Materialise teamed up with nine international partners towards the establishment of OpenScape, a digital platform for the promotion of artistic and curatorial exchanges. Built by dance networks and cultural institutions, it offered free online discursive and collaborative events and a space to create conditions for informal exchange. The aim was to form a decentralised community and provide space for cross-border exchange, but also to share information, resources, and social and cultural practices.
OpenScape presented larger and smaller events on specific topics defined jointly by the partners. The format of these meetings was chosen based on the topic – and ranges from lectures and input formats to open discussion rounds and workshops. More intimate, closed online residencies and collaborations were also possible, in which work had been done over a longer period of time, the results of which were then presented publicly.
OpenScape was an initiative of Materialise, developed in collaboration with Reso (CH), GreenRoom (CL/DE/ES), iPanda (CN), The Khan (LB), Mwenya Kabwe (ZA), NAVE (CL), Nika Parkhomovskaia (RU/FR), Sandbox Collective (IN), and Tanzhaus Zurich (CH).
OpenScape was supported by the Culture Office of the Canton Zurich as part of the «Transformation Fund» programme connected to the Covid response, and by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia as part of its call for projects To Gather.