ICAS – International/ European Cities of Advanced Sound
ECAS– European Cities of Advanced Sound
 
ICAS – International Cities of Advanced Sound – is a global network of independent non-profit Organizations dedicated to advancing sound cultures, music and related arts. ECAS – European Cities of Advanced Sound – is its european branch.
 
The ICAS / ECAS network is currently in its founding stage. Several working meetings with the participation of the member organizations have been held since 2007. Currently the network is in the process of raising funds to kick-off a number of intended actions for the period of 2009 – 2011.
 
 
Common Ground
 
All members of ICAS / ECAS have spent years crafting unique festivals and events, each with its own identity grounded in strong local connections and context.

ICAS / ECAS 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 / ECAS 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 / ECAS 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 / ECAS member organizations actively engage in building bridges between art disciplines, cultural fields, scenes and genres with a special eye on fostering exchange between academic musical traditions, experimental music and pop (sub) cultures and between the arts and technology.
 
 
ICAS / ECAS network
 
The ICAS / ECAS 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 / ECAS 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 / ECAS 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.

It seeks to realize the value of shared experience and knowledge, to develop collectively. It is based on the belief that this will result in even stronger sustainable structures for its respective members, ensuring their activities can continue to evolve.
 
 
Actions
 
Activities within the events and festivals organized by ICAS / ECAS 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.

Additionally ICAS / ECASorganizes meetings and workshops to define the directions, aims and actions of the network.

ICAS / ECAS 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 / ECAS and its member organizations.
 
› www.ecasnetwork.org