In this exhibition, Sickhouse invites artist and designer Anne Horel as a player would dare another one. For the first time Sickhouse decided to focus on one artist to support her in the exploration of new practices. Looking for space outside of the screens and outside of the institutions, the french artist is taking on the challenge, exporting her works out of their digital home.

Navigating social media for better and for worse since decades, Anne Horel bathes in pop culture with humour, a sense of kitsch and lots of energy. Looking for the goddesses of our times, imagining the creatures of our virtual worlds, curious about every new tool, between weird and cool, like a fanartist, she remixes everything. Collages, video clips, wall paper, virtual worlds and installations, from scissors to A.I the work of Anne Horel takes many shapes.

Looking back into the artist archives and supporting the creation of her first spacial installation created with A.I, the exhibition 

, is an invitation to dive into and to pull out of. With a lot of trust the artist collaborated with the team of Sickhouse to create sets for her worlds, playing with the notions of fake, absurd, beauty, popularity, craft…

For one week Anne has also been exploring the city of Enschede, experimenting with new printing techniques in Saxion Fablab, doing her first steps in ceramic with Ilse Scholten and Puck Verras, selecting her favourite items at Studio Spitsbaard and testing the vegan restaurants of the city. The results of this discovery week are presented in the exhibition and will lead to more collaborations within the time of the exhibition.


Anne Horel : Ctrl IRL is open from 24-03 to the 24-06

, organised by Saxion. Some of her works are presented in 

’s exhibition and she will present her work with A.I on Thursday 30-03 in the Grote Kerk.

We will host a summer celebration and a Pizza cooking show as finissage of the show, between the 21st and 24th of June.

Sickhouse would like to thank artist Anne Horel, exhibition team Philipp Wiynck and Hans Runge, Birgit Albersen, Demi Leusenkamp, Herjo van triest, Djoeke Hurkesn and Daniil Bondarenko from Saxion Fablab, artists Ilse Scholten and Puck Verras, vintage store Studio Spitsbaard, Nailartist Andra from Manilab, printing company Tuccer reclame, Silkscreen company Groenewas, Willemijn Calis for her hospitality and Sickhouse team and volunteers to make this possible.

This exhibition is supported by the Gemeente Enschede.

Anne Horel : Ctrl IRL

For the first iteration of our video program by Sickhoes, we selected three videos questioning our self becoming within the virtual realm. The work presented are questioning identity within the digital, virtual and artificial consciousness and the future of human and non-human relations.

Caught between sleep and dreamstate, conscious and unconscious, alive and non-alive, human and non-human... how are these lines delineated, and by whom? Memory of Death’s Dream is an animated film that explores ideas about the future of human consciousness when viewed from the perspective of an artificial intelligence.

 is a philosophical audio-visual journey through a sci-fi universe, populated by technological, organic, and fantastic beings who share their sorrows and hopes, in order to heal human imagination from the pervading techno-dystopian narratives.

The Council on Gender Sensitivity and Behavioral Awareness in World of Warcraft, Playing A Girl,

From 2012-2016, Angela Washko created performances as The Council on Gender Sensitivity and Behavioral Awareness in World of Warcraft inside the most popular multiplayer online video game of all time. Instead of killing enemies, getting better equipment, and exploring dungeons like she did for many years prior, Washko started travelling to major towns in the game-space to discuss the ways in which women, femmes, and non-binary people are treated in WoW with other players.


This first selection of videos are looping from 19.00 to 22.00 on Thursday 25-05 and during the museum opening times until the 16th of June.

Sickhoes iteration #1

We have 3 tables open for D&D, you can bring your own table top games and we will also get the figurines painting workshop again!

We host TTRPG sessions once a month on Friday evening, once a month on Saturday end of the afternoon.

Join our discord channel to stay up to date and sign up with the DM's : 

doors open at 19.00, games start at 19.30

Price per table 5 or 10€ (define by the dice).

Table Top 02-06

The crowdfunding project from Fentom was a great succes and now that the vinyl is ready it will be released on June 3 during a wonderful party. 

Live sets will be played by |grens|, Nerds With Acid, Oosterse Lach, Odaira and HGHR LVLS. In addition, there will be DJ sets from Beats Affect, Bastian Benjamin and GOODCOOPERBADCOOPER

The vinyl will also be shipped from June 3 to all people who ordered one!

Fentom wants to thank everyone for their support. Fun fact: the music is already being spread all over the world thanks to a very sick promo campaign, there are also requests for the vinyl from artists, labels and media, so the plan works ;)

line up :
Main podium :
21:00-21:30 @arris DJ set
21:30-22:15 @grens_053 Live
22:15-22:45 ODAIRA Live
22:45-23:30 BEATS AFFECT DJ set
23:30-00:00 HGHR LVLS Live
00:00-01:30 Bastian Benjamin DJ set
01:30-02:00 Oosterse Lach Live

Cinema stage:
23:00-00:15 Nerds With Acid Live
00:15-01:30 GOODCOOPERBADCOOPER
with VJ The C-Men / Julian van Aalderen

Door is open at 16.00 ( for expo and terrasse), show starts at 21.00

03-06 WHITE_001

Release party White_001

SickFem Open Decks is now hosted every other Sunday at Sickhouse. We open our doors to every women, we set up the DJ gears and we let you do the work! Experienced DJ Vanity Roxane, from The FemDem is here to support you, and of course you are here with each other. 

The entrance is free, we'll be discussing the possibility of a donation. Starting in June we will host workshops + live event, your input is welcome. 

We will have 1 table, ready, you are free to walk in at any time.

SickFem Open Decks 04-06

Sex, violence, love and the ordinary of life, that is what Droom Dit speaks about in its dutch poetic texts. Their lyrics are wrapped in a modern jacket of raw electronic beats, dreamy guitar lines and cutting edge synthesizers. The whole thing sounds like the deepest love slowly ebbing away, the lethality of loneliness or the bloodthirsty urge for peace in your head. 

Inspired by acts such as Spinvis, Radiohead, King Krule, Joy Division and Wende, but also the Dutch literature of Cees Nootenboom, for example, Droom Dit is developing a recognizable sound within contemporary Nederpop.

After the release of their first two singles, Droom Dit's full-length debut EP is now coming out. “

” will be released on June 9 and Saturday the 10th we will celebrate this at Sickhouse with a release show. 

Entrance : 8€ or 20€ (with a Posy from Sam, lead of Droom Dit)

Droom Dit release

Get ready to dance the night away at DUSK – a new house and electro event! With a lineup of top (international) DJs, this is an event you won't want to miss.

As the sun sets and the stars come out, join us on the dance floor for a night of pulsating beats and electrifying rhythms. From breakbeats to funky electro, our talented DJs will keep you moving and grooving.

With state-of-the-art sound equipment and rays of sunlight, our venue will be transformed into a mesmerising playground of light and sound.

So grab your friends, and get ready for an unforgettable night of music, dancing, and good vibes. Whether you're a die-hard house fan or a newcomer to the electro scene, DUSK is the event you've been waiting for. Don't miss out – get your tickets now and join us for a night you'll never forget!

Tickets: € 14,- early birds (until 12-05) / € 16 online / €18- at the door

Please note that Sickhouse is located on the third floor and is only accessible by stairs. For more accessibility information, please check our website or email niels@sickhouse.nl

DUSK TICKETS

DUSK 24-06

We are starting a local game maker meetup! 

 is a professional gamemaker-meetup, welcoming any creative, regardless of the engine they are working in. At colliders we talk, present, introduce, play, give feedback and enjoy creations and ideas. Colliders aim is to develop a strong network for the indie/arthouse/serious game industry in the east of the Netherlands. With this meetup we want to support each other and create more opportunities for collaborations and exchange. The meetups are open to makers, enthusiasts, producers, artist, curators, etc.

Depending on the input of everyone, colliders will invite guests for talks, workshops, feedback sessions and more!



The first COLLIDERS MEETUP X GAME NIGHT is the 19th of May!



Colliders will be back every month in combination with the game night, curated by Shaman Garage, meaning after the meetup you can play a cool selection of games together!

You are interested and you want to share your ideas don't hesitate to sign up or mail us directly! (marie@theoverkill.nl)

Colliders - Game makers meet up

Sunday night music at Sickhouse. Come end your sunny weekend with us with some amazing bands in their European tours and fresh cocktails! This is the last day of Na Noise tour, come cheer with them!

Award-winning lo-fi alternative band Na Noise are the Thelma & Louise of modern DIY guitar-based music. The long-time collaborators Hariet Ellis and Yolanda Fagan have a rascally take on traditional song — with their new-old songs, the band introduce a new-old sound. Joined by multi instrumentalist Christopher Varnham who provides organ, drums and percussive elements, the three have cultivated a dark sound that is more carnivalesque than psychedelic. Na Noise’s debut album, Waiting For You was released to much critical acclaim and won the favour of their peers, and thus was named ‘Best Independent Debut’ prize at the coveted 2021 Taite Awards, and more recently, the band was recognised as 2021’s ‘Best Alternative Artist’ at the Aotearoa (New Zealand) Music Awards.

Na noise + support

Na Noise + support

We are the atomic playground of Enschede!

Sickhouse is a playful art space focused on the impact of digital culture on our society. We unwrap games as means to engage on social topics.

Frontpage

Sickhouse is very happy and proud to share that it has been granted with the “Creatieve Broedplaats Twente” funding.

This grant is meant to support Sickhouse to become a stronger structure, meaning at first taking care of its team and implementing the next steps of fair code practices. The grant will also be used to support the production and diffusion of playful experiences within a professional and supportive network. And finally the grant is here to develop a European network of DIY/DIT art and playful spaces.

Our ambitious plans bring Sickhouse to the next level, support independent creations within a healthy network and help export local knowledge all over Europe.

In 5 years Sickhouse became a space for multi disciplinary practices, experiments, celebrations, (self)explorations and expression. From gaming it takes its attitude, challenging its visitors while engaging in colourful adventures. From art it takes its organic shape, moving and transforming itself at the contact of others.

We are looking forward to using this support to focus on what matters the most to us : give space to PLAY.

Creatieve Broedplaats funding

Our new program supporting the creation of an independent game has started. After a productive JAM weekend in February, we received beautiful applications and selected 

and their one button story based project.

 will combine their expertise in the fields of 

 to create an interactive narrative experience for The Overkill Festival. Under the self imposed constraints of using 

 as input device, Ivan McGill and Pablo San Gregorio will deep into the 

Find out about their work on their insta page 

Once a month Pablo and Ivan, supported by our Zuraida Buter will present the program of our 

 following thematic supporting their research. Friday 14 of April is the first of their series!

Once in May and once at the end of August Pablo and Ivan will present the progress of their project to the public with feedback session. Don't hesitate to join to support them!

The gaming experience will premiere at The Overkill festival in November.

To support Shaman Garage studio with feed back and ideas, 

we are welcoming young players to the program

. If you like to play and to experiment, you are curious about the making process of indie game and you are between 15 and 25, this might be for you! 

Since Pablo and Ivan are from Spain the program will be in English, but we are able to help translate when necessary.

To become part of the Sick game community, send us a short motivation email to present your self and we'll get back to you to share the program.

You will be welcome once a month with Pablo and Ivan for a group session before Game Night, you will be invited to studio visit in the region and you will be invited to exhibition and festival tours when possible. Of course you will also be the guest of The Overkill festival, later in November.

If you are interested send your motivations to Marie : marie@theoverkill.nl

Sick Gaming trajectory

The newsletter of March is out! If you want to recieve it your mail you can also

, Sickhouse became 5 years old! We celebrated this with a two day anniversary event with music, movies, exhibitions from the Sickhouse crew, and of course a lot of games.

, we hosted a party of which the entrance profit will go to the following Sickhouse x The FemDem DJ-workshop program! We believe it is extremely important to give womxn-DJs the stage in this sadly still very male dominated world. (more info about the workshops coming up!)

 made a presence for an unforgettable party. And the whole celebration was made extra perfect by the amazing balloon art from 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Together with our anniversary we launched our new website ( the one you are now on:), made by 

 This playful platform is now the one space where our event calendar, news, live stream, our community network and soon also our online digital archive comes together! But to fully get to know our website, we would love to invite you to play SWAMP SURFERS with us on March 10th! This game, created by the Sickhouse crew together with 

, will make you discover all the parts of the website.

, Sonic DIY* comes back for its third edition, to explore the creation of sound outside the regular music spectrum! This edition has an amazing international line up. A unique chance to see this artists from all over the world! (check here 

is an art collective that builds and explores sculptural electronic systems.


is a composer and performer based in Amsterdam. 



*sonic DIY is a concept created by Ole Nieling and Patrick Jonkman

 finally arrives in Enschede, and Sickhouse is organizing it’s first long term exhibition together with her!



Music videos, documentaries, animations, filters, brand content... Anne Horel expresses herself in many colourful ways. Playing with codes, she takes us into the surreal worlds through an aesthetic that combines various elements of pop and digital colture. Defining herself as a Polymorphic digital Artist, Anne has made social media her medium of predilection.

Within this new chapter we dive into social media platforms as we would in a rainbow version of the swamp. Following the show created for the Lavoir Numerique in France, Sickhouse is inviting Anne Horel to find playful and relevant ways to pull her work out of the (flat) screens. For this she wants to look into 3D printing, ceramic workshop, nail art, make up and more!

SAVE THE DATE: The 24th and 25th of March 

will be the official opening of Anne's exhibition in Sickhouse with an incredible performance by 

In the weeks and months to follow, this will be an ongoing project, with different (hybrid) events. The exhibition will be open every weekend for you to visit.

(with Wilmink theater / combi ticket coming soon)

March to the Sick

In 2023 Sickhouse starts a new program to support the creative process of local independent and/or arthouse gaming makers/studios!

(By local we mean working in Overijssel or close enough and able to work from Sickhouse and join our events on a regular basis.)

We are looking for indie/arthouse game maker(s) interested to work with us in exchange for :

Professional support from our mentor, Zuraida Buter, including brainstorm sessions, interviews with other professionals, studio visits and festival/exhibition tours

Tests / Feedback sessions with a young public. (A young gamers and art curious community will be associated to this trajectory to support the development of the game experience.)

A monthly fee of 250€ between march and december 2023

A production fee to present the gaming experience at The Overkill festival 2023

The studio/maker(s) to program one game night a month, meaning selecting indie games to present at Sickhouse for the public to play.

The selection obviously is expected to support the research of the gaming studio. (from local makers to international creatives. Our mentor will help the studio invite these guests and the Sickhouse team will produce the events).

The studio/maker(s) to present a gaming experience at The Overkill festival 2023

>> You are not from the gaming field (yet) but you have a relevant artistic experience and you really want to create your first game/gaming experience? We are interested too! Don't hesitate to mail Marie with your question and/or apply before the 12 February!

Zuraida Buter is an award-winning playful culture and playful arts curator based in the Netherlands.

 She curates, initiates, consults and documents events focused on playful culture and games. With her international network she brings people together for creation and playful experiences.

As a curator she is involved in curating talks, play and game exhibitions at different festivals, events and institutes such as Incubate, Tweetakt and De Brakke Grond in the Netherlands and Screenshake, IndieCade Europe and A.MAZE. / Berlin abroad. With Women in Games NL (WiGNL) she aims to stimulate diversity in the game industry.

Previously she initiated Dutch indie game showcase INDIGO in the Netherlands as well as the popular DGG network lunches as project manager at Dutch Game Garden (2008-2010). She was worldwide Executive Director of the Global Game Jam (2010-2014) and founding board member of Global Game Jam, Inc.

To apply for this trajectory, please send Marie (

A CV with your game maker experience (if you apply as a studio please mention all the team)

A motivation letter explaining how this trajectory could support your creative process

A portfolio with links to projects you are proud of

If you have a question don’t hesitate to send an email to ask.

Open call Indie/arthouse game makers

The Newsletter of January is out! To get it in your mail directly you can sign up here : 

January is now over and it was a beautiful start for the year. We had an emotional launch of Bella Luna’s music video, we played werewolves of Millers Hollow after the very fun screening of 

 and we hosted an amazing Geluidsdrug Electronic jamsession! Let's look into the coming weeks and the busy February, with the very special 5th anniversary of Sickhouse to come and the launch of our new website, the return of MuSickMix and a very cool collab with The FemDem!!




In February, Sickhouse will exist for five years. Time to celebrate! On 

Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th of February,

 we will host a two day hybrid celebration, with workshops, games and live music.
It is also the launch of our new website. Created by 

 our website is becoming an online Sickhouse, with our calendars and news but also direct access to our livestream, virtual spaces, archives and community. The artistic theme of the website will also be visible in the analogue Sickhouse building, creating a bridge between the two spaces!


In 2023 we are finally ready to present longer period exhibitions and we are starting with the wonderful Anne Horel (gif above)!

Together with the French digital artist, we dive into social media platforms as we would in a rainbow version of the swamp. Following the show created for the 

 in France, Sickhouse is challenging Anne Horel to put her work out of the screens. Playful and looking for bridges to build between the digital and physical, she will investigate 3D printing, ceramics, nail art, hair design and more, as potential crafts to translate her work.
From the end of March to June expect an incredible retropspective with many interactive events events. Save the date for the opening on 24&25 of March.

In the summer we are inviting a movie maker to invade the space and before we end the year with The Overkill Festival, we will be welcoming young talents and their VR research. More to be announced!



With the support of the Gemeente Enschede, we're developing 3 participative trajectories to welcome and engage more with the younger part of our community.


will be focusing on film making, which will take the shape of a summer camp where young creatives will be invited to make a film from scratch, with the support of professionals.



 is opening a gamer community around the creative process of a local studio. The young players are invited to join-in the making of the game and participate into test and feedback sessions, studio visits and interviews. (see open call below)

- "

Character and World Building Through TTRPG"

 is focusing on young TTRPG-players to offer them space, inspiration and technical support in their appropriation of the game. From character building to improv, from 3D printing to cosplay, and much more!


# TALK + WORKSHOP
# 19:30

This year, we are collaborating with the Architecture Center Twente to engage in a discussion about the future of Enschede.

 wants to explore these issues by inviting professionals dealing with urban development for an introduction and then looking at the various issues together with involved residents, organizations and stakeholders.

For

, ‘City architect’ for the Municipality of Enschede, to provide an introduction. She will talk about her experiences with the city and the developments to come. 

 (co-directors Sickhouse) will react to Jessica’s presentation, sharing how they see the city. Reflecting on the impact of technology on the urban realm and what they think is important from the cultural sector to thrive.

 to explore the future of Enschede together, where your input is needed. We will use visualising tools such as strings, lego and play-doh to think the future of our city in groups

In order to participate please register via 


# WORKSHOP + SCREENING + TALK + OPEN DEK
# 13:00



 join forces to support females who have the ambition to DJ! On Saturday the 18th of Feb we will help you make your first moves behind the decks. We invited 

 collective over for a DJ workshop, a screening of their docu " EQ the industry" a talk with 

, moderated by Simone Dekker and an open dek!
The registration for the workshop are closed, but joining the screening, the talk and the open dek is open for everyone. The screening starts at 14.30.



 and Sickhouse are looking into bringing more guests to make this event a regular one, where womxn can meet, share and play together.

FUTURE TALK (together with Architectuur Centrum Enschede) / 

CINEMA OBSCURA - Creature of the Black Lagoon / 

 // MuSickMIX with Alice Dee - Beter Leven & more / 

SICKHOUSE 5 YEARS BIRTHDAY - hybrid celebration

News
Colliders - Game makers meet up

News
Creatieve Broedplaats funding

News
Sick Gaming trajectory

News
March to the Sick

News
Open call Indie/arthouse game makers

News
NEWSLETTER February 2023

Upcoming Events

Gallery

NewsColliders - Game makers meet up

NewsCreatieve Broedplaats funding

NewsSick Gaming trajectory

NewsMarch to the Sick

NewsOpen call Indie/arthouse game makers

NewsNEWSLETTER February 2023