Huub Koch | Creating Good Vibrations

1956 Huub Koch was born on the 2nd of August 1956 in Rotterdam.

1966-1968 Involved in singing classes with Rene Barten in Rotterdam.

1967 Introduced the Share A Yellow Bike concept among a collective of friends in the center of Rotterdam. When moving to Schiedam his friends, Jackie van Aarts and Dimitri Antonatos presented their mutual bike as a present to him. He refused this souvenir in favour of keeping the concept alive.

1969 Founded the Shocking Blue fanclub. Succeeded in collecting more then 1500 subscribers to his Pinky fanzine, which was co-edited by journalist Karel den Hengst and photographer Teun van Popta. The fanclub was supported by Mariska Veres and Robbie van Leeuwen and Hans Wilbrink of Dureco records. The fanclub activities included fanmeetings, performance on national television, radio and newspaper interviews. The fanclub was eventually sold to one of the record company’s officials.
Fans: here is my shocking blue links page

1970 First holiday job as an icecream salesman at the beach of Zoutelande in the province of Zeeland.

Organised Disco events at the Landvreugd farmhouse in Schiedam.

Collaborations with Rens Maarsman of Pop Sound Productions in the Hague. Contributed to Pop Sound Magazine and participated in management and support activities of the Pop Sound bookings agency.

1971 Engaged in performances of the Rocking Disco Drive-in Show at youth centres in the province of Southern Holland with Romeo van der Broek.

1972 Established, edited and designed a college magazine and collaborated in the organisation of college events and happenings.

Developed the Wallpainting in the Home concept. The idea was implemented by painting large illustrations on walls inside private home’s and in youth centers, alone and in collaboration with Gerard Op ‘t Ende.

1973 Master of ceremony at several college events.

Awarded with the first price for a poster design contest by the committee Rotterdam for Haiphong. 15.000 posters were printed en distributed around the nation. As a result he was invited to design a series of posters, magazines, leaflets and brochures for several youth organisations and college projects.

Approved as a student at the Hazelhorst creative center in Delft. Studies painting, drawing, photography and video.

1974 Meets writer, poet and translator Simon Vinkenoog who stimulates his activities as a poet. Engages in poetry readings with Simon Vinkenoog and Johnny van Doorn. Introduced by Simon Vinkenoog to artist Daan van Golden.

1975 Engaged in the Laan collective in Schiedam. Co-authored the Laan-weekly. Partakes in wallpainting, videoproduction and other publicity events for the Laan collective. Designs the icon 'Sloopje van Schiedam' as an ironic comment on the local municipality's publicity vignette.

Debute as a poet by the publication of 'Under the spell of love'. Organised poetry and jazz events in the Quibus café in Schiedam. Invited to perform at several poetry events.

1976 Participates in a circle of journalists, cameramen and photographers around filmmaker and media coach Jan Schapers in the Zakkendragershuisje in Schiedam.

Master of ceremony at the Queens birthday festival in Schiedam.

Stay at The Puppettheatre Art Collective at Geldern-Vernum near Krefeld in Germany.

Invited to design publicity materials and logo for the Product-X newwave bigband in Schiedam. Engages in saxophone lessons at SKVR music school and rehearsels with Product-X in Schiedam and the Gilius van Bergeyk Bigband in The Hague.

Involved in videoproduction and editing at Nova Video Productions by american producer Lee Skirvin. Partakes in streetinterview videoproject for the Laan Collective.

Commissioned by the Rotterdam Theatre Board to translate letters from Artonin Artaud for the Squat Theatre Production ‘Pig, Child, Fire’ at the Woutertje Pieterse Theatre in Rotterdam.

Participates in The Writers Workshop by Wim Gijzen at the Rotterdam Art foundation, who describes his works as the product of a real storyteller.

Is introduced to writer C.B. Vaandrager by Daan van Golden. Organises Poetry event for Vaandrager at the Podium Café in Schiedam. Receives the Robert Kreis Price for C.B. Vaandrager in his absense.

Exhibiths recent paintings at the Royal Awards Exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum of Schiedam.

1977 Invited to perform at the Boekenbal event of the Stedelijk Museum of Schiedam. Recent poetry and prose work is published in local newspapers.

Manuscript versions of poetry and prose are collected by the public library of Schiedam.

Invited by Han van der Horst to contribute with columns and short stories to City Magazine in Schiedam.

Exhibits paintings, drawings and collage at the Sjaan Gallery in Rotterdam.

Works as an office assistant at the Royal Navy Submarine Department in Rotterdam on the project which establishes the Manual of the Wallrus 3.

Buys a Bealieu 8mm filmcamera and delivers 2 short films: Rotterdam by train (B/W) and Rotterdam by boat (colour) with the support of soundtechnician Jacques Hosters.

1978 Invited in initial project of documentary photography at the Rotterdam Dance Academy. Documentation of rehearsels, backstage proces and performances of Corrie Hartong’s Danse Sacre e Danse Profane by Vera Baris. Photographs are published by Ger van Leeuwen in Music & Dance Magazine, in Dance Magazine and as postcards by Biri Publications. See some results at the portfolio!

Engages in course for carpenting and construction. Receives diploma.

Travels to the U.S.A. and Canada. Visits friends in New York and Vancouver Island. Stay at Chief Simon Charly Place in the Cowichan Valley in Nainaimo British Columbia. Meets and travels with entertainer Curtis ‘Dance' Hamilton from Seattle to New York.

Publication of the story ‘Seven thousand silver miles’ by Private Press.

Invited to become Managing Stage designer at the Unie van Utrecht Manifestation project by architect Kees Christiaanse from OMA in Rotterdam.

1979 Awarded as Most Creative photographer in the Renault 4 Photography Contest. Receives the Creative Diplom for the year 1979 by Renault AG Bruhl.

Approved as a student at the Willem de Kooning Academy.

Awarded Street Photography Prize of the Public Library of Rotterdam.

Works as designer and printing department assistant at the Rotterdam Fruit import company Velleman & Tas.

1980 Commissioned to do a photoreportage about the Rotterdam Fruit Exchange.

Engaged in developing photo-essays about places in Rotterdam and Schiedam that referred to his childhood.

Studies at the Sculpture department of the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam.

1981 Develops himself as a portrait photographer. Invited to do portraits for record backcovers of dance music collected by Eddy Tijssen, teacher at the Rotterdam Dance Academy.

Assigned to do a new documentairy project at the Rotterdam Dance Academy under the title ‘Working on Dance’ in the new building.
See some results at the portfolio!

Publication of dance photographs by Biri Publications, Entre’acte Magazine and Folk Dance Magazine.

1982 Engages in Tai Chi chuan lessons at the Peoples University in Rotterdam.
More info about tai chi chuan at my tai chi links-page.

Partakes in photography workshop by Paul Huf in Amsterdam.

1983 Further studies at the Willem de Kooning Academy Visual Communications Department.

1984 Commisioned to do stagedesign and lightning effects for the Bof Theatre in Rotterdam. Honorary mention of his stagedesign by the Rotterdam Arts Council.

Engages in a personal research on magazinedesign.

1985 Studies during the summersemester at the Hochschule fur Gestaltung in Offenbach Am Main in Germany. Classes in typography, bookbinding and painting.

Involved in documentairy photography about industrial archeology.

Further studies at the Willem de Kooning Academy Visual Communications department.

1986 Commisioned to do brochures, magazine and poster design for the Delfhaven municipality in Rotterdam.

Works as a freelance designer.

1987 Design jobs for Isidoor & Schadek bNO, Idfix bNO and JT Ontwerpen.

Works as a freelance designer.

Initiated the Viaduct Viscarillon Project. A collage project around the subject of the City.

Publication of ‘Choreutic Studies’, a calendar with dance photographs by Huub Koch, published by the Rotterdam Dance Academy.
See some results at the portfolio!

The complete documentairy photography works on dance are collected by the Rotterdam Dance Academy.
See some results at the portfolio!

1988 Partakes in photography workshops with Alan Sekula (US) and Martin Parr (UK).

Works as a freelance designer.

1989 Works as a freelance designer.

Involved in correspondence with italian architect and interior designer Fabrizio Marni.

Exhibition 'Feuerzeugfabrik' as a photo-installation in the Dark Room Gallery in Schiedam.

Develops new identity for the Musical Events foundation of Schiedam. Invited to develop all publicity materials for the Havenbeat Festival 1989 in Schiedam.

Invited to teach photography at Open Ateliers in Rotterdam.

Exhibition of dance photography at the Riagg Center West in Rotterdam.

Identity and posters for the Tsjongejonge Mime Theatregroup in Rotterdam.

1990 Founded his own design studio in Rotterdam.

Engaged in design research with Frans Koenigs.

1991 Works again as a freelance designer.

Developed next to the initial course a secondary course in photography for Open Ateliers in Rotterdam.

1992 Commissioned to develop a magazine about his personal design philosophy for an exhibition about designers by Studio Neuma in Milan Italy. The result is published under the title 'Ritual Identity'.

Works as a freelance designer.

1993 Studies desktoppublishing at Kreft in Rotterdam.

Develops the Ritual Identity Magazine #2, under the subtitle: The digital immunity issue.

Publication of ‘A Man from Rotterdam’, dedicated to the memory of the late C.B. Vaandrager. Sold by Atlas Booksellers in Rotterdam.

1994 Works at de Kruijff Printing office in Rotterdam.

1995 Further studies on desktoppublishing at Open Ateliers.

Works as a freelance designer.

Collaboration with Frans Koenigs and Karel Kindermans on Wildmen Magazine.

Editorial contributions to Wildmen Magazine.

1996 Publication of In Theurapeutic Times, an essay.

Publication of Making my Point, a personal magazine about design.

Works as a senior graphic designer at HBB Advertising in Rotterdam.

Involved in organisation of printingworkshop project for artists and designers at Open Ateliers in Rotterdam. As a result 2 books are published: No.1: Water and No.2 Fire.

Starts correspondence with Henk van Gelre, author of biographies about Henry Miller, Nikolai Berdjajew and Friedrich Nietzsche.

1997 Studies Multimedia with Macromedia Director at Open Ateliers.

Works as a parttime designer at Idfix bNO and as a freelancer for private clients.

Invited to design a new corporate identity for Open Ateliers and Opatel.

Exhibition of collage and assemblage at Kunstlint Manifestation in Schiedam.

Involved in Yoga lessons.

1998 Approved as student for a one year course in User interface and Interaction design.

Translates an article by Henk van Gelre about Henry Miller for Ping Pong Magazine a publication from the Henry Miller Library (US).

1999 Works as an interaction designer at Keja Donia BBDO in Amsterdam. His design of the Fly Keja Donia Website is nominated by the Art Directors Club of The Netherlands (ADCN).

Starts with developing the concept for the Creating Good Vibrations website.

Involved in Yoga lessons.

2000 Works at e-commerce strategy and implementation office Netaspect in Dordrecht.

Further development of the concept for Creating good vibrations.

Develops ideas and design for a community website for Willem de Ridder’s mutual support groups concept.

Experiments with the concept of recycling as editorial strategy for internetmagazines by developing the Maldoror zine website.

Further development of the concept for Creating good vibrations.

2002 Xia Quan Wushu Kung Fu lessons.

Invited to develop the visual identity of the Gorinchem Chamber Orchestra.

Implementation of the concept for Creating good vibrations.

Partakes in presentation workshop with Judith de Bruin.

Design and realisation of the Netaspectguide.
A printed version.

2003 Invited by Steve Heller, senior art director at the New York Times, Design critic [80 books published about graphic design] and initiator of the MFA/Design 'The Designer As Author' Educational Programme to contribute to his New Anthology 'The Education of a Typographer' which is published by Allworth Press in may 2004 in the USA. The result can be found at the Writings section.

2004-2005 Huub Koch has started his own consulting and designoffice Zichtbare Zaken.