Create to Connect is a joint effort of 13 European cultural and research organizations to create powerful and long-lasting connections of artists, cultural operators, researchers and audience. The partners’ organizations have made commitment to several years researching and finding new approaches to educate the audience as well as the production models that will engage the audience in new innovative ways and trying to create new public arenas together with the audience, whether it be physically, through dialogue or participation.
We recognize the need for arts and culture sector to respond to the crisis, especially to neuralgic points of the disengagement of citizens in the public sphere, to the disintegration of participation in public matters and to the diminishing sense of community. Especially contemporary performing art with its direct interaction between artists and audience has potential to create a sense of community and conditions in which searching for new alternatives, giving voice to the ones that do not have it or opening opportunities to participate in the matters of public is possible.
All partners in the project share the mission to produce work by artists who care about today’s issues and have specific ideas or motivation to work within the realm we defined as audience building. The works of art that network partners will commission will be very diverse. Approaches to audience that go beyond just staging something are very diverse and offer many possibilities. We also want to offer a space to artists to explore the different options.
Create to Connect network has chosen a pool of European artists, who will be commissioned and coproduced by different partners to create art works engaging the audience in new innovative ways. The partners have also made commitment to host touring performances by providing artists conditions to adopt works in longer relation within local contexts and communities.
