ECAS Working Period II

Bridging cultural sectors and different media, and enabling citizen innovation

01.06.2011 - 30.11.2012


The focus here is twofold:
a) on opening up and providing a window onto different artistic interest groups that are already trans-national but not otherwise connected
b) on bridging different cultural sectors and different media.

In Europe today the cultural sector is increasingly made up of a very large number of specialist communities organised around a specific genre or art form. Single cultural institutions can no longer encompass or represent this diversity. The field of advanced sound is particularly attuned to minorities due to the development of so many genres and forms as a part of the cultural life of specific minority or migrant communities. It is necessary to be responsive to this diversity, but also to rise to the challenge of connecting and establishing creative dialogue between these specialist interest and minority groups, and exposing marginal sounds to bigger audiences. On the other side we are witnessing a huge cultural shift often referred to as 'the rise of the amateur' that is characterised by a proliferation of sites of creative practice. The cultural and educational institutions, which have historically overseen and mediated the cultural life of Europe no longer have a monopoly on the means of cultural production. It is necessary in this context both to ensure that we are able to promote only the highest standards of creative excellence while also maximising the potential for increasing inclusion and empowerment.

Working Period II of the programme will focus on these themes, by exploring innovative ways of connecting heterogeneous artistic and audience communities, and finding ways of scaling up without losing this diversity. It is also about bridging the different spheres of experimental music production and to look on the impact advanced sound has on other fields of artistic production. There are exciting possibilities for new artistic collaborations that are based on a sustained dialogue that benefit from the time and space needed to developed shared language. This project will look at the impact on European culture.

The Period II programme will be led by co-applicants with specific expertise and competence in connecting different artistic communities and also overcoming the challenges of geographical distance. Leading co-applicants: Musikprotokoll, Tone, Skanu Mezs, CynetArt