For the past 7 years, Rokolectiv Festival has been participating in the extensive networking efforts put together by the 16 festivals and art centers involved in the SHAPE platform, co-funded by the European Union through the Creative Europe program.

The platform aims to promote innovative upcoming artists with an interest in sound and visual arts, and provide them with new opportunities to show their work at partner festivals / art institutions.

Faced with the challenges of the Covid-19 crisis, the platform has shifted the focus from mostly live and DJ performances to a broader mix of special commissioned works, publications, panels, lectures and other kinds of streamed content, offering an insightful presentation of the 48 musicians selected in the 2021 roster.

Follow our Read / Watch / Listen sections for more.

Crack Magazine SHAPE Platform Takeover

On March 16 and 23, SHAPE platform will collaborate with the Bristol-based magazine and online media Crack on a string of online premieres of performances, video works, compositions and mixes, all created specifically for this two-part online event aimed at a global audience. The SHAPE takeover of Crack magazine will happen in two parts: on March 16, all the audio premieres of this joint activity will be published on crackaud.io, whereas March 23 will see new video works by SHAPE artists published on Crack’s website. On this occasion, Nazar, one of the three artists nominated by Rokolectiv in 2021, puts together a mix of tunes that celebrates 2 years since his debut album Guerrilla, with unreleased material that expands the narrative further.

The festivals and organizations of the SHAPE platform would also like to use this opportunity to invite the audience to show their support to Ukraine and its people who are now suffering because of Russia’s invasion by supporting their favourite Ukranian artists or making a donation to a trusted organization. Here, for instance, is a link, set up by the National Bank of Ukraine, for raising funds for Humanitarian Assistance to Ukrainians Affected by Russia’s Aggression. And here, Help Ukraine Center where humanitarian aid and donations are accepted and transported directly into Ukraine from a warehouse in Poland.

To catch the video premieres and new audio works of this online event, follow the Facebook pages and websites of SHAPE and Crack Magazine.

Mars Can Wait

Mars Can Wait is a new online exhibition featuring solo and collaborative works centered around nature-culture and symbiogenesis, with artistic interpretations of Gaia Theory, reticulate evolution and their implications for the ecological crisis and society at large. The exhibition features video works by Nona Inescu, Félix Blume and Sébastien Robert, while producers Amosphère, Audrey Chen and Heith contribute with the soundtrack to some of the newly commissioned works. The exhibition is part of our Earthly Affairs project, and is on view from 20th of October to 30th of December 2021. View it here.

HOW TO BE BIRD

As a last stop in our Earthly Affairs project, Rokolectiv invites music producer Simina Oprescu to put together an informational video about human’s fascination with bird songs. The video will be available for streaming starting 10.11 on our Facebook and Vimeo channels, and is made possible with the kind support of AFCN, SHAPE platform & Creative Europe. Feel free to tweet along, a few chirping tips are included.

Valentina Magaletti live at Dancity Festival

On 30th of December 2021, Rokolectiv Festival teams up with Dancity Festival (Foligno, Italy) to present a live show of SHAPE artist Valentina Magaletti. Valentina is an outstanding drummer, percussionist and composer whose goal is to strategically enrich a folkloristic and eclectic palette through endless listening and experimentation with new materials and sounds. The participation of Valentina Magaletti in the festival is co-funded by SHAPE platform / Creative Europe.

Symbiotic Earth - documentary screening

Due to the worsening sanitary context, we are moving online the screening of Symbiotic Earth, John Feldman's documentary about Lynn Margulis. Margulis was a rebel scientist who pioneered the symbiogenesis theory as a bold alternative to the competitive worldviews fed by neo-Darwinistic approaches. You can watch it on our Vimeo channel here, from 6PM on Sunday 10.10 till 9PM CET on Monday 11.10. The screening is presented by Bullfrog Films with support from SHAPE platform, Creative Europe, and AFCN.

Odete & Clara! live at Club Guesthouse on 24.09.2021

Rokolectiv gets physical with a first offline get-together in 2021, featuring video screenings and live shows at the newly opened Club Guesthouse. It is a blessing to be able to host live performances again. Shortly after her new album release, Lisbon's Odete will present a powerful act mixing poetry, sound and weary girlhood spirits, while SHAPE alumna Clara! will blend in Galician folk and industrial reggaetoneras, in one of her first appearances as a solo act. Full program and timetable here.

2021 Roster

SHAPE Platform’s 2021 roster is now fully revealed. The artist selection for the platform’s seven year traditionally places live and DJ acts in conjunction with new media projects, visual and sound artists. We are hoping the year will allow the return of a wide range of physical events, alongside special online commissions. Romanian artist Nona Inescu joins the 2021 roster, alongside Rokolectiv’s other endorsements for this year, Manchester-based Angolan producer Nazar and Portugal's queen of broken femme souls, Odete. Full list of artists here.

Check out our 2020 Projects involving SHAPE Platform artists.