Icas. International Cities of Advanced Sound
Icas. International Cities of Advanced Sound
ADVANCED SOUND
INFORMATION BOOKLET AND MEMBER DIRECTORY
CREATED APRIL 2014
2 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
WHAT IS ICAS?
Founded in 2008, ICAS International Cities of Advanced Sound is
a global network of independent non-profit organizations dedicated
to advancing sound cultures, music, and related arts.
EUROPE
04 Alpha-ville [UK]
05 Arcadi Ile-de-France [FR]
06 Association Electroni[k] [FR]
07 Asociacin MUTEK.ES [ES]
08 Cimatics [BE]
09 DISK Initiative Bild & Ton e.V. [DE]
10 Dis-patch Collective [RS]
11 Dis-Play [ES]
12 Foreningen Insomnia Festival [NO]
13 Full Pull [SE]
14 Fundacja Tone Muzyka i Nowe Formy Sztuki [PL]
15 FutureEverything [UK]
16 MeetFactory o.p.s. [CZ]
17 MoTA Museum of Transitory Art [SI]
18 Nuproductions AS [NO]
19 ORF musikprotokoll im steirischen herbst [AT]
20 Techn [FR]
21 Rokolectiv Festival [RO]
24 Rotation [FR]
25 Skau Mes Association for Adventurous Music and Film Art [LV]
26 Stichting The Generator [NL]
27 Trans-Media-Akademie Hellerau e.V. [DE]
28 Ultrasound Foundation [HU]
NORTH AMERICA
29 Communikey [US]
30 Decibel [US]
31 ISSUE Project Room [US]
32 MUTEK [CA]
33 MUTEK.MX (TECNOLOGA EN MUTACIN S.A. DE C.V.) [MX]
34 New Forms Media Society [CA]
35 The Bunker [US]
36 VIA [US]
SOUTH AMERICA
37 Agencia Nossa! [BR]
38 SOCO Festival [UY]
OCEANIA
39 Room40 [AU]
4 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
EUROPE
ALPHA-VILLE
London, UK est: 2009
INITIATIVES
Alpha-ville Festival of Art, Technology and Digital Culture //
International Symposium on Post-Digital Culture // Exchange
Conference // Alpha-ville LIVE series // Alpha-ville Screenings.
MISSION
Alpha-ville is a London-based project established to support
artists and creatives who explore new territories and push
boundaries even further with the use of digital media and
technology. Through our activities Alpha-ville
facilitates connections and exchange between the
fields of art, technology and design.
Since its inception, Alpha-ville has worked with a
wide array of organisations including British Film
Institute, Kings Place, Whitechapel Gallery, Hackney
Empire Theatre, Hackney Picturehouse, Athens
International Festival Digital Arts and New Media, V&A Digital
Design Weekend, and Microsoft.
Alpha-ville organises events and conferences, curates
programmes and offers consultancy services in the fields of
art, design and technology. In addition, Alpha-ville has also
commissioned three works thus far: CELL, Grey Matter and Patch
Slam.
FUTURE
Alpha-ville continues providing its live platform for groundbreaking
artists to collaborate, network and showcase work. In addition,
new agency services are being developed to offer creative
and artistic direction, artist management and online project
development.
alpha-ville.co.uk
ICASNETWORK.ORG 5
EUROPE
ARCADI ILE-de-FRANCE
Paris, FR est: 2003
INITIATIVES
Nmo Festival // ACME Production fund for digital arts // Biennial
of Contemporary Digital Art of Paris 2015
MISSION
Main goals pursued by Arcadi Ile-de-France
are to: support art production of emerg-
ing artists; develop innovative actions in
the field of artistic & cultural engineering;
observe and cooperate for the evolution
of cultural social background; widen and
gather new audiences to local cultural offer.
Within this wireframe, Nmo Festival, ACME Production Fund, and
the upcoming Digital Art Biennial consolidate the work of more
than 500 artists through this past decade at local, national, and
international scales.
FUTURE
We represent the first historical French regional fund for new
media, and for several years now we have been federating about
20 venues for producing and showing contemporary digital artists.
Be it Belgium, Canada, Germany, UK, European, or Asian partners,
our exchanges and work methods are worldwide.
We federate actors of all sizes in the electronic culture open field,
in order to help achieving demanding and experimental artwork
projects that wouldnt be able to be developed within the short-
sighted economic system. We tend to articulate an institutional
credibility with an up-to-date, realistic artistic production and dif-
fusion activity.
arcadi.fr festivalnemo.fr
6 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
EUROPE
ASSOCIATION ELECTRONI[K]
Rennes, FR est: 2004
INITIATIVES
Maintenant Festival // Origami
MISSION
For 14 years, Association Electroni[k] has been dedicated to
contemporary creation in the fields of sound and image, focusing
on multi-disciplinary and innovative projects. Early-on, the
organization aimed to promote electronic arts through live shows,
performances or installations. It has now broadened
to other disciplines and aesthetics such as graphic
arts, contemporary or electroacoustic music, while
asserting its singularity.
Cultural activities set up with different publics
(school groups and families, students, persons with
major social problems, etc) are now an integral part
of the Elektroni[K] project and goes beyond the days dedicated
to the Maintenant festival organized in October each year. The
organization is active year-round via residencies among school
groups, workshops, the Belle de Nuit shows, cartes blanches, etc.
FUTURE
Association Electroni[k] aims to seed more and more new
creations and productions. The festival will continue to take place
every year in Rennes, France in October. We are creating a new
organization called Origami, which works with research labs,
companies, and universities in order to create new technological
projects. This new organization could also support a new event that
is bigger than Maintenant festival.
Association Electroni[k] is glad to cooperate on new projects with
any countries and continents, with a special interest in North
America, Asia, and Europe.
electroni-k.org maintenant-festival.fr
ICASNETWORK.ORG 7
EUROPE
ASOCIACIN MUTEK.ES
Barcelona, ES est: 2009
INITIATIVES
MUTEK.ES International Festival of Digital Creativity and
Electronic Music
MISSION
MUTEK.ESs principal activity is the presentation of the MUTEK.
ES festival during the winter season in Barcelona. Each festival
edition is committed to showcasing the finest emerging and
established digital arts talent to local audiences, supporting the
Catalunyan and Spanish artistic community by providing it with
an internationally recognized platform within an environment of
discovery, experimentation, and exchange.
As the only MUTEK chapter based in Europe, MUTEK.ES provides
a unique landing spot for MUTEKs American branches on the
European continent. MUTEK.ES thus has a strong focus on
presenting new artists, projects and trends in digital creativity that
are emerging in the Americas.
FUTURE
Working to position the festival in a larger EU scale to connect
Barcelona as a media arts destination during the winter period,
MUTEK.ES remains very interested in the Americas especially
central and south Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil, and Chile.
mutek.org/en/spain/2014
8 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
EUROPE
CIMATICS
Brussels, BE est: 2002
INITIATIVES
Cimatics Agency // The Digital Now
MISSION
A production agency dedicated to art & innovative
technology, Cimatics aims to challenge traditional
approaches of contemporary art by supporting
emerging and established artists working on
the fringe of art, science, and technology. A
strong focus is set on long-term cooperations
between artists and the arts industry. Sustainable
relationships are emphasized especially with cultural institutions,
museums, galleries and art collectors.
Cimatics aims to make a significant contribution to the
development of new ways of making, presenting, and experiencing
contemporary and digital art. The organization promotes and
organizes the work of these artists, presenting their art works
within some important events, galleries, exhibitions and cultural
centres in Europe and worldwide.
Services provided by the Cimatics agency to institutions range from
arts consultancy and advice, to curating, financial, and project
management. Cimatics also works on long term collaborations
including the development of an artists career and its international
visibility.
FUTURE
Cimatics aims to establish an international production and
management agency for Post-Digital Arts. Countries of interest for
future collaborations include especially India, China, and Korea.
cimatics.com thedigitalnow.be
ICASNETWORK.ORG 9
EUROPE
DISK INITIATIVE BILD & TON e.V.
Berlin, DE est: 1999
INITIATIVES
CTM Festival for Adventurous Music and Art //
CTM Agency
MISSION
DISK Berlin aims to stimulate, support, and promote the
production and diffusion of innovative music and related
artforms. A central axis in the independent arts scene in Berlin
and internationally, DISK is also committed to sustaining its
longstanding relationship with likeminded cultural bodies and
nurturing likeminded local and international non-profit initiatives.
DISK produces the CTM festival, a prominent yearly international
rendez-vous that, since 1999, has presented the most outstanding
international productions in adventurous, experimental, and
electronic music and audiovisual performance while reflecting
artistic, social and technical developments in music culture via a
daytime conference and exhibitions. In 2014 DISK launches CTM
Agency, which aims to encourage the production and diffusion of
experimental sound art, innovative music, and visual arts. CTM
Agency offers bookings for special artists & projects, consulting
ranging from event conceptualization to fundraising, production
and administration, and also organizes year-round concerts in
Berlin. DISK is a co-founder of Inn.to, a cooperative building in
Berlin with artist studios and offices for cultural projects, and of
General Public, a non-profit project space located on the buildings
ground floor. DISK is a member of Initiative Neue Musik Berlin and
of the Dach/Musik network.
FUTURE
As a festival and organization that works both locally and globally,
DISK is open to collaboration with like-minded organizations that
see themselves beyond national boarders.
INITIATIVES
Dis-patch Festival (past) // KidsPatch Festival
MISSION
The Dis-patch collective grew out of the activities
of Belgradeyard Sound System, a pioneering or-
ganization in cutting-edge music, related arts and
independent culture in the region of Southeast Europe. In 2002, it
kickstarted its central project - annual Dis-patch Festival of cut-
ting-edge music and related arts - which ran until 2010 present-
ing 9 editions of international, trans-disciplinary program rich in
performances, commissions, collaborations and special projects.
The collective also realized a number of touring projects around
Europe, USA and Canada, the most prominent of which where two
ViceVerse tours with Communikey festival.
Since 2010, Dis-Patch initiates a number of individual curatorial
projects, collaborations, commissions, events, exhibitions and
more in the fields of music, visual arts, and education as well as
site-specific and nomadic projects. It continues to develop Kid-
sPatch, an annual festival and initiative premiered in 2008 and
dedicated to creative collaborations between artists and children.
FUTURE
Following the end of the Dis-patch festival, we aim to continue
working as a nomadic collective for site-specific projects and
special, process-based multidisciplinary collaborations across the
globe, as well as to help artists produce special projects, initiated
and curated by us. Beside strong ties to the Communikey festival,
we seek collaboration with USA-based, Canadian, Australian and
South American initiatives. While open to collaboration in Europe,
we are especially interested in realizing mobile, nomadic and
engaged projects in Central and South America, Africa or the far
East.
DIS-PLAY
Canary Islands, ES est: 2006
INITIATIVES
DIS-PLAY FEST // DIS-PLAY PRO // DIS-PLAY LAB // KIDS-PLAY
MISSION
DIS-PLAY is a platform for the dissemination
of sound research and related arts that brings
together electronic musicians and related
professionals from the Canary Islands, Spain,
and Europe, to promote art and technology proposals related
to experimentation, implementation and creation processes on
different multimedia platforms through activities like exhibitions,
audiovisual concerts, multichannel audio performances,
workshops, conferences, and other types of sound art and new
media live performances or presentations.
DIS-PLAY follows 4 working lines: DIS-PLAY Pro International
exhibition held in different cities; DIS-PLAY Fest International
festival in Canary Islands; DIS-PLAY LAB Research Centre in
Canary Islands; and KIDS-PLAY Festival of interaction and creativity
for children. We are currently operating 3 of these lines, with the
opening of the 4th component (dis-play LAB) scheduled for April
2014. Over the next years we would love to expand this laboratory
of audio-visual experimentation and related arts to provide the
Canary Islands with a much needed space for knowledge exchange
and performance opportunities in these types of art forms, both for
local artists as well as for hosting residencies from international
artists.
FUTURE
We definitely would love to work with as many ICAS organizations
and other individuals/organizations as possible. We are especially
interested in cooperating with initiatives such as the Dis-patch
collectives KidsPatch program.
dis-play.es
12 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
EUROPE
FORENINGEN INSOMNIA FESTIVAL
Troms, NO est: 2007
INITIATIVES
Insomnia Festival
MISSION
We aim to show and explore good music - art and ideas. Insomnia
festival is all about taking care of our cultural herritage from the
electronic music scene in Troms. We aim to bring new emerging
artists from the northern part of Norway out to the world and at
the same time bring the world to the desolated island Troms.
FUTURE
We aim to expand into an organisation that is active year-round in
supporting and present music and art in various venues in Troms.
We are open to collaboration with all likeminded organizations.
insomniafestival.no
ICASNETWORK.ORG 13
EUROPE
FULL PULL
Malm, SE est: 2005
INITIATIVES
MISSION
Full Pull is an organization for electronic/
experimental music, art and urban
interventions. Founded in Malm, Sweden,
Full Pull arranged an annual festival in
collaboration with numerous partners in the field of music and art
in the resund region from 2005 until 2011. The regional network
of big and small creative nodes is the organic basis and form of
Full Pull constantly open to experiments that favors exploration,
innovation and exchange in musical and artistic practice as well as
between cultures and countries.
FUTURE
Full Pull is at the moment re-thinking and re-forming what a
festival can be and how to engage with the local culture and
community. We plan to present a new festival concept in 2015.
full-pull.org
14 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
EUROPE
FUNDACJA TONE MUZYKA I NOWE FORMY SZTUKI
Krakow, PL est: 2008
INITIATIVES
Unsound Festival (Krakow, NY, Adelaide) //
Unsound Productions
MISSION
Tone Foundation was established in 2008 as an organization
responsible for the annual Unsound Festival, which promotes
electronic, experimental and postclassical music as well as related
visual arts. Tone Foundation organizes various cultural projects
aiming to initiate intercultural dialogue and collaboration between
individual artists, experts from the field of culture, and institutions
of culture, focusing on activating the collaboration between
individuals and institutions from Central and Eastern Europe and
those from the Western Europe and USA. Those ideas have been
implemented through the realization of several projects, such as
touring versions of Unsound Festival, which have taken place in a
few capitals of Central and Eastern Europe as well as an annual
(since 2010) edition of Unsound festival in New York City. The
NY edition has became particularly important raising Unsound
Festivals profile internationally and enabling to promote artists
from Central/Eastern Europe as well as foster many lasting artistic
collaborations.
FUTURE
We are very open to all kinds of collaborations, but remain
interested in developing projects in areas that are not perceived
as traditional centres of culture or strictly related to festivals.
Our focus remains the development of special projects and
commissions with artists interested to reach out of their creative
comfort zone and breaking boundaries (also in geographical
terms).
unsound.pl
ICASNETWORK.ORG 15
EUROPE
FUTUREEVERYTHING
Manchester, UK est: 1995
INITIATIVES
Festival and Innovation Lab
MISSION
Our vision is to give rise together to a truly participatory culture
and society, with art and research at the centre of things, and
everyone, everywhere able to realise their creative potential, and
shape their world for the better.
FutureEverything is an internationally recognised R&D hub for
digital culture that presents industry conferences, innovation
projects, research prototypes, artworks and live experiences
showcasing a digital future. In 2015 FutureEverything will celebrate
its 20th year.
FUTURE
In 5 years, we aim to be recognised as having made a major
difference to culture and society. Our festival will be thriving,
international, and secure. We will have defeated the neo-
liberatarian wing of the openness movement placing community
at the centre of open culture and the Network. We are open to
collaboration with all likeminded organizations.
futureeverything.org
16 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
EUROPE
MEETFACTORY
Prague, CZ est: 2001
INITIATIVES
MeetFactory art-centre (3 galleries, theater,
music hall, artist-in-residence program)
MISSION
MeetFactory is a non-profit international centre
for contemporary art, with the mission to foster
a dialogue between genres and make current art accessible to the
widest public. We support original projects in visual arts, theatre,
and music as well as interdisciplinary and experimental platforms.
We aim to create a space where art is alive and artists are present,
enhancing a direct exchange between international artists and the
visitors, as well as between different fields and generations.
The MeetFactory program consists of four pillars: The music
program presents the international independent music scene via
6-8 performances per month. The theatre program focuses on
contemporary prose, as well as experimental interdisciplinary
projects. Three galleries offer space for critical confrontation of
the national and international art scenes. Our international Artist-
in-Residence program is the largest studio program in the Czech
Republic, with 15 studios that annually host over 30 visual artists,
curators, musicians, theatre directors or writers.
FUTURE
Following the extension of building lease from Pragues City
council, MeetFactory will engage more in sustainability and
ecological programs in the coming years. Artists-in-residence
programme aims for more non-visual arts residencies (eg. music,
theater) and together with the gallery department, will initiate
creation of commissioned works by both Czech and international
artists.
meetfactory.cz/en
ICASNETWORK.ORG 17
EUROPE
MUSEUM OF TRANSITORY ART - MoTA
Ljubljana, SI est: 2002
INITIATIVES
SONICA Festival of Transitory Art &
SONICA Series // T.R.I.B.E. // ArtistTalk
MISSION
MoTA is a multidisciplinary platform
dedicated to the research, production and
presentation of transitory, experimental and live art forms. As its
name indicates, MoTA examines the ideas of
the museum (what is its role today and in the future), transitoriness
(in either space or time), and art (what is art in relation to life).
A museum without a physical space, MoTA programs are realised
in different locations and contexts, both physically and virtually.
MoTA organizes support actions for transitory art in the form
of continuous events, exhibitions and educational programs
throughout the year in cities across Europe and beyond. MoTAs
approach to artistic production is collaboration. With this
methodology, MoTA aims at overcoming social differences and
exclusive modes of working.
MoTA also runs the first regular artist-in-residency program in
Slovenia, with the purpose to give a living and working environment
to foreign artists in Ljubljana.
FUTURE
We aim to run an internationally recognized gallery, MoTA Point,
devoted to sound art, ephemeral art, experimental art projects
as well as a social interactive space for art and ideas. We are
busy building the museum collection and developing the TRIBE
network within Eastern European countries and expanding the
ArtistTalk platform. MoTA is open to collaboration with artists and
organizations worldwide.
motamuseum.com
sonica.si transitoryart.org artisttalk.eu
18 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
EUROPE
NUPRODUCTIONS AS
Stavanger, NO est: 1999
INITIATIVES
Numusic Festival // Nuart Festival
MISSION
Stockhausen to Techno, Numusic is
dedicated to providing a dynamic annual festival platform for new,
advanced and electronic music in an environment of discovery.
The festival strives to reflect current movements within electronic
music culture as well as provide a platform for the more esoteric
outer reaches of electronic experimentation. Numusic specialise
in commissioning unique productions and have worked with some
of the worlds leading composers and producers of their time, Steve
Reich, Jeff Mills, Karlheinz Stockhasuen, Underground Resistance,
Arvo Part, Four Tet, and Pierre Henry are just a few of the names
that have performed alongside emerging newcomers the past few
years.
FUTURE
First and foremost we aim to continue to provide a relevant re-
gional and national platform for the genres we represent. Numusic
recently established a monthly live club platform that we hope to
develop further over the coming years. Numusic are always open
to dynamic collaborations, particularly cross platform events and
will continue to pursue, promote, produce and present acts and
events under and (mis)represented by mainstream culture.
numusic.no nuartfestival.no
ICASNETWORK.ORG 19
EUROPE
ORF musikprotokoll im steirischen herbst
Graz, AT est: 1968
INITIATIVES musikprotokoll
musikprotokoll festival im steirischen herbst
MISSION
Functioning as a kind of laboratory, musikprotokoll invites the
audience to embark on an exploratory journey to discover the
latest developments and trends in music, with all the artistic
risks that this entails. From orchestral music with the ORF
Radio Symphonieorchester Wien to chamber music, from live
performances to sound installations, musikprotokoll highlights a
wide range of intriguingly heterogeneous forms and genres and
presents works that are for the most part developed and produced
specifically for the festival. Dedicated to contemporary and
experimental music and intermedia activities, the musikprotokoll
programme features outstanding protagonists of current artistic
trends and has throughout the festivals long history always placed
Austrian positions in an international context.
Founded by Emil Breisach in 1968, musikprotokoll is organised
annually by ORF (Austrian Broadcasting). It is a coproduction of
its two stations, Radio sterreich 1 and Radio Steiermark, which
broadcast the presented works in cooperation with the steirischer
herbst festival.
FUTURE
We would like to continue to be a platform for the different scenes
of the ever-changing new and experimental music fields. We are
interested in cooperations with everybody (coming from whatever
country and continent), as long as it fits into the musical profile of
our festival, which is dedicated to all possible forms of new and
experimental music.
musikprotokoll.orf.at
20 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
EUROPE
TECHN
Marseille, FR est: 2008
INITIATIVES
RIAM - Festival for unlimited art & music
MISSION
The International Meeting of Multimedia
Arts (RIAM) is an initiative of the non-profit
association Techn.
We chose not to represent digital arts as an
independent area, but to establish an animated dialogue with other
experimental and innovative artistic forms.
We put the accent on a limited selection of artists, to whom we
bring a substantial support via dissemination and production
of their work, presenting them in different spaces. Concerning
production, we deal foremost with producing exhibitions and music
performances, and secondly with the production of DVDs, vinyl
releases, publications, etc. in support of these works.
We are also concerned by the importance of building networks
of organisations, places and artists, not only in our artistic field,
but also in those that include the latest ideas within artistic and
theoretical developments.
Beyond a large work of diffusion, we focus on supporting artists
production (before and after each edition of RIAM), creating a
dialogue and real synergy that brings artists, works, audiences,
and organizations together and that connects RIAM to new and
existing networks.
FUTURE
Over the 5 next years we would like to open an art centre with a
residency space, where different artists could come from around
the world and share their diverse knowledge with one another;
a place where one can share and create, with the ambition to
present those works within the RIAM festival.
riam.info
ICASNETWORK.ORG 21
EUROPE
ROKOLECTIV FESTIVAL
Bucharest, RO est: 2006
INITIATIVES
Rokolectiv Festival // Individual events
MISSION
Rokolectiv is Bucharests biggest and most relevant electronic
music platform. The festival takes place every year, in April, on the
rooftop of the Museum of Contemporary Art and other alternative
venues in Bucharest, with a duration of 4 days and a program
spanning from live performances, audio-visual installations,
documentary film screenings to site specific projects. The festival
supports upcoming international artists and highlights off-beaten
music trajectories constantly crossing and feeding each other,
while simultaneously being fed and feeding the big pot called pop.
The line up favors every year an array of juicy, bold performers and
DJs, and less of the usual suspects - those artists pampered and
glamourized by the leading off- and online publications -, while
also paying tribute to the local pioneers of electronic music.
FUTURE
Rokolectiv Festival is looking at continuing the development of
the local scene, in a city that precipitated to jump over big gaps
left behind by decades of discontinuous, fragmented electronic
music history. In order to give the festival continuity throughout
the year, a wide range of events dedicated showcases, special
concerts, exhibitions etc. are evisaged periodically, with local
and international partners. Write us at the details below for any
cooperation initiatives.
rokolectiv.ro
EUROPE
01. Alpha-Ville
02. Arcadi Ile-de-France 11. Fundacja Tone Muzyka i
03. Association Electroni[k] Nowe Formy Sztuki
04. Asociacin MUTEK.ES 12. FutureEverything
05. Cimatics 13. MeetFactory o.p.s.
06. DISK - Initiative Bild & Ton e.V. 14. MoTA Museum of Tran-
07. Dis-patch Collective sitory Art
08. Dis-Play 15. Nuproductions AS
09. Foreningen Insomnia Festival 16. ORF musikprotokoll im
10. Full Pull steirischen Herbst
17. Techn
18. Rokolectiv Festival
19. Rotation
20. Skau Mes Association
for Adventurous Music and
Film Art 27. MUTEK
21. Stitching The Generator 28. MUTEK.MX
22. Trans-Media-Akademie 29. New Forms Media Society
Hellerau e.V. 30. The Bunker
23. Ultrasound Foundation 31. VIA
NORTH AMERICA SOUTH AMERICA
24. Communikey 32. Eletronika Festival
25. Decibel 33. SOCO Festival
26. ISSUE Project Room OCEANIA
34. Room40
24 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
EUROPE
ROTATION
Toulouse, FR est: 2002
INITIATIVES
Les Siestes Electroniques //
Audimat
MISSION
Les Siestes Electroniques is a music festival that falls into two
editions. One takes place every year since 2002 in Toulouse and the
other since 2011 in Paris. Its ambitious motley line-up focuses on
electronic musicians as well as traditional, electro-acoustic or pop
music and aims at a professional audience as well as the general
public. The fact that its open air and daylight concerts are free of
charge makes Les Siestes Electroniques a rare and precious oc-
curance within the landscapes of European festivals.
FUTURE
Les Siestes Electroniques aims to produce more original content,
in-situ works, and premieres through its festival, while also devel-
oping b2b meetings and external special projects as guest cura-
tors. Interested in collaborating with organizations worldwide, les
Siestes have lately been very active in cooperations in non-Western
countries such as Congo and Vietnam.
les-siestes-electroniques.comrevue-audimat.fr
ICASNETWORK.ORG 25
EUROPE
SKANU MES ASSOCIATION FOR
ADVENTUROUS MUSIC AND FILM ART
Riga, LV est: 2007
INITIATIVES
Skau Mes Festival // Year-round oncerts, seminars, workshops,
sound art exhibitions
MISSION
The Skau Mes Association supports
the promotion and production of
experimental music and related arts
via concerts, exhibitions, commissioned
works and educational events. Since
2003 the association organizes the yearly
Skau Mes (Sound Forest) festival, the
largest event for adventurous music in
the Baltic states. Single concerts under
the brand of Skau mes are also being
organized since 2000.
FUTURE
Skanu Mezs is curious about any interesting co-operations that
would bring exceptional music to audiences.
skanumezs.lv/en
26 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
EUROPE
STICHTING THE GENERATOR
The Hague, NL est: 2001
INITIATIVES
TodaysArt Festival //
TodaysArt Agency // various
other TodaysArt projects
MISSION
TodaysArt is a unique, citywide festival, recognized globally as an
influential event for innovative and inspiring developments within
contemporary visual and performing arts, design, architecture and
digital culture. The transdisciplinary and adventurous program
features large-scale, innovative productions, offering a platform
for local, national and international creative talent and established
artists. The event investigates and activates the social possibilities
of art, sound, vision and technology where it intersects with
urban spaces, using and transforming the citys cultural and
social infrastructure and built environment to create inspiring
settings. TodaysArt aims to reach as many people as possible in
the experience of contemporary adventurous arts and culture and
aims to keep evolving into an innovative and essential format for
the presentation and development of todays arts and culture.
FUTURE
TodaysArt is very open to collaborations with anybody, while
remaining internationally oriented and with a preference for
organizations that frequently operate beyond sound and music.
todaysart.nl todaysart.org
ICASNETWORK.ORG 27
EUROPE
TRANS-MEDIA-AKADEMIE HELLERAU e.V.
Dresden, DE est: 2001
INITIATIVES
CYNETART International Festival for Computer
Based Art and Transdisciplinary Media Projects //
microscope sessions //Ferienakademie
MISSION
The non-profit Trans-Media-Akademie Hellerau is dedicated
to practical, theoretical, and artistic research on body-related
communication and technologies of perception. Its public activities
focus on the promotion of current technological tendencies and a
mediatization of influenced culture, and makes relations between
applied media technologies and their aesthetic, social, cultural,
economic, and political dimensions visible. Through project
development, artist residencies, workshops, and especially through
the organisation of the CYNETART-Festival, the association focuses
on testing artistic production methods and scientific methods of
reflexion, development of prototypic models, and collaborative work
between the arts and the sciences, as well on the development of
sustainable event formats for adequate mediation of their results.
CYNETART festival is an international high-level festival for
computer based arts and transdisciplinary media projects.
CYNETART festival is an experimental space at Festspielhaus
Hellerau (European center of the Arts Dresden) where artists can
experiment and play with future art, music and ideas.
FUTURE
TMA Hellerau is cooperating locally with HELLERAU European
Center for the Arts and the DAVE festival in Dresden as of 2014.
In addition to collaborating with many of the European ICAS
members, TMA Hellerau is interested in working with individuals
and organizations in South Amercia, Ukraine, Iceland, and Hong
Kong.
cynetart.de t-m-a.de
28 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
EUROPE
ULTRASOUND FOUNDATION
Budapest, HU est: 2000
INITIATIVES
UH Festival // various events, concerts,
showcases of Hungarian talents abroad
MISSION
Helping one to learn to listen is like helping one
to learn to read. The Ultrasound Foundation
aims to provide a new type of joy to people, by
means of challenging audiences so that in the
end of the day they associate a wider meaning to the word music
than before. Not focusing on genres is a principle that reflects
our overall activity. Any given member of our audience is likely to
hear music s/he did not intend to; or from another point of view:
explore something new.
It is our deliberate strategy to juxtapose artists not just from
different genres, but also with different approaches and moods.
At our festival the audience can hear a funny, joyous, or even
ecstatic performance next to a more difficult or abrasive show;
we juxtapose the cerebral with the visceral, the intimate with
the abstract, etc. We are confident that such exploration, inter-
cultural communication (let it be between national cultures and/
or subcultures) is a fertile ground for creative ideas, and again a
source of a new type of joy.
FUTURE
We are working towards being able to produce the festival on yearly
basis, while avoiding institutionalization of the organisation, and
would like to create a residency programme for musicians, sound
artist in collaboration with an independent (from state) art centre
based in Budapest. We are especially interested in collaborating
with organizations in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
uh.hu
ICASNETWORK.ORG 29
NORTH AMERICA
COMMUNIKEY
Boulder, US est: 2004
INITIATIVES
CMKY Festival // one off events
MISSION
Communikey (CMKY) is a Boulder-based
interdisciplinary organization dedicated to
social, cultural and ecological innovation
through creative process. We facilitate
forward thinking cultural experiences
that emphasize the intersection of sound,
design and technology in artistic forms
that are under-represented. Communikey
forges a creative exchange across
cultures, backgrounds, and mediums while
fostering the development of the local arts
community.
FUTURE
Interested in developing national umbrella for the North American
organizations within ICAS, to allow for deeper cooperation between
North American members, including sharing of staff, co-grant
writing, co-commissions. Internally, in consideration of new
platform for expression - IE, what is the next manifestation of
festival, and strengthening the year round operating system for
our organization to allow for full time paid staff.
cmky.org
30 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
NORTH AMERICA
DECIBEL FESTIVAL
Seattle, US est: 2003
INITIATIVES
Decibel Festival // Decibel Events //
OPTICAL // dB Conference
MISSION
Founded in 2003, Decibel Festival has
become a unique platform for exposing
attendees to leading-edge music and visual
art from around the globe. With a focus on
live performance, interactive multimedia
art, state-of-the-art sound and technology based education;
Decibel strives to educate and entertain attendees through diverse,
technologically driven programming.
Centered in Seattle, Decibel inherently has a Pacific Northwest
perspective that influences the curation, sustainability and
partners we choose to work with. Decibel also helps build
awareness of the global electronic music community through a
largely international program (e.g. over 1,000 artists booked from
over 40 countries over the past decade). In addition, Decibel Events
produces over 75 one-off events annually, ranging from intimate
club performances to massive international festival stages.
FUTURE
We will be further developing the following four divisions of Decibel
into unique business entities (Decibel Festival, OPTICAL, dB
Conference, Decibel Events). We plan to position Decibel Events as
a full production company with expertise in curation, production,
promotions and overall event coordination.
We will continue working with our N.American festival partners on
curation, promotions and shared opportunities in general and hope
to collaborate with EU festivals and organizations to establish a
stronger bond between N.America and Europe.
dbfestival.com
ICASNETWORK.ORG 31
NORTH AMERICA
ISSUE PROJECT ROOM
New York, US est: 2003
INITIATIVES
ISSUE Project Room
MISSION
ISSUE Project Room is a pioneering performance
center, presenting time-based work by emerging
and established experimental artists that expand the boundaries
of creative practice and stimulate critical dialogue about art and
culture in the broader community. ISSUE plays a vital role in NYCs
cultural ecology, facilitating the commission and premiere of new
works and presenting a diverse array of artists working across
and between the disciplines of sound, dance, film, performance
and literature. Programming places on underrepresented creative
practicioners often as a result of the artists gender, sexuality, or
geographic location.
FUTURE
In 2008, ISSUE was awarded a 20-year lease on a theater space in
the historic 110 Livingston Street building in Downtown Brooklyn.
ISSUE commenced full-time programming in the new space in
2012. Offering a centralized location and an audience capacity
more than double that of any previous space ISSUE had occupied,
the new theater has helped facilitate a degree of publicity and
awareness unique for our community of under-recognized artists.
In 2012, ISSUE completed a $4 million city-funded capital
campaign to carry out necessary renovations to bring the space to
code and adapt it for multidisciplinary performance. Working with
NYCs Department of Design and Construction, architect WORKac
completed design plans by the end of 2013, with a grand re-
opening in 2015. The space will serve as Brooklyns first permanent
home for experimental art and function as a critical catalyst for the
cultural revitalization of downtown Brooklyn.
issueprojectroom.org issueprojectroom.tumblr.com
32 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
NORTH AMERICA
MUTEK
Montral, CA est: 2000
INITIATIVES
MUTEK International Festival of Digital
Creativity and Electronic Music
MISSION
MUTEK is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the
dissemination and development of digital creativity in sound,
music, and audio-visual art. Its mandate is to provide a platform
for the most original and visionary artists currently working in
their fields, with the intent of providing an outlet of initiation and
discovery for the audiences we seek to develop.
MUTEKs principal activity is the annual presentation of its
namesake festival, which has taken place in Montreal since
2000. Since its first edition, the MUTEK festival has distinguished
itself as an international rendezvous for original and avant-garde
programming. In terms of content, the festivals range strives to
be diverse, with interests in both the experimental and the playful
sides of digital creativity. Each edition offers a notable array of
Canadian, North American, and even international premieres.
MUTEK has strived to expand its sphere of activities beyond the
core festival from early on. These initiatives have multiplied since
2002, both in Montreal and on the international scene: showcases,
tours, and international editions of the festival, not to mention a
record label.
FUTURE
Within the ICAS network, MUTEK is interested in the development
of the groups North American branch, as well as participating
in different regional initiatives and special one-to-one reciprocal
collaborations such as the Vice Verse tour developed between
Communikey and Dis-patch several years ago.
mutek.org
ICASNETWORK.ORG 33
NORTH AMERICA
MUTEK.MX
(TECNOLOGA EN MUTACIN S.A. DE C.V.)
Mexico City, MX est: 2003
INITIATIVES PRESENTA
MUTEK.MX International
Festival of Digital Creativity and
Electronic Music _
10 AOS CONSTRUYENDO PUENTES
MISSION ENTRE CREATIVIDAD Y TECNOLOGA EN MXICO
_
MUTEK.MXs principal activity is the presentation of the MUTEK.MX
festival in October of each year. Each festival edition is committed
to showcasing the finest emerging and established digital
arts talent to local audiences, supporting the Mexican artistic
community by providing it with an internationally recognized
platform within an environment of discovery, experimentation, and
exchange.
FUTURE
MUTEK.MX aims to grow in the educational and social (public
space) area, creating an equal balance of importance in this
programming compared to the rest of our festival content. Our
interest is to work with the full ICAS network and other interested
individuals and organizations in order to promote artists from our
region. We also wish to work as a platform to conceive all kind of
local and international collaborations and events in Mexico.
mutek.mx
34 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
NORTH AMERICA
NEW FORMS MEDIA SOCIETY
Vancouver, CA est: 2000
INITIATIVES
New Forms Festival
MISSION
New Forms Media Society is a
non-profit society and media arts
organization that nurtures and connects local and international
arts, electronic music and grassroots communities through the
annual New Forms Festival. By promoting the international visual
arts and electronic music world, the NFF facilitates multimodal
art works and engages in discussion on their role in our cultural
environment.
2013.newformsfestival.com
ICASNETWORK.ORG 35
NORTH AMERICA
THE BUNKER
New York City, US est: 2003
INITIATIVES
The Bunker // Beyond
Booking
MISSION
For over a decade, The Bunker has been a storied night of musical
exploration in New York City. The adventurous electronic music
lineupswhich bring together fringe artists who also know
how to move a dancefloormade the party legendary amongst
NYC cognoscenti. The Bunker is an ongoing night of musical
exploration, constantly evolving since it started in 2003. The
Bunker is a party for music-obsessed people who want to dance
to interesting sounds in a room full of likeminded folks, thrown by
people who live to do just that and strive to perfect the experience.
Starting a record label was the next natural step in The Bunkers
evolution, featuring contributions from artists who frequent the
shadows of the party and established guests.
FUTURE
The Bunker already cooperates regularly with all North American
ICAS members, as well as Unsound Festival. We are open to any
and all ideas for further collaboration.
thebunkerny.com
36 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
NORTH AMERICA
VIA
Pittsburgh, US est: 2010
INITIATIVES
VIA Festival // monthly events //
music booking // art curation //
custom a/v projects
MISSION
VIA is a platform for the intersection of emerging music, new
media art, and technology. VIA brings together artists from home
and around the world for custom, collaborative performances,
exhibitions, special projects, lectures, workshops, and interactive
events IRL and online.
FUTURE
VIA is working to create an audio-visual artist agency by end of
2014. Other 2014 goals include acquiring a fiscal partner and a
presenting festival sponsor. 2015 goals include stabilizing a full-
time team of 5 and finding a dedicated venue in Pittsburgh. Our
primary focus for collaboration is to work with our North American
partners on how our agency could operate within the larger festival
framework: whether touring visual artists, co-presenting events
IRL and online, and/or developing special projects together that
could tour throughout the entire network.
via-pgh.com
ICASNETWORK.ORG 37
SOUTH AMERICA
ELETRONIKA FESTIVAL
Belo Horizonte, BR est: 1999
INITIATIVES
Eletronika Festival
MISSION
Eletronika is a music platform
presenting electronic music and
related arts. Our mission is to support
Brazilian musicians and artists, to
bring international artists to Brazil,
and to establish a partnership with
international festivals.
FUTURE
Last year, Eletronika established a partnership with Novas
Frequencias Festival from Rio de Janeiro to promote a common
program regarding international artists. Also, we are increasing
the participation of Brazilian artists. In 2015, we want to invite
South American artists to extend our network with the region.
festivaleletronika.com.br
38 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
SOUTH AMERICA
SOCO FESTIVAL
Montevideo, UY est: 2010
INITIATIVES
SOCO Festival
MISSION
SOCO Festival is
an international
music festival from Uruguay dedicated not only to contemporary
electronic, digital and experimental music but also to a broad
range of activities that combine art, design and technology under
the common underlying connection to sound.
One of the main objectives of this festival is to strengthen the
relationship between art, music and ideas, positioning Uruguay
within a regional and global context. It seeks to disseminate and
spread the democratic values that are inherent in experimental
music and its associated artistic practices.
FUTURE
SOCO aims to become a local reference in relation to advanced
sounds and related visual arts for the local government, and
also to become part of a regional network of festivals and small
organizations that allow for collaboration on and creation of new
projects. SOCO is interested in collaborating with individuals and
organizations worldwide.
socofestival.org
ICASNETWORK.ORG 39
OCEANIA
ROOM40
Brisbane, AU est: 2000
INITIATIVES
Label // Open Frame Festival // various events
MISSION
Here, on this island in the deep south, we find ourselves reaching
outward and inward. Transmitting and receiving over great
distance. Room40 has been one amplifier beacon, connecting to
the outside world since 2000. Room40 is many things to many
people, but at the core of us, is a passion for sound and its ability to
create profound experience for those who choose to listen. Room40
also runs the annual Open Frame Festival of sound and media, as
well as various one-off live sound events.
FUTURE
In 2015 were 15 years old. Well be celebrating with a series of
modest events around the place. Building some new bridges
in Oceania. Were also doing a little gazing over the shoulders
into some of the past work done and refocusing, with the aid
of hindsight, on where we have been coming from and indeed,
heading too.
room40.org penframe.room40.org
40 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
CONTACT
EUROPE Dis-patch
Relja Bobi - Artistic Director
Alpha-ville Nana Radenkovi - KidsPatch Director
Estela Oliva Founder, Director Neda orak - Project Coordinator
Carmen Salas Founder, Director Ljube Stojanovia 34/1
Unit 6, 51 Tudor Road 11 000 Belgrade, RS
London, UK, E9 7SN + 381 64 162 47 50
+44 0 771730353 (Estela) [email protected]
+44 0 7455 525 232 (Carmen)
[email protected] Dis-Play
[email protected] Luis Ortiz Music Director
Amanda Lopez Visual Artistic Director
Arcadi Ile-de-France Aurora Ramon Production
Gilles Alvarez Director, Digital Rafa Valido Coordinator
Julien Tab Production Manager Paseo de la cornisa, 25
51 rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis CS10106 35011 las palmas de Gran Canaria, ES
75468 Paris, FR, Cedex 10 +34 647889415
+33 155 790 000 [email protected]
[email protected]
Insomnia Festival
Association Electroni[k] Christian Hollingsaeter Director
Cyril Guillory General Coordinator Gaute Barlindhaug Admin, Curator
Gatan Nal - President Tomi Pieski Head of Booking
3 rue de Lorraine Pb. 41
35000 Rennes, FR 9251 Troms, NO
+33 6 98 65 80 00 +47 984 20 645
[email protected] [email protected]
Rotation
Samuel Aubert Curator, Director
27 rue dArmagnac
31500 Toulouse, FR
+33 614 240 147
[email protected]
42 INTERNATIONAL CITIES OF ADVANCED SOUND
CONTACT
NORTH AMERICA The Bunker
Bryan Kasenic Owner & Operator
Communikey 302 Bedford Avenue, #434
Kate Lesta - Managing & Creative Director Brooklyn, NY, 11249, USA
Matthew Krall - Assistant Director +1 917 647 3336
650 Pennsylvania Ave [email protected]
Boulder, CO, 80302, USA
+1 720 297 1670 (Kate) VIA Pittsburgh LLC
+1 303 641 6432 (Matt) Lauren Goshinski Co-Director
[email protected] Quinn Leonowicz - Co-Director
[email protected] 273 Fisk Street
Pittsburgh, PA, 15201, USA
Decibel +1 412 889 7619 (Lauren)
Sean Horton - Founder, President, Curator +1 732 598 4430 (Quinn)
8816 10th Ave SW [email protected]
Seattle, WA, 98106, USA [email protected]
+1 206 313 4627
[email protected]
SOUTH AMERICA
ISSUE Project Room
Lawrence Kumpf - Artistic Director Eletronika Festival
Matthew Walker - Development Director Marcos Boffa Director
Amirtha Kidambi - Operations Rua Cristina, 1213 Santo Antonio
Eve Essex, PR 22 Boerum Pl 05432-070 Belo Horizonte, BR
New York, NY 11201, USA +55 31 2532 8201
+1 718 330 0313 [email protected]
[email protected]
SOCO Festiva
MUTEK Martin Craciun Director
Alain Mongeau General & Artistic Director Hernn Gonzlez - Artistic Advisor
Katharina Meissner - Development Alejandro Cruz - Production
175 Roy E. Mariana Diaz - Communications
Montral, Qubec, CA, H2W 1M3 26 de Marzo 3286, apt 102
+1 514 871 8646 CP11300 Montevideo, UI
[email protected] +59 8 99 642 967
[email protected]
MUTEK.MX (TECNOLOGA EN MUTACIN
S.A. DE C.V.)
Damin Romero General & Artistic Dir.
Huichapan 1-5 Condesa Cuauhtmoc
OCEANIA
Mxico D.F. C.P. 06140
Room 40
+52 55 6553 3911
Lawrence English Director
[email protected]
PO Box 191 Red Hill, Qld
4059 Brisbane, AU
New Forms Media Society
+61 412 957795
Malcolm Levy Director
[email protected]
255 East 2nd Street
Vancouver, British Columbia, CA
+1 604 728 0284
[email protected]
icasnetwork.org [email protected] @ICASnetwork
MEDIA PARTNER:
This project is realised with the support of the Culture Program of the Eu-
ropean Union. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and
the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made
of the information contained therein.