The Nordic Culture Fund has awarded the first Globus Call grants

“We are very pleased and impressed by the great interest we have seen in the Globus programme. The large number of qualified applications shows the need for new types of artistic and cultural collaborations and networks that will seek new perspectives and develop dialogue across different contexts. The programme also demonstrates the importance of supporting international artistic and cultural co-operation in a reality that is increasingly complex and characterised by global processes and upheavals“, says Benny Marcel, Director of the Nordic Culture Fund.

The 14 selected projects include a wide range of different initiatives in several areas of art and culture. Through co-operation in the projects, the Nordic Region will be woven into global networks that create connections between actors from different parts of the world. The programme has a particular focus on initiatives that work with experimental processes and methods, and several of the projects combine interdisciplinary artistic and creative methods with scientific and philosophical approaches.

Insights from an international group of experts

In the programme, the foundation has collaborated with an international group of experts who have also participated in the evaluation of the applications. In 2022, the group consisted of Jimena Lara (MX), Director of Anglo Arts, Anglo Mexican Foundation, Pooja Sood (IN), Director of Khoj International Artists’ Association in India and Camilla Mordhorst, Director of the Danish Cultural Institute.

“It’s always exciting to see how a new programme is received. We have been overwhelmed by the quantity and quality of applications. They reflect the fact that many artists work in international networks that address global themes in their work. One of the strengths of the programme is that it promotes art and cultural projects that work across borders and genres and creates connections between individual artists and cultural institutions. The programme connects the Nordic with the global scene and shows that the interaction between the Nordic and the global not only creates new perspectives, but also brings forth really good art projects,” the group says.

Focus on networking and knowledge

Globus Call is the latest part of the Nordic Culture Fund’s overall Globus programme. The purpose of the programme is to give artists and cultural actors the opportunity to engage in transnational and long-term collaborations and networks that extend beyond the Nordic region. The programme is open for applications annually and the next application round will be announced in spring 2023.

As part of the programme, the fund will eventually facilitate a network across the projects that have received funding. This will include the development of structures and online forums for further knowledge exchange across the involved partners and between the individual projects and the foundation.

“We are very much looking forward to following the projects’ further journey. This will also give us the opportunity to explore how a new form of Nordic relevance can emerge in collaboration with several global projects that in different ways include the Nordic region in their work. The aim is to develop a new platform for projects that share the ambition of a global artistic practice,” says Anni Syrjäläinen, senior advisor and project manager for the Globus programme.

Overview of projects that have received funding in the first application round of Globus Gall:

• Amplifying Heritage: Exploring local artistic and educational opportunities of heritage through a global perspective – by Kansanmusiikki-instituutti ry Cooperation and participation from Nepal, Mauritius and Finland
• An Urgent Situation del 2 – af Praksis Oslo Cooperation and participation from Norway, Malaysia, Indonesia and Zambia
• Exploring Global Digital Infrastructures and New Business Models for Contemporary Performance – af Sirkus- ja teatteriyhdistys Lumous (Lumo Company) Cooperation and participation from The UK, Latvia and Finland
• Ghost Agency: Women’s Rights in the Age of Surveillance Capitalism – af Gro Sarauw m.fl. Cooperation and participation from Mexico, USA, Denmark and Norway.
• Interdependent Intersections – af Amble Skuse Cooperation and participation from The United Kingdom, Serbia, Hungary, Sweden and Denmark
• Now Soon Over – af CCA Berlin gGmbH Cooperation and participation from Hongkong, Nigeria, Brasil, The United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden.
• PACE-Nordic: The Pan-African Creative Exchange Nordic Connection – af Pan-African Creative Exchange Cooperation and participation from South Africa, The United Kingdom, USA, Australia, The Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceand
• Reparative Encounters: a transcontinental network for artistic research and reparative practices – af Daniela Agostinho m.fl. Cooperation and participation from US virgin Islands, Ghana, Greenland and Denmark
• ROTULAMA: revitalizing independent shops in the midst of gentrification – af Super EclecticCooperation and participation from Taiwan, Portugal and Finland
• Seeds for Solidarity: Advancing climate justice through cross-cultural creative collaborations – af Punos Taide & Tutkimus Cooperation and participation from Finland, Sápmi, Taiwan, New Zealand and all of Latin America.
• Sensorium – Voice Beyond Language – af Enactlab Cooperation and participation from USA, Denmark and South Africa.
• Simia – Platform for Research and Practice – af Mandus Ridefelt Cooperation and participation from Egypt, Jordan, Singapore, China, Türkiye and Denmark
• The Wedding – af Blaagard Teater Cooperation and participation from Libanon and Denmark
• Unfolding the Universe – af Tenthaus Cooperation and participation from Taiwan, Latvia, Indonesia, Thailand, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Zambia, Colombia, USA, The United Kingdom, Denmark and Norway.