Culturescapes information

Culturescapes (or: CULTURESCAPES) is a multidisciplinary Swiss arts festival devoted to inter-cultural exchange. The festival, which takes place in autumn, showcases the cultural landscape of a different region, nation or city. Although based in Basel the festival extends to many other places in Switzerland, such as Aarau, Bern, Chur, Zurich, Geneva or Bellinzona. Founded in the year 2002, the festival mainly focussed on Eastern European countries at the beginning. However, with festival editions devoted to countries like Turkey, Azerbaijan, China or Israel the festival gradually expanded its scope. To mark its tenth anniversary in 2012 Culturescapes focussed on Moscow, for the first time placing the topography of a city at the centre of the festival.^[1] The 2013 Balkans festival edition highlighted not only a country but an entire cultural region.^[2] 2015 Iceland was presented.^[3] At the same time was also announced that in the future the festival will take place in the biennial rhythm. The next two editions took place in 2017 with a focus on Greece and in 2019 with a focus on Poland.

From 2021, CULTURESCAPES is opening a new festival series dedicated to critical zones that extend beyond the boundaries of nation states. In 2021, the focus was on the Amazon region and Sahara was the region of choice for the 2023 edition. In 2025, the African desert and its surroundings will be the focus of the festival for the second time.^[4]

CULTURESCAPES is a network festival, cooperating with existing arts venues in Switzerland, such as the Kaserne Basel or the Museum Tinguely. The festival is usually supported by Swiss federal agencies, e.g. DEZA, county authorities as well as state departments of the guest country. The festival is interdisciplinary. Next to performing arts like theatre and dance the festival also presents fine arts, graphic arts, craft, literature, film and new Media. In the programming section entitled „Focus" the history, current affairs and popular culture of the focus region are discussed and analysed. This largely happens in cooperation with Swiss education institutions such as the University of Basel or the University of Zurich. Some of the countries and topics chosen have led to protests and debate. Such topics include the Armenian genocide or the Conflicts in the Middle East. In a public letter, Culturescapes was requested by BDS Switzerland, a group advocating the boycott of Israel, not to host the Culturescapes Israel 2011 festival.^[5] The BDS Switzerland also protested at some of the events of the festival.^[6]

^ Fluri, Christian „Culturescapes feiert mit Moskau Jubiläum" Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (Basel) 22 November 2012
^ Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC CULTURESCAPES Balkan, Website SDC. Accessed 12 March 2014., Fluri, Christian „Culturescapes: Erstmals widmet sich Festival einer umstrittenen Region" Basellandschaftliche Zeitung 20 September 2013
^ Website Culturescapes Island 2015. Accessed 04. December 2015.
^ "Culturescapes".
^ BDS public letter Archived 12 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Accessed 12 March 2014
^ BDS Switzerland „Proteste beim Auftritt der Batsheva Dance Company im Beyeler Museum" Archived 12 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine 23 November 2013, Accessed 12 March 2014.

[1] Fluri, Christian „Culturescapes feiert mit Moskau Jubiläum" Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (Basel) 22 November 2012

[2] Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC CULTURESCAPES Balkan, Website SDC. Accessed 12 March 2014., Fluri, Christian „Culturescapes: Erstmals widmet sich Festival einer umstrittenen Region" Basellandschaftliche Zeitung 20 September 2013

[3] Website Culturescapes Island 2015. Accessed 04. December 2015.

[4] "Culturescapes".

[5] BDS public letter Archived 12 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Accessed 12 March 2014

[6] BDS Switzerland „Proteste beim Auftritt der Batsheva Dance Company im Beyeler Museum" Archived 12 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine 23 November 2013, Accessed 12 March 2014.

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