RESHAPE – Reflect, Share, Practice, Experiment

RESHAPE proposes an open and inclusive experimental process with arts professionals from the Euro-­Mediterranean to enhance their innovative practices for the benefit of the sector and the transformation of the entire arts ecosystem.

RESHAPE is a partnership of intermediary arts organisations who support the development of the arts sector in their countries or regions Partners: ACT Association (BG), Alt Art (RO), Artemrede (PT), Arts and Theatre Institute (CZ), British Council (UK), Bunker/Balkan Express (SI), East European Performing Arts Platform (PL), Flanders Arts Institute (BE), Goethe Institute (DE), Onassis Foundation (GR), Onda -­‐ Office national de diffusion artistique (FR), Pogon Centre for Independent Culture and Youth (HR), Pro Helvetia (CH) Associated partners: Danish Arts Foundation (DK), Ettijahat (LB), EUNIC (BE), Fonds Podiumkunsten/Performing Arts Fund (NL), Frame Contemporary Art (FI), Mondriaan Fund (NL).

Political, economic, technological and ecological shifts in our society are profoundly affecting the way performing arts are created, presented and experienced. Already existing disbalances in mobility of artists and art works are deepened while market fails to ensure that diverse aesthetics and discourses reach audiences throughout Europe. The arts sector is functioning largely in an organisational framework that has not yet integrated these transformations. Meanwhile, artists increasingly blur borders between countries, disciplines and sectors.

How to continue supporting the arts sector in this context? RESHAPE partners are convinced that arts professionals are experts in innovation that hold the key to future models of our sector. Innovative structures and projects emerge across the continent. They experiment with a variety of strategies to engage diverse audiences, to connect across sectors, to be more in line with the values they defend. These initiatives, although often fragile and disconnected, are the “weak signals”, the indicators of future models and possible evolutions. RESHAPE looks for such innovative structures, provides them with time and space to work together in a transnational context and jointly reimagine how performing arts of the future will be organised.

RESHAPE themes

Arts professionals will provide concrete, feasible and sustainable solutions for five burning questions

• How can art support practicing citizenship together?
• How to make open, inclusive and flexible governance models?
• How to better understand and promote the value of art in the social fabric?
• How can solidarity funding secure the vitality of contemporary creation?
• What framework and tools do artists working transnationally need and how to provide them?

RESHAPE process

• Launch open calls to identify initiatives that experiment new models
• A Forum where arts professionals meet, discuss and reflect on alternative practices
• 5 thematic trajectories around the 5 above-­‐mentioned issues in which, through workshops and remote work, 50 arts professionals jointly propose new models, strategies and tools.
• 2 Intensives – inspirational meetings where arts professionals compare and discuss practices and where their ideas are infused with creative solutions from other sectors
• A Conference to share results and open the process to the broader arts & culture community
• Constantly document and disseminate the results, making the new proposed practices sustainable.

More at reshape.network

Download "RESHAPE - A Workbook to Reimagine the Art World"

RESHAPE takes place across Europe and the Mediterranean from September 2018 to March 2021. RESHAPE is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, and the Pogon's activities are additionally supported by the City of Zagreb and the Ministry of Culture and Media.