Imaginal Cells butterfly

In a world that tells you who to be, SPARK reminds you who you are.

SPARK is not about what energy creates, but where it begins. The spark that awakens movement and meaning. Each event invites you to return to that source.

CHANGE STARTS WITHIN


SPARK is an event-movement initiated by and for a younger generation (18–30) aiming to go out on Friday, by going within. Together. A multi-sensory evening that makes the experience, exchange and growth in consciousness as common as scrolling your feed.

  • Collective experiences that make you feel.
  • Real wisdom sharing, not perfect talks.
  • Leave lighter, clearer, more connected.
“Inspiration is not something outside of us. It flows from within. Each event is designed to awaken that inner fire, and inspire action for a more beautiful world.”
— Josine Bakkes, co-founder IMAGINAL CELLS

The Experience



The event concept is simple yet radical: to wake up what’s already inside you. Each event exists out of the same building blocks. SPARK is not a show. It’s an experience that takes you from the intellect to embodiment, from individual to collective. Celebrating the power of imagination.

Consciousness

Discover ancient methods that bring you into your body and grow inner awareness. From breathwork and meditation to sound healing.

Wisdom

Explore stories that reconnect you with nature, the cosmos, and community. Reminding you that you’re part of something bigger.

Imagination

Meet young changemakers turning imagination into impact, and learn methods to spark the imagination within yourself.

Transcendance

The wordplay says it all: to transcend (go beyond) + dance (move, express, embody). A closing ritual with a guest artist/DJ where movement becomes meditation.


SPARK — Launch event


Posthoornkerk


Friday November 28 the Posthoornkerk will open its doors for the very first SPARK. Join the movements with 125 others for a night to go out, by going within.

This event is organised as part of the Spirit of Amsterdam Festival

Scroll through the program here on the side, and find more information on the line-up below ↓.



Speakers & Artists

Josine Bakkes portrait Light Art

Beeldjutters

Creative Light Art Collective

immersive experiencelight
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Beeldjutters is a Dutch creative collective and theatre company that specializes in designing and producing immersive experiences at the intersection of light art, video projection, and location-specific theatre. They are known for creating "visual poetry" that uses surreal imagery and interactive elements to transform existing environments and immerse audiences in dreamlike worlds

Ilya Kneppelhout portrait Speaker

Ilya Kneppelhout

Co-Founder of The Offline Club

Digital-DetoxOffline First
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Ilya Kneppelhout is the co-founder of The Offline Club, a movement that redefines connection in a hyper-connected world. Through silent morning gatherings, phone-free dinners, and simple rituals, Ilya creates spaces where people can return to presence — not to escape the digital world, but to remember what it feels like to truly be here.

Eefke van de Wouw portrait Speaker

Emin Batman

Artist, Architect & Founder of Studio Batman

Cultural ConnectorCreator
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Emin Batman is an interdisciplinary artist, architect, and founder of Studio Batman. His diverse works encompass photography, film, and architecture, addressing themes such as identity, migration, interculturality, and spirituality.

In addition to his artistic practice, Batman serves as Ambassador for Amsterdam Art, is a member of the Program Council of ARCAM, and director of the House of All Foundation.

Batman's passion lies in connecting people from different cultures and celebrating their commonalities through his artistic creations.

Feaden McCall portrait Dancer

Feadan McCall

Embodied Knowing

DanceSomatics
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Feadan McCall is a choreographer & systemic constellator based in Amsterdam, where she makes the invisible visible through embodied expression. Her work blends dance, embodied systemic awareness and musicality into transformative performances, workshops & 1on1 coaching. She is known for her intuitive, layered approach to movement and her ability to make personal and collective undercurrents felt and seen through the body.

Recently Feadan choreographed the feature films VLAM and Olifantje in het Bos (2025), and created the choreography for dutch popsinger Merol’s live show.

She is the founder of Embodied Knowing - a platform for embodied movement practices rooted in musicality, skill, and authentic expression through (systemic) conciousness

Immersive performances and workshops come together in Feadan & Friends - where different musicians, dj’s and/or dancers meet to co-create a shared field of rhythm, energy, and transformation - inviting everyone to move and be moved.

For this edition at Spark, Feadan & Friends will guide the Transcendance and comes together with DJ Reve, who also works as a choreographer and dancer. Reve knows like no other how to bring the heat and with her tunes make every-body move.

Tjeerd Buis portrait Breathwork

Tjeerd Buis

The Wisdom of the Breath

Breathwork
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Tjeerd Buis is a former elite athlete and the founder of The BreathWave, a method that uses conscious connected breathing to restore flow, presence, and vitality. With a background in sports and years of exploring human performance, he brings a grounded, physical approach to transformation.

At SPARK, Tjeerd shares how the breath can be used as a direct tool for awareness and self-regulation. Reconnecting us with the natural rhythm of life.

Louise Pos portrait Natural Intelligence

Wouter Bijdendijk

The intelligence of the natural world.

Nature WisdomPlant Power
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Wouter Bijdendijk is a cultural anthropologist and ethnobotanist who explores the powerful relationship between humans and plants. With a background in anthropology, medicinal botany, and years of studying how different cultures work with nature, he brings a unique blend of science, story, and lived experience.

As the author of Plantkracht, Wouter translates ancient plant knowledge into modern-day insight.

At SPARK, Wouter opens a window into the intelligence of the natural world. He shows how plants can teach us to ground ourselves, expand our awareness, and remember that we are part of a much larger ecosystem of life..

Louise Pos portrait Soundhealing

Salka Soul

The power of natural healing frequencies.

SoundFrequencies
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Salka Soul (Louise Pos) works with the healing power of sound. The vibrations that move through air, water, and even the human body. These frequencies don’t just touch the surface; they can calm the nervous system, harmonize brainwaves, and release emotional tension. During her Sound Healing Journey at SPARK, Salka will create a safe and sacred space for participants to unwind, reconnect with their natural energy, and access the quiet strength within. A moment away from the noise. A moment to feel your own salka.

Batul Loomans portrait Meditation

Batul Loomans

Guiding through silence, meditation, and the power of the unified field.

Buddga to Buddhameditation
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Batul Loomans is the founder of Buddha to Buddha and a long-time student of ancient wisdom traditions.

His journey began in the late 90s during a solo meditation retreat in Southeast Asia, where he created his first bracelet as a reminder to stay connected: to the body, to presence, to the deeper layers of life. That seed became Buddha to Buddha, an international brand rooted in craftsmanship and meaning.

At SPARK, Batul guides participants into the same inner stillness that inspired his creative path. His meditation invites you to reconnect with who you are beneath noise, thought and expectation. A return to the wisdom that has always been within, and around you.

Batul Loomans portrait Pianist

Cécile Schulte

A pianist who lets emotion surface through music.

Live SoundscaperComposer
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Cécile is a German-Dutch composer, pianist and vocalist based in Amsterdam. She grew up in a musically supportive family, developing an intuitive and phonetical connection to the piano from a young age.

Over time, she blended her classical training with influences from film music, jazz, and improvisation, performing both solo and as a singer-songwriter in a band. Now based in Amsterdam, she plays at venues including the Westerkerk, Vondelkerk, Tolhuistuin, The Rosewood Hotel and the Van Gogh Museum, and she is also the resident pianist for the Offline Club.

Alongside her musical work, she has a background in Art History, Heritage & Management and works at the Van Gogh Museum as a Director’s Officer and Project Leader of Van Gogh Europe. Outside of music and work, she loves nature, books, dogs, spontaneous adventures, and traveling in her Volkswagen van Fred. Most of all, she cherishes time with her friends and family.

Playing the piano feels to her like time stands still — it’s when she can be most herself, without using words. For her, music isn’t only something internal; it’s also a way to connect people with their inner worlds. She is most touched when her music can help opening a door to emotions that need to be felt, which her audience might not have been able to access on their own.

During SPARK, Cecile’s live piano play will create a grounding and connective layer throughout the evening

Gilberto Morishaw portrait Musician

Chris Cave

A singer-songwriter who opens space for stillness, expression, and inner connection.

GuitaristSound Journey
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Chris Cave is a Dutch singer-songwriter who hosts lie-down concerts, singing circles, and voice liberation sessions - helping people slow down, reconnect, and express themselves.

At SPARK, Chris will create a meditative landscape of layered guitar and subtle intuitive vocals that will help participants connect deeper with themselves while gently sparking their imagination.

Gilberto Morishaw portrait Host

Gilberto Morishaw

Youth Sounding Board Member for the European Commission.

ChangemakerActivist
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Gilberto Morishaw is a techno-futurist, systems thinker, and creative activator from Curaçao working across Europe. Blending governance, innovation, music, and art, he makes complex topics—climate, technology, social justice—feel human, accessible, and energizing.

As co-host of SPARK, Gilberto builds the bridge between imagination and action. He creates space for honest conversation, inspires new ways of seeing the future, and helps young people tap into their own creative power to shape what comes next.

Josine Bakkes portrait Host

Josine Bakkes

Community Architect & Co-Founder IMAGINAL CELLS

ImaginationSocial Impact
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Josine is a creative entrepreneur and international community builder known for launching and leading large-scale community initiatives across Europe.

She co-founded IMAGINAL CELLS from the understanding that change is more than just fixing problems. It requires a deep shift in how we relate to ourselves, each other, and the Earth.

Dennis Karpes Speaker

Dennis Karpes

Dance for Life & Just Diggit, Co-Founder IMAGINAL CELLS

VisionaryRebel with a cause
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Dennis Karpes is a Dutch social entrepreneur and visionary. In 2003 he co-founded Dance4Life: a global youth campaign using dance, music and media to raise awareness and fight HIV/AIDS. Around 2009/10 he turned his focus to environmental regeneration, co-founding Justdiggit with a mission to “regreen” degraded landscapes in Africa.

Dennis co-founded IMAGINAL CELLS to spark the imaginative power of a whole upcoming generation.

Join your local community

Find the next SPARK near you. Click a butterfly for details or stay updated on upcoming cities.

FAQ

Short answers to the things you might want to know before joining SPARK.

ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE

Is SPARK a conference?

Not really. It’s a shared experience — a night that moves you from thinking to feeling, from mind to body.

Do I need to be spiritual?

No labels needed. Just curiosity. SPARK is for anyone open to explore consciousness, connection and imagination.

What if I’ve never done something like this before?

Perfect. No experience with breathwork, meditation or movement is needed. We guide you step by step at your own pace.

LOCATION & ACCESS

What language is the event in?

SPARK is held in English to welcome our diverse community from different backgrounds.

How can I reach the location?

The event takes place at the Posthoornkerk, Haarlemmerstraat 124 in Amsterdam — a 10-minute walk from Amsterdam Central Station.

PRACTICAL STUFF

What should I bring?

Comfortable clothes, maybe warm socks, and an open mind. We provide mats, blankets, tea, and water.

Do I need to eat something before?

Yes. We serve a small soup at the entrance, but no full meal — we recommend arriving with a full stomach.

Will there be food or drinks available?

Tea, water, and light refreshments are available throughout the evening and included in your ticket.

Anything else important to know?

It’s a shoeless, phoneless experience. You’ll leave your shoes and phone in a secure bag. Warm socks are optional; blankets are provided.

JOIN THE TEAM

I’d love to volunteer. How can I join the team?

We’re always looking for warm, grounded people to help bring SPARK to life. Sign up via this form.

Join the Movement


Be part of what’s next. Sign up for future SPARKs & IMAGINAL CELLS updates.

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