven motivation and try to bring others along in raising awareness and in the transition toward something new.

For that transition, we need a government that is committed to a just society and a healthy planet, rather than one that is narrowly focused on the economy. We need companies that operate within the planetary boundaries and do so in a fair way for everyone. And we need people who organize themselves around the commons and cooperative principles, encouraging governments and businesses to act from intentions that align with our responsibility to leave the Earth in a healthy state. We can do this—and we must.

I want to work for and with people, organizations, governments, and companies whose mission aligns with this intention to do everything possible to make life better, healthier, and fairer for everyone, including non-human life on Earth. It will not happen overnight, but I am convinced that together we can create a new collective vision of the future. A new narrative in which we no longer measure success, freedom, and happiness by how much money and power we have to satisfy all our needs, but by things that truly matter.

How did I get to where I am now?

OLVG
After a fantastic time at the art academy in Maastricht, I moved to Amsterdam in 1997. I started working at a video company and fairly quickly (by coincidence) ended up in the squatting scene. In 1998, I helped squat two wings of the OLVG hospital in Amsterdam East. I used one of the many rooms as a studio and turned another into living space. As a growing group of people made the building increasingly livable, we also began organizing exhibitions and parties.
It was a fairly well-organized happy chaos that I will never forget, but unfortunately, after about a year and a half we were evicted and had to look for a new building.

OT301
A few months after the eviction, on November 14, 1999, the OT301 (the former film academy of Amsterdam) was squatted. Slightly smaller than the hospital, but still a fantastic building with many possibilities to continue the combination of living, working, and public functions that we had started at the OLVG.
In 2006, we succeeded as a collective of artists and creatives in purchasing the building from the municipality and converting it into collective ownership. In this case, collective ownership means that the property always belongs to the association and not to individuals within the collective. No one can sell their share.
The purchase was an important moment for the survival of OT301, but also for me personally. I became increasingly interested and involved in the organizational structure. I became music programmer for our concert/club space and joined the board of the association in 2011.
As a member of the PR & communications committee, I designed many flyers, posters, banners, and the OT301 website. Together with others, I also produced the books Autonomy Through Dissent (2013) and 20 Years of Art & Autonomy (2019).
I am still active at OT301 as a music programmer and board member. Since early 2023, together with a team of volunteers from Amsterdam Alternative, I have also been responsible for the programming of the cinema on the second floor of the building.

3-1
When the software ReBirth RB-338 was released in 1996, I came into contact with making music for the first time. In my student room in Maastricht, I often spent nights experimenting with beats and synths on my computer. I knew little to nothing about making music and worked purely from intuition and feeling. It was a proces of listening, trying, listening, trying... for hours on end, almost in a trance.
In the squatted OLVG hospital in Amsterdam East, music-making became more serious, and together with Peter Rutten I founded the electropunk band 3-1. In the beginning, we made rather abstract, vague, unpredictable noise, but as we learned more, our tracks became more structured and refined. To emphasize the raw character of the music, we bombarded audiences during live performances with homemade videos and an absurdist live show featuring dancers and a kickboxer.
We played as 3-1 until 2010, performing hundreds of live shows at festivals, museums, clubs, and squats in the Netherlands and abroad. After 3-1 ended, I worked with Peter and Paul on a new project called TCS, but due to lack of time we did not continue it for long. In 2016, Peter and I started making music again under the name Van Pi, and later with Lilian Hak under the name LHISPR.

310k
After several self-initiated projects and some VJ performances, Paul Rickus and I officially started the design studio 310k in April 2003. In addition to the usual print assignments of the time — such as posters, flyers, record covers, visual identities (logo, letterhead, business cards), magazines, and books — we had a strongly multidisciplinary approach from the beginning. We especially liked working on projects that combined print with online and video content.
During the twenty years we worked together under the name 310k, we handled a wide range of cultural and commercial commissions. It was a wonderful period in which we learned a lot, realized many of our ambitions, and had a great deal of fun. As we always called it ourselves, 310k was pure magik (with a k). In 2023, after exactly twenty years of collaboration, we decided to stop. Time for something new — a new direction, new goals, and new ambitions. We still share a studio, but now each of us works under our own name.

Basserk
At the end of 2005, Peter Rutten, Paul Rickus, and I decided to release the music of our electropunk band 3-1 on our own record label, Basserk Records. Our first EP, Don’t Destroy, was pressed on vinyl in an edition of 500 copies. To our surprise, all the records sold fairly quickly. Encouraged by this, more releases soon followed.
We started with electropunk and electro, but soon decided to release music in other genres as well — ranging from electro and techno to ambient, bass, future beats, breaks, and more. We did not want to limit ourselves to a single genre, as long as the music was raw and energetic.
Despite some small successes and the potential to make something “big” out of it, Basserk is and remains a “small” label. Unfortunately, we do not have the time or resources to scale it up. Basserk still exists because we love music and enjoy helping young, talented artists find their way.

Abnormal Data Processing
Abnormal Data Processing is a small, independent publishing house that I founded in 2011 to publish self-initiated projects, both independently and in collaboration. As a graphic designer, I have always had a love for books and special print work. The digital world is of course fantastic, with all its multimedia and interactive possibilities and its wide reach, but it lacks the physical element.
The beauty of print lies in the details: the choice of paper, format, binding, printing technique, ink, cover, and, of course, the design. The physical aspect — and even the smell of freshly printed material — still makes “old-fashioned” printing very worthwhile.

Amsterdam Alternative
Amsterdam Alternative emerged in the spring of 2015 as a collective of non-commercial (sub)cultural free spaces in Amsterdam. Our initial goal was to establish a new, supportive network to connect the remaining free spaces in the city and help them when needed.
After several meetings, I proposed — as a graphic designer — the idea of creating a free newspaper together, in which we could share both our programming and background articles to strengthen the voice of the underground.
In addition to the newspaper, we also organize public discussions, documentary and film screenings, the AADE, podcast recordings, and the AA Academy, together with a large group of volunteers. These activities take place at various locations in the city, but since early 2023 mainly at the Ventilator cinema/bar in OT301.
To help realize new free spaces in Amsterdam, we initiated Vrij Beton and later created an extensive modular web documentary on collective ownership. As one of the co-founders, I am still closely involved in Amsterdam Alternative — not only as the designer of the newspaper, website, events, Vrij Beton, and the web documentary, but also as a coordinator, connector, and driving force.

Writing
I no longer remember exactly when or why, but my love for stories and books has been with me since my early years. This fascination with the printed book is twofold. On the one hand, there is the designer in me who loves the craft of bookmaking — the form, paper, ink, binding, and the physical experience of a book. On the other hand, there is the content: the story. Words take you on adventures, provide insights, spark interest, and largely shape how others think about something or someone. Our society is, to a large extent, built on stories.
The urge to write only emerged at art school, but the things I wrote there never saw the light of day. My book Archivo De Pivo (2011) contains my first writings, but they are entirely subordinate to the visual character of the book. It was only when I co-founded Amsterdam Alternative in 2015 and started working on the newspaper that I decided to write seriously for publication. I have since written many articles and do so with great pleasure, while also realizing that I still have much to learn.

Vrij Beton
In January 2019, during a public discussion at the Vrijpaleis, we launched a plan under the banner of Amsterdam Alternative to fight for new free spaces — permanent free spaces in collective ownership. The then-unnamed project was enthusiastically received and was given the name “Vrij Beton” a few months later.
The project continues to be received with great enthusiasm, but to this day we have not yet succeeded in realizing the first Vrij Beton free space in Amsterdam. This is not surprising, as acquiring property or space is extremely difficult in a city where space is scarce and prices are extremely high.

Web Documentary
After an online and offline campaign to introduce Vrij Beton to a broad audience, I organized several public discussions to involve interested and curious people in this ambitious project. I quickly noticed that many people had little understanding of how collective ownership works and often confused it with communism.
Instead of stubbornly continuing with Vrij Beton, I decided to take a step back and first create a foundation in the form of an archive or knowledge base — a place I could refer people to when it became clear they lacked knowledge about collective ownership. Because there are so many inspiring stories and examples, I decided to turn it into an modular web documentary: a project in which video, audio, photography, and text are combined to bundle knowledge and make it freely available to a wide audience. The web documentary has been online since early 2024 at www.collectiveownership.net.

Workshops and Presentations
The alternation between different projects and roles is challenging and gives me a great deal of satisfaction and energy. This hybrid form has developed over time because I have always combined my design practice with self-initiated, autonomous projects and collective, non-commercial initiatives such as OT301, Amsterdam Alternative, Vrij Beton, and the web documentary on collective ownership.
Because of this diversity of activities, I am not only an experienced designer and maker, but also have extensive experience organizing within collective, horizontal structures. In recent years, I have regularly shared my knowledge and experience through presentations, lectures, and workshops. Depending on the location, theme, and setting, I speak about topics such as design and creativity, free spaces, self-organization, self-management, taking initiative, collectivity, entrepreneurship, solidarity, activism, and collective ownership. I tailor the content of each presentation or workshop to the desired focus.

Future
I do not know exactly what the future will bring, but I hope to continue designing, organizing, initiating, writing, and doing all the other things I enjoy for a long time to come. I hope there will be many more meaningful self-initiated projects, collaborations, and commissions. At the same time, I want to keep experimenting, learning, and reflecting on the role of my work within the larger whole.
The role of the designer who makes something look beautiful when what lies behind the façade is ugly or harmful is certainly not mine. I only want to work for organizations, brands, companies, and people who think beyond their own wallets and are willing to commit themselves to a hopeful, healthy, and just future for everyone.

 

Amsterdam Alternative

Collective of Collectives
Amsterdam Alternative was founded in the spring of 2015 as a collective of collectives. Our initial goal was to create a new, solidary network to connect the remaining free spaces of Amsterdam and support one another when needed.

After a number of meetings, I suggested — drawing on my background as a graphic designer — that we could create a free newspaper together in which we could share both our programming and in-depth background articles, thereby strengthening the voice of the “underground.” After a modest crowdfunding campaign via Voordekunst, the first edition was printed in July 2015 in an edition of 10,000 copies and distributed for free throughout the city. At that time, nine free spaces were involved in the project. Now, nearly nine years later, 35 free spaces are affiliated with Amsterdam Alternative, and our volunteer collective has grown to approximately 750–800 people.

In addition to the newspaper, we organize public events, festivals, the AA Academy, and we have initiated Vrij Beton and the web documentary www.collectiefeigendom.nl

As one of the co-founders, I am still closely involved with AA — not only as the designer of the newspaper, website, events, Vrij Beton, and the web documentary, but also as a coordinator and connector. I help ensure that volunteers who join us feel welcome and are given the space to develop themselves and initiate their own projects.

More information about Amsterdam Alternative: www.amsterdamalternative.nl

AA Newspapers

Our first newspaper was published in June 2015, and since then we have managed to release a new edition every two months. This is quite an achievement considering that everyone involved works on a voluntary basis and we receive no subsidies to cover production costs. It has only been possible because many of us feel strongly about standing up for something that seems to be slowly disappearing from the city.

When I moved to Amsterdam in 1997, there was a vibrant “alternative” scene and ample room for cultural and social experimentation. Amsterdam was open-minded, progressive, adventurous, and therefore an ideal place for artists, creatives, writers, and other free spirits. Unfortunately, due to the neoliberal and conservative policies of recent decades, much of that spirit has been lost. Today’s Amsterdam is expensive, less tolerant, hostile to squatting, and primarily focused on tourists, multinational companies, and investors.

Amsterdam Alternative was founded with the belief that we want a better, fairer, and healthier city — and world — for everyone (not just the happy few with money). We are convinced of the value that free spaces bring to a city. We believe in collective ownership as a way to organize things more fairly and democratically, and through our newspaper and other activities we try to inspire as many people as possible by showing that there is far more possible than the dull, commercial mainstream.

In our newspaper we publish beautiful, inspiring stories of people who do things differently from the mainstream, while also offering unapologetic criticism of politics and corporate interests focused solely on profit maximization and endless economic growth — at the expense of others and the planet.

You can subscribe to Amsterdam Alternative via this page. If you feel called to help out, send an email to info(at)amsterdamalternative.nl.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

AA Website

A newspaper and collective project like Amsterdam Alternative requires a website with extensive functionality. The site includes an archive of all articles published in our newspapers, as well as a map of Amsterdam showing all affiliated venues. Each venue has its own CMS login, allowing them to add their public events to the agenda themselves.
Currently, around 36 locations are affiliated with Amsterdam Alternative, making our agenda one of the most comprehensive “alternative” listings in the city.

In addition to articles and venue information, the website includes sections for photography, video, music, podcasts, Vrij Beton, Ventilator Cinema, and forms for donations and membership sign-ups. Members also have access to an online portal where they can manage their membership and read meeting minutes.
A later-added feature is the ticket presale system, which all affiliated venues can use free of charge to sell tickets for concerts and performances. More information about this system can be found further down the page.

In 2025 we have updated the website. with new functionalities and a new design.
Visit the AA website: www.amsterdamalternative.nl

 

The website you see below is the version that has been online from 2019 till 2025.

 
 
 
 
 

Vrije Ruimte Festival

In 2022, I (on behalf of Amsterdam Alternative) initiated the Vrije Ruimte Festival (Free Space Festival). After a successful first edition, the second edition took place in 2025.
In addition to initiating the project, I was responsible for a large part of the organization and programming of the festival, and I also designed all the graphic materials for both editions.

Why the Free Space Festival?
With this festival, we aim to highlight the fantastic free spaces (vrijplaatsen) that Amsterdam is home to. Unfortunately, these free spaces are under pressure from both large capital and the shortage of space in the city. Everything revolves around financial value and profit-making, while the social, community, and (sub)cultural value and functions that free spaces provide for neighborhoods and communities are often overlooked.
Through diverse programs at various locations across the city, we draw attention to these free spaces and demonstrate that much more is possible beyond the commercial mainstream.

More info about the Vrije Ruimte festival and the 2025 edition on this page.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Web Documentary: Collective Ownership

One of the largest projects under the Amsterdam Alternative umbrella is our web documentary on collective ownership. In 2022–2023, we worked with a large team of writers, camera operators, translators, sound designers, editors, researchers, and others on this extensive online multimedia project, which we will continue to update and expand in the coming years.

More information can be found on this page, or view the full web documentary here.

 
 

Ventilator Cinema en bar

Since February 1, 2023, together with Pablo van Wetten, Ibrahim Attallihi, and a rotating group of volunteers, I have taken over the cinema and bar on the second floor of OT301 (Overtoom 301, Amsterdam). We operate under the umbrella of Amsterdam Alternative to further develop and expand its activities, vision, and mission.

The bi-monthly free Amsterdam Alternative newspaper functions as a free space on paper, but above all as a network and connector where ideas, thoughts, and energies come together. As a collective, we fight for and work toward a better, healthier, fairer world for everyone.

Through Ventilator Cinema/Bar, we aim to extend this collective power by offering not only a place on paper but also a safe physical space. This takes shape through film and documentary screenings, public discussions, small-scale music events, workshops, presentations, book launches, podcasts, and brainstorming sessions.

Ventilator cinema
Contact: ventilator(at)amsterdamalternative.nl 
Address: OT301 (2nd floor), Overtoom 301, Amsterdam
Program overview available here

 
 
 
 
 

AADE

In 2019, I started organizing the AADE (Amsterdam Alternative Dance Event): an independent, alternative music program taking place at OT301 and Cinetol during the larger Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE).
AADE is not an anti-ADE event, but rather an affordable, small-scale, and more experimental counterpart for people seeking something different from the mainstream ADE names that fill large venues and stadiums every October.

Artists and DJs who have performed at AADE over the years include:
Unit Moebius, Noise Diva, Zohar, Parrish Smith, DJ Marcelle (Another Nice Mess), Eboman, Lena Willikens, Know V.A., KRAZ (Live), Cosmic Force, Jasmin, Black Beach (live), Vergaarbak & Garcon Taupe, LHISPR, Steven de Peven, Power vs Power, Rank Assistant (live), Karel, Dymph, Snufkin, Bebe Bad, Space Exposure, DJ Gysele, Fre2k, HoutjeTouwtje Soundsystem, Alfred & the Disappointments, Fuck Fuck Fuck . Klaplong, DEAFDEAFDEAF, Shaemless, The Covids, The Rills, FuckFuckFuck, Pizza Knife, GENN, Kalaallit Nunaat, Hate Moss, L.A. Sagne, Vero, Charlie & The Lesbians, Treeboy & Arc, Dear Omens, Tender Chunks in Gravy, Tea Eater (US), The 113 (UK), Shaemless, badtime, kboy en de goedzo jongens, Achterlicht.

 
 
 
 
 

Fragmenta

Fragmenta is a video slash documentary project by Amsterdam Alternative. I started the project together with Gabriele Farinella in 2025 with the ambition to create short, inspiring videos that align with our vision and the topics we write about in our newspaper or discuss in our AA Talks. At the same time Fragmenta will be used as a project to unite engaged video makers and sound engineers to enjoy the proces of creating and experimenting together.
We aim to release powerful, thought provoking, personal, engaging, beautiful and inspiring new videos on a regular basis .

In a media landscape dominated by shallow content, fear, distrust, anger, violence and toxic polarization, Fragmenta will offer an alternative. We don't simply focus on problems or on generic or popular topics but rather connect to individuals and their stories. We seek passion, hope, optimism and inspiration in order to help create a better, more fair, equal and healthy world for the many and not the few.

The first Fragmenta video was an interview with David Bollier about the commons. The second one an interview with Katie Duck.
Check all the Fragmenta videos on the AA website.

 

Rad-Ish

Sometimes, you sense it. A gesture, a sound, something pulses quietly beneath the surface of the city. A story waiting to be heard.
Rad-Ish is a podcast about the silent dreamers, everyday radicals and hidden dissenters who keep the city alive. We seek out the voices of the underground, the pillars of movements that often go unseen yet build the foundation for collective spaces and a desirable future for the many, not the few.
On a regular basis we release a short episode where we pull that little red thread that runs through Amsterdam, from the people directly shaping alternative culture to those nurturing it in the background. We're here to pay attention to those who resist the obvious, and talk to those who quietly practice other ways of being.

In 2025 I started Rad-Ish together with a great team of volunteers (Grayson, Elena, Alice, Sophia, Kaavya, Yael, Katia). New episodes are released every month.

Listen to the Rad-Ish podcast episodes on AA website // Soundcloud // Spotify
The Rad-Ish designs were made in cooperation with my intern Apolline Morere.

 
 
 

AA Beer

Because all AA-affiliated venues have public programming and typically sell beer, we decided to create our own AA beer. Having our own beer means promotion for Amsterdam Alternative and reduces dependence on large commercial breweries, creating a small local economy.
We started in collaboration with Butchers Tears and later switched to Friekens Brouwerij. The beer currently sold at multiple venues is Vrij Beton beer— a fresh American Pale Ale (APA).
For every bottle sold, €0.25 goes to Amsterdam Alternative, creating a valuable revenue stream.

Orders can be placed via Friekens Brouwerij.

 
 
 

AA Music mixes

Amsterdam Alternative originated in Amsterdam’s free-space scene — initially as a solidarity network, followed shortly by the newspaper to strengthen the underground voice. Over the years, AA has grown significantly as a volunteer collective, and we created space on our website for DJs and musicians to share their work.

Around 40 mixes have now been produced by artists including Marcelle (Another Nice Mess), Andy Ex, Many Voices Records, Peerte Trunt, Freddy43, Zea, Space Exposure, and Colin301.

Listen to the mixes on this page.

 
 
 

AA Talks 

A few years after founding Amsterdam Alternative, we began organizing events alongside the newspaper. We started with small-scale public discussions (AA Talks) focused on topics also covered in the newspaper. These talks took place at various locations across the city — usually AA - affiliated spaces — and varied in format.

 
 
 

AA Academy

The Amsterdam Alternative Academy was created as a space to reflect collectively on the world we live in. Resistance begins with collective awareness, and awareness begins with analysis. Using texts and cultural artifacts, we discussed capitalism, climate change, digitalization, gender, racism, sexuality, and everyday life—because the personal is political.
Universities were once communities of equals. With the AA Academy, we aimed to return to that ideal, learning from one another through an intersectional perspective on how capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, and other dominant power structures reinforce one another.

Topics discussed in 2022–2023 included:
Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? (2009) – Mark Fisher
Pedagogy of the Oppressed – Paulo Freire
How to Blow Up a Pipeline – Andreas Malm
Feminism for the 99% – Cinzia Arruzza
Philosophical Trends in Feminism – Anuradha Ghandy
Dutch national elections
The future of the left following election results

 
 
 

AA Ticket Presale System

To generate additional income for Amsterdam Alternative, I designed and built a custom ticket presale system in 2018–2019 together with Joes (UseMedia). The system is integrated into the AA website and free for all affiliated venues.
Multiple ticket types can be created per event, and there is an option to add a donation field. Tickets can easily be scanned at the entrance using a smartphone camera linked to the website.
Administration fees are €0.60 per ticket—significantly cheaper than other ticketing services. Half goes to Mollie for transaction costs; the other half supports Amsterdam Alternative.
I hope to further expand the system with features that better meet venue needs, encouraging more spaces to use it. The more we can build ourselves, the less non-commercial venues need to rely on external commercial companies.