The platform for innovative music and interdisciplinary art, known first as SHAPE and later as SHAPE+, had been active for more than a decade.
While the individual partner festivals and venues will continue to develop new initiatives, SHAPE+ is reaching its conclusion at the end of December 2025.
The project has been co-funded by the European Union, in its last years also by Pro Helvetia.
SHAPE+ fostered exceptional emerging talent, connecting them to local communities and audiences through collaborative residencies, commissioned artworks, performances, and large artist meet-ups accompanied by a discourse program. The approach to artist selection has been diverse, spanned many genres of modern music and embraced interdisciplinarity.
Across its ten years of activity, SHAPE facilitated the careers of 676 innovative artists, and is thankful to them for their trust and participation. The creators of SHAPE owe much gratitude also to the core 18 adventurous music festivals of the platform, as well as external partner organizations, media partners, and participating entities from previous versions of the project.
The venues and audiences across Europe and beyond were equally important in making the project possible through their openness, enthusiasm, and interest in forward thinking music and sound.
As of December 2025, this website will no longer be updated, but the curious visitor is invited to sift through its archive of emerging and relevant musical acts, a list of leading festivals in the field, and an extensive collection of interviews and multimedia content.