The next SHAPE showcase will take place Yerevan.

The SHAPE platform will present a large showcase at Urvakan festival in Yerevan, Armenia, on May 5 – 9. This will be the fifth large SHAPE showcase outside of the EU after Montréal’s MUTEK, Rio De Janeiro’s Novas Frequências, Jinja, Uganda’s Nyege Nyege and St. Petersburg’s GAMMA. Counting 15 SHAPE artists in Urvakan’s line-up, this will also be the biggest SHAPE guest showcase so far.

The inspiration behind the name “Urvakan” (which means ‘ghost’ in Armenian) comes from the festival team’s interest in revitalizing the country’s abandoned and deserted sites and their ambiguous state of being neither completely ruined, nor truly alive as they were decades ago. Some of these locations will be turned into one-of-a-kind centers of cultural attraction by serving as venues for the festival’s kaleidoscopic music program, featuring site-specific art installations, exhibitions and discussions as well.

Urvakan’s music program blends together projects by more than 80 artists from 22 countries, including SHAPE-supported acts: Animistic Beliefs, Dorota, Elvin Brandhi, Farida Amadou & Steve Noble, Hugo Esquinca, Jay Glass Dubs, Kӣr, LYZZA, Marta de Pascalis, Poly Chain, Rian Treanor, Rojin Sharafi, Virgen Maria, Xin and Yann Gourdon. The festival also aims to spark exchanges between local musicians and established artists, curators, and independent music industry professionals from around the world.

For more info, visit urvakan.com.