Netherlands Film Academy - David Glass 2026-2028

Research & innovationArtist in Residence (AIR)

Artist in Residence - Alchemy of the Extraordinary - David Glass

Netherlands Film Academy 2026-2028

In 2025 the Netherlands Film Academy welcomed theatre maker, educator and visionary David Glass as Artist in Residence (AIR). His residency will be continued: starting in March 2026 Glass together with the Film Academy develops a multi-year AIR programme which aims to strengthen creativity and ensures the Academy remains a living, evolving place for artistic education and innovation.

Residency 2026-2028
David developed his Alchemy of the Extraordinary - a practical framework to help people recognise their innate creativity, and learn to use it productively and purposefully. At its heart lies the Five-Stage Creative Practice that supports purposeful creativity. During the residency David will work on a tailored version of the Alchemy methodology for the Film Academy.

The residency is conceived as an artistic research and cultural development trajectory, embedded within educational practice. The central research question is:

"How can a shared creative practice be embedded within a changing film-school curriculum in order to foster radical artistic choices, student agency, and a sustainable culture of experimentation and learning through failure?"

The three-year timeframe allows for experimentation, reflection, adaptation, and sustainable embedding within the culture and education while the curriculum is being changed in practice. This way the Netherlands Film Academy affirms that it’s not a place to prove talent, but a place to grow it. The academy chooses to place process, courage and learning at the heart of its curriculum - and to trust that great filmmakers will follow.

During the residency David works with students and staff of the Film Academy. There will also be sessions – like a lecture, workshop or presentation - open to staff from other AHK academies.

“Be serious about play, and playful about seriousness.”

About David Glass

David Glass is a solo artist, theatre director, writer, designer, lighting designer, filmmaker, teacher and creative thinker, founder and co-artistic director of the David Glass Ensemble. He is internationally recognized as a pioneer in Physical/Visual and Devised Theatre and has worked in more than seventy countries. His Five-Stage Creative Practice method is applied worldwide, from street projects for children in Asia to renowned art schools in Great Britain.

Artist in Residence programme

The Amsterdam University of the Arts invites the Artist in Residence (AIR) to inspire students and teachers by confronting them with topical developments and issues from arts practice. These tailor-made AIR projects focus on innovation and connection in an international and multidisciplinary context. About the AIR programme