Sound, Heterogenous Art and Performance in Europe

SHAPE is a platform dedicated to promoting, exchanging and developing audiences for innovative musicians and interdisciplinary artists with a focus on sound. This initiative is created out of an international network of innovative music and interdisciplinary arts festivals, which was established in 2008 as an open association of festivals, ICAS (International Cities of Advanced Sound, website – http://icasnetwork.org). The musicians and interdisciplinary artists that ICAS members promote are talented, aspiring and underexposed artists. This association was established to help these artists to get public exposure, and subsequently program them at the festivals in the network. SHAPE is covering all parts of the Europe – from west to east, from north to south. All the members are well acquainted as they meet once a year for their network activities. Our readiness for regular creative exchange has matured through meetings and informal events. SHAPE would advance this by institutionalizing and regularizing the promotion and exchange, and empowering both the promoters and artists and enriching audiences. SHAPE activities will consist of the following:

1) Selection – through a recommendation/advisory board and open calls – every partner out of the current 16 will head one selection process round, to keep everyone committed

2) Education – meetings/ contextualization/ portfolio reviews/ workshops for the selected artists. SHAPE meetings and reviews will be internal events, while the others will be open to general public and take place during the festivals

3) Creation – curatorial guidance / commissioned works

4) Presentation of the artist’s works to the general audience

5) Multiplication – event brochures, online archive, podcasts, interviews and lectures collection at the end of the 3-year period

6) Communication – branding and PR activities with regards to artists and audiences; media partnerships; offers of collaboration to external organizations

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