ICAS – International Cities of Advanced Sound – is a global network for of independent Non Profit Organizations dedicated to advancing sound cultures, music and related arts. All members of ICAS have spent years crafting unique festivals and events, each with its own identity grounded in strong local connections and context.
ICAS and its members uphold the cultural value of music and sound creation in both an absolute sense, and in the multifarious forms that meld music and sound with other cultural practices. Unlike the mainstream music business, ICAS members adopt an alternative set of criteria to measure the success of their endeavors, which favors quality, critical reflection, innovation and exchange over profit.Reflecting on the aesthetic and societal agency of contemporary sound creation against a backdrop of the transformation processes induced by digital technology, they wish to raise awareness and support for experimental and experiential sound and music cultures.
ICAS members understand their curatorial and organizational activities as a creative force that, engaged in a constant dialogue with artists, producers, critics and audience, constructively contributes to the development of artistically independent music and sound creation. Using a palette of transdisciplinary approaches, ICAS member organizations actively engage in building bridges between art disciplines, cultural fields, scenes and genres.
The ICAS network is an open structure that welcomes the participation of new members. It aims to spark dialogue, knowledge exchange and mutual support amongst international organizations engaged with experimental sound cultures. Thus it fosters community and collaboration instead of competition between cultural entrepreneurs. ICAS functions as a creative platform for self-reflection and learning on a global level, calling on its members to constantly reinvent, question, inspire and challenge each other. Its greater aim is to support its members in building-up sustainable infrastructures to support, promote and sponsor experimental and critical sound cultures within their specific localities and contexts. ICAS is about consciously linking these structures and places to build a positive form of globalization that accords local contexts and emerging talent greater value within an international framework.
Activities within the events and festivals organized by ICAS members include concerts, performances, commissioned work, exhibitions, participatory projects, educational workshops, conferences, presentations, panel discussions, publications and informal spaces for knowledge-sharing within and between fields.
ICAS serves as an interface to intensify dialogue between its members and the decision makers in cultural, political and economic fields. The network meetings also serve to increase public awareness concerning the issues addressed by ICAS and its member organizations.
Further information › icasnetwork.org
